The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Judge Joseph Zammit McKeon, was invited by the Malta Chamber, the Malta Business Bureau and the General Workers Union to speak at the European Roundtable Discussion held on 30 September 2025 at the Malta Chamber in Valletta. The event formed part of the EU-funded TransFormWork 2 project, which explores the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and promotes a fair and human-centred transition towards digitalisation. The project brings together European social partners to develop common guidelines on the responsible use of AI while safeguarding fundamental rights.

On 22 and 23 September 2025, the ombuds institutions of the Benelux countries gathered in Brussels for their annual meeting to discuss key regional issues. During the meeting, the group welcomed two new ombudsmen: Claudine Konsbruck, the Ombudsman of Luxembourg, and Nicolas Lagasse, the new Médiateur de la Wallonie et de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho has opened an inquiry into how the European Commission ensures transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability in the adoption of harmonised standards for artificial intelligence (AI).

Kindly click here to read the IOI European Region’s Quarterly Newsletter for the period between July 2025 to September 2025.

The Honourable Ombudsman Punjab, Ayesha Hamid, represented Pakistan at the 26th Meeting of the Board of Directors (BOD) and the 18th General Assembly (GA) of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA), hosted by the National Commission of Supervision of China in Nanjing from 9 to 10 September 2025. The event convened ombudsman leaders, oversight institutions, and experts from across Asia, providing a dynamic platform to deliberate on common challenges, institutional cooperation, and strategies for citizen-centered governance.

The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, on 26 September 2025 announced the completion of a full investigation into the Hospital Authority (“HA”)’s deposit refund arrangements for the assistive device loan service, with 12 recommendations on improvement measures made.

Con el objetivo de promover y proteger los derechos humanos, de las de niñas, niños y adolescentes (NNA), la Defensoría del Pueblo, a través de la dirección de Unidades Especializadas (DUE), llevó cabo en el mes de septiembre cuatro jornadas de capacitación dirigidas a la comunidad educativa que comprende docentes y estudiantes de cuatro centros escolares en la ciudad de Panamá.

In another high-impact intervention, the Ombudsman Punjab oversaw the retrieval of 300 kanals of state land, valued at over Rs. 499 million, from illegal occupants across various districts.