Since its first meeting in Berlin in 2009, EUROMIL participates at the yearly meetings of the International Conference of Ombuds Institutions for the Armed Forces (ICOAF). Among the participants, EUROMIL is one of the rare participants not being an Ombuds Institution.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the 12th ICOAF planned for this year in Vienna (Austria), was held entirely online from 26-30 October 2020. EUROMIL actively participated in the discussions, with President Emmanuel Jacob being a panelist in one of the sessions in which he presented the recently adopted “EUROMIL Recommendations on Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Armed Forces.”

12ICOAF was devoted to assessing the impact of COVID-19 on not only ombuds institutions, but also on society, and the armed forces. In the majority of countries, armed forces have been called upon to assist civilian authorities in tackling this public health emergency, exposing them to new and often unusual tasks in a fast-changing environment, but also a higher risk of infection. Facing this trend, ombuds institutions need to reflect on their practices and adapt their work to guarantee the protection of the rights of armed forces personnel during and after COVID-19, as well as the rights of citizens impacted by the activities of the armed forces.

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