with the exception of teaching. The NHRC is an independent administrative authority which does not receive instructions from any authority for the purpose of the discharge of the terms of reference of its members. The involvement of the technical partners, particularly the United Nations System, in the process of the preparation and establishment of the NHRC makes Niger one of the very first countries in French-speaking Africa to have such an institution. The missions of the NHRC set forth in Articles 19, 20 and 21 of the aforementioned law are being reviewed in order to make it a National Independent Mechanism to supervise detention centres in accordance with the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Punishment or Treatment to which our country adhered on 7 November 2014. The reform also aims at increasing the representation of women in the said institution. The NHRC presented its last 2018 report on the state of human rights in Niger on 29 June 2019 before the National Assembly. This report gives an account of the salient points and challenges to be addressed in the area of the protection and promotion of human rights in Niger. 19. Office of the Ombudsman: It was instituted by Law No. 2011-18 of 8 August 2011, and amended and supplemented by Law No. 2013-30 of 17 June 2013. Although there has not been any legislative amendment concerning this independent administrative authority since the last report, it is necessary to specify its remit. On condition that the matters below have not already been referred to the courts, the jurisdiction falls on this Office in matters such as:  Conflicts between citizens and the Public Service, local authorities, public establishments and bodies entrusted with a public service mission;  Situations which come to its knowledge and for which it has jurisdiction, whenever it has genuine reasons to believe that a person or group of persons has been abnormally wronged or may likely be wronged through an act or omission of a public body;  Defence of the rights of children and vulnerable persons;  Intervention in any case likely to improve the Public Service or in any case for arbitration between the Public Service and the social and professional segments of society at the request of the Executive and the Legislature, and  Defence of the right of access to public information by the citizenry (Article 28 of Ordinance No. 2011-22 of 23 February 2011 on the charter on access to public information and administrative documents). By way of illustration, the following graphs provide information on activities undertaken from 2015 to 2018. Table1 and Graphs: Situation of Complaints Received by the Ombudsman Year Number of Complaints Recorded 2016 118 2017 90 2018 153 Number of Complaints Handled (closed) 73 30 102 / Number of Complaints Being Handled 45 60 51 / Number of Complaints Remaining As At End Of Year 45 60 51 / 15 2019 /