The fundamental conditions for Ombudsman Services  are human rights, democracy and the sustainability of the democratic process. A space for the direct participation of society in the public powers, the Ombudsman's Office promotes mediation and consequent closer relationships between Society and the State, through dialogue and negotiation, as it zeals for the legitimacy of citizens' right to contribute with criticism and suggestions to the improvement of public services at any government level.

In this context, in order to achieve its mission, the Ombudsman's Office has to make a pact with society to ensure citizens of their right to participation in decision-making in the public Administration, by defending the constitutional stipulations stated in Art. 37, Paragraph 3 of the Brazilian Constitution:

"Paragraph 3 - The law shall regulate the forms of participations of users in governmental entities and in entities owned by the Government, especially as regards:

I - claims related to the rendering of public services in general, the provision of user services being ensured, as well as periodical external and internal assessments of the quality of services;

II - the access of users to administrative records and to information about Government initiatives, with due regard for article 5, items X and XXXIII; (See Law nº 12,527, from 2011)

III - the rules of a complaint against negligence or abuse in the exercise of an office, position or role in government services."

To this end, the Ombudsman's Office shall:

  • Acknowledge citizens as subjects of rights, without distinction;
  • Hear different kinds of citizen manifestations (information requests, claims, complaints, compliments and suggestions) as legitimate demands;
  • Adequately characterize society's expectations, describing situations and identifying their contexts so that the State can decode them as opportunities to improve the public Administration;
  • Supply coherent responses to society's legitimate demands, with due observance of the ethical principles that rule the public Administration;
  • Demonstrate to society and the public Administration the results obtained, with evidence of the effectiveness of the handling of demands and of the responses that are offered, through reports that explain the causality between active participation from society and informed improvements to public management.

Embrapa's Ombudsman's Office, created based on such principles, is a central unit that reports to the Administrative Board (Consad) and is administratively under the corporation's presidency. It aims to contribute to improving Embrapa's relations with internal and external publics in different administrative tiers, working as a mediator in the search for solutions in occasions in which citizens are seeking their rights at the institution. It is also the Ombudsman's Office competence to implement the Law of Access to Information.

The following are the Office's basic attributions:

a) Develop measurements that favour the participation of Embrapa's internal and external community to safeguard citizen rights and promote improvements in the activities the Institution develops, alongside all other administrative tiers;

b) collect, systematize and publicize information, including through reports, that contribute to the monitoring and perfecting of administrative and institutional rules and procedures;

c) answer to and guide the public with regard to access to information;

d) inform about the due procedures and processing of documents referring to demands submitted to the Ombudsman's Office;

e) process documents and requests of access to information.