Tirana, June 12 (Albania Journal) – Endrit Shabani met officials from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL), the office responsible for preparing the annual U.S. reports on human rights around the world.
According to the Ombudsman’s Office, the meeting highlighted a shared commitment to strengthening cooperation on human rights, independent monitoring and the rule of law.
The Washington visit was followed by Shabani’s address at the United Nations headquarters, where he took part as a speaker at a high-level international forum on human rights during the 19th Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
In his remarks, Shabani called for the removal of barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully exercising their rights, beginning with the right to vote.
“Every society makes a silent choice: whether persons with disabilities will be helped or respected. To be respected, they must be allowed to participate as equals,” Shabani said.
He also stressed that independent institutions should act as a bridge between social programmes and public policy, bringing citizens’ concerns directly to the tables where international standards are shaped.
The Ombudsman’s Office said Shabani will continue working with international partners as part of his constitutional mandate to protect the rights of citizens, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable groups in society.
