The International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), established in 1978, is the only global organisation for the cooperation of more than 200 independent
Ombudsman
An ombudsman (, also ,), ombud, ombuds, ombudswoman, ombudsperson or public advocate is an official who is usually appointed by the government or by parliament (usually with a significant degree of independence) to investigate complaints and at ...
institutions operating on a local, regional and national level from more than 100 countries worldwide. The Ombudsman of Western Australia, Chris Field, is the current President of the IOI since May 2021. Werner Amon, Chair of the Austrian Ombudsman Board, is the IOI's Secretary General since July 2019.
The role of Ombudsman institutions is to protect the people against the violation of rights, abuse of powers, unfair decisions and maladministration. They play an increasingly important role in improving public administration while making the government's actions more open and its administration more accountable to the public.
In its effort to focus on good governance and capacity building, the IOI supports its members in a threefold way: training, research and regional subsidies for projects. The IOI is organised in six regional chapters (Africa, Asia, Australasia & Pacific, Europe, the Caribbean & Latin America and North America) and has three working languages (English, French and Spanish).
The General Secretariat is located in Vienna (
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
) and is run by the Austrian Ombudsman Board (
Volksanwaltschaft) since 2009.
Presidents
*, Sweden, 1984
*
Bernard Frank
Bernard Frank (11 October 1929, in Neuilly-sur-Seine – 3 November 2006, in Paris) was a French journalist and writer.
Early life
Bernard Frank was raised in a comfortable family, where his father was a bank manager. After his baccalauréat ...
, United States, 1985–
*
Stephen Owen, Canada, 1990
*Sir
John Robertson John, Jon, or Jonathan Robertson may refer to:
Politicians United Kingdom politicians
* J. M. Robertson (John Mackinnon Robertson, 1856–1933), British journalist and Liberal MP for Tyneside 1906–1918
*John Robertson (Bothwell MP) (1867–1926) ...
, New Zealand, 1992–1994
*
Jorge Maiorano,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
*,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, −1999
*Sir
Brian Elwood
Sir Brian George Conway Elwood (born 5 April 1933) is a former New Zealand lawyer, politician, and public servant. He served as mayor of Palmerston North from 1971 to 1985, and was the Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand from December 1994 to June 2 ...
, New Zealand, 1999–2002
*Clare Lewis, 2002–2004
*
Bill Angrick, United States, 2004–2010
*, Sweden, President in 2010
*Dame
Beverley Wakem, New Zealand, November 2010 – October 2014
*
John Walters, Namibia, October 2014 – November 2016
*
Peter Tyndall
Peter Tyndall is the Ombudsman, Information Commissioner, and Commissioner for Environmental Information of Ireland. As Ombudsman, he is ex-officio member of four important statutory oversight bodies: the Commission for Public Service Appointme ...
, Ireland, November 2016 – May 2021
*
Chris Field, Australia, May 2021 – present
References
External links
International Ombudsman Institute
{{Authority control
International organisations based in Vienna
Ombudsman organizations