The Ombudsman's Office of Colombia is the national government agency that is charged with overseeing the protection of civil

Civil rights

Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...

 and human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 within the legal framework of the Republic of Colombia. The ombudsman

Ombudsman

An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...

, or public defender , is an official appointed by the President

President of Colombia

The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...

, and elected by the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia

Chamber of Representatives of Colombia

The Chamber of Representatives is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia.The Chamber has 166 elected members for four-year terms.-How the Chamber is elected:...

, to head this agency. The Ombudsman’s Office is funded through the Inspector General’s Office

Inspector General of Colombia

The Office of the Inspector General of Colombia is a Colombian independent, public institution overseeing the public conduct of those in authority or in charge of exercising a public office, and of overseeing the correct functioning of other government institutions and agencies...

, but it operates independently in administration and budget. In addition to its complaint-handling role, the Ombudsman is the national human rights institution, accredited with A status by the ICC

International Co-ordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions

The International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions, sometimes shortened to the International Coordinating Committee , is a global network of national human rights institutions - administrative bodies set up to promote, protect and monitor human rights in a given country...

.