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In the period of 28-29. In October 2022, in Novi Sad, in the Rector’s building of the University of Novi Sad, an international scientific and professional conference was held under the title Protection of Human Rights: From Childhood to the Right to Dignity in Old Age – Human Rights and Institutions, which was organized by the joint efforts of the Provincial Protector of Citizens – Ombudsman and the Institute for Criminological and Sociological Research from Belgrade.

Numerous academic, scientific-research, independent and other relevant organizations and institutions from the Republic of Serbia, neighboring countries and European Union countries took part in the conference. During two days, they spoke about dignity, new constitutionalism, access to justice, unequal treatment, the contribution of scientific institutions to the improvement of human rights, the ethical dimension of institutions, the protection of minors and the rights of unborn children, children as subjects of the criminal system and participants in clinical trials of drugs, the rights of migrants , climate change, experiences of deinstitutionalization, the role of school in the prevention of peer violence, and employment as a key social and economic link between youth and old age. The conference also discussed nursing homes, abuse of the elderly, the aging of the prison population, human rights in the time of corona, and the participants of the meeting were offered an answer to the question of why there is no formal right to happiness.

Prof. dr Aleksandar Ivanović, president of the CSO MONITOR and Ivan Petrović, deputy local ombudsman of the city of Kraljevo and member of the CSO MONITOR, with co-authored work on the topic: “Patients’ rights and human rights protection standards in the healthcare system of the Republic of Serbia” took part in the aforementioned conference. Starting from the fact that citizens have a need for health care from childhood to old age, in the presented work they dealt with the issue of protecting patients’ rights in the Republic of Serbia, presenting and analyzing in detail the provisions of the Law on Patients’ Rights. They paid special attention to their compliance with the European Charter on Patients’ Rights and the recommendations of the Council of Europe in this area. The aim of the work was to point out the existing ambiguities, as well as the shortcomings of the law, through the review of de lege lata provisions in this area, and to offer de lege ferenda solutions for the improvement of legal provisions concerning the protection of patients’ rights and standards of human rights protection in the healthcare system of the Republic Serbia.