The Ombuds Blog: Meet the New Ombuds for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

January 17, 2025

Meet the New Ombuds for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

In October, Vassilena (Lena) Gashparova was named the Senior Conflict Resolution Officer and Ombudsman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Based in Geneva, she reports directly to the Chief of Service, UNOMS and works under the general supervision of the UN Ombudsman. She provides services to OHCHR around the world.

Gashparova has been an independent mediator and trainer in Luxembourg since 2018, including work with the UN Institute for Training and Research. She earned both her Bachelor's and Masters at Université de Montréal. (LinkedIn.)

Related posts: United Nations Appoints American to be Next Ombudsman; United Nations Ombuds Explains Pandemic Pivot to Virtual Casework; Job Posting.

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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