Professor Jean-Marie Pontiser of the University of Paris 1 visited the Control Yuan on the afternoon of September 24 and spoke about how the powers and functions of Le Défenseur des droits (Defender of Rights) became an established Ombudsman institution in France in 2011.
When the French parliament approved changes to the Constitution in 2008, one of the goals of the constitutional reform was to strengthen civil rights. Le Défenseur des droits was founded by merging the Médiateur de la République (Mediator of the Republic), Défenseur des enfants (Defender of Children), the Haute autorité de lute contre les discriminations et pour l’égalité (the High Authority against Discrimination and for Equality), and the Commission nationale de déontologie de la sécurité (National Commission on the Ethics of Security). Citizens whose rights are infringed by the government or public organizations can file complaints to this new Ombudsman institution.
The speech was hosted by Dr. Louis Chao, Control Yuan member and chairperson of the international affairs committee. Afterwards, Professor Pontier answered questions and exchanged ideas with the Control Yuan colleagues, including Control Yuan Member Dr. Li Ful-Dien. At the end, the audience said "Thank you" (Merci beaucoup) in French both to the speaker and the interpreter, Professor Wang Huei-Tung.
Before leaving the Control Yuan, the professor enjoyed a guided tour of the display room and Complaint Receipt Center.