Press releases

Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary Dr. Ákos Kozma congratulated the newly elected European Ombudsman Ms. Teresa Anjinho in a letter, and he also expressed his hopes for a successful future cooperation.

The more than seven decades that have passed since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have proven that the ideas of human dignity, freedom and equality are stronger than any oppression, said Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary Dr. Ákos Kozma on 10 December, i.e., Human Rights Day.

Dealing with disability these days does not only mean the implementation of a programme but a continuous and manifold activity that permeates all segments of social coexistence and requires a constructive cooperation of public and civil organisations, said Ombudsman Dr. Ákos Kozma on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, suggesting that the true face of a society will be revealed by how it treats individual capabilities and diversity, as well as how it breaks down the barriers of community engagement.

An ex officio investigation was launched by the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary for the enforcement of the principle of equal treatment at public universities, with special regard to the prevention of discrimination based on political beliefs.

“Every child is important, as is every right of the child: to protect and ensure them is a fundamental obligation of the state. Our common responsibility lies in creating a better, more liveable, child-centred future”, as Ombudsman Dr. Ákos Kozma reminds us on World Children’s Day. The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary believes that amidst the increasing challenges of our days such as war conflicts, the global climate change, as well as skyrocketing digital development, even more attention should be paid and even more resources should be allocated to the well-being of children, the protection of their mental health and hearing their opinions.

Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary Dr. Ákos Kozma paid an official visit to the head of the Austrian Ombudsman Board, Secretary-General of the International Ombudsman Institution (IOI) Ms. Gaby Schwarz in Vienna on 30 October 2023. At the work meeting, the closure of the road section between Somfalva (Schattendorf) and Ágfalva (Agendorf), among others, was discussed.

On 3 October 2023, chaired by Ombudsman Dr. Ákos Kozma, the inaugural meeting of the Disability Advisory Board, which consists of the representatives of the organisations active in various fields of disability in Hungary, was held in the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights. The Board assists the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary in performing his tasks related to the independent mechanism under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Creating and maintaining a dignified, active, autonomous and healthy old age, a social environment that is empathetic, shows solidarity with and supports elderly persons is our common responsibility. It is a question of key importance that old age, which has no exact limits that can be expressed as the number of years, should be surrounded by recognition and respect rather than stigmatisation, i.e. the stigma of weakness and helplessness. There is no successful society without building bridges between the generations, mutual attention, common thinking and cooperation, repeated Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary Dr. Ákos Kozma on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons this year again.

In his report No. AJB-1665/2023 of 17 April 2023 on the legal criteria of using the family housing allowance (CSOK), the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary drew attention to that the CSOK decrees require the existence of a social insurance legal relationship as a prerequisite for using the allowance as a general rule.

Hungarian citizens have turned to Dr. Ákos Kozma, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, about the the closure of the road connecting the villages of Somfalva (Schattendorf) and Ágfalva.

Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Dr. Ákos Kozma and Ombudsman for Future Generations Dr. Gyula Bándi called attention to the importance of the implementation of the global goals for the protection of biodiversity on the national level and on the need for active action on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity.