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The Office of the Ombudsman Punjab celebrates its 30th anniversary, welcoming delegates from around the world in Lahore, Pakistan
The Office of the Ombudsman Punjab celebrated its 30th anniversary by hosting an international conference. The event brought together ombudsmen, human rights experts and representatives from different parts of the world to deliberate on ways to strengthen ombudsman institutions.
Held at the Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore, the conference was themed “Role of Ombudsman Institutions in Strengthening Accountability, Governance, and Citizens’ Rights.”
Delegates from around the globe participated in this event, bringing together diverse experience and perspective to strengthen accountability, transparency, and digital transformation in Ombudsman Institutions.
Addressing the conference as chief guest, Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb thanked the foreign delegates for attending the event and appreciated the Ombudsman Punjab’s efforts towards promoting citizen-centric governance and institutional reforms. She said the Ombudsman Punjab had transformed the institution into a digital and merit-based organisation and had played an important role in bridging the gap between citizens and the state.
The minister also appreciated the office’s performance in disposing of public complaints and invited the visiting delegates and their families to Lahore for the Basant festival in March next year.
In her keynote address, Ombudsman Punjab/First Vice President IOI/Regional Director(Asia), Ayesha Hamid thanked the advisors and staff for their contribution to its performance and development. She said the office had received more than 73,000 complaints in 2025 and over 60,000 complaints so far this year, which, she maintained, reflected growing public confidence in the institution.
Ombudsman Punjab Ayesha Hamid announced that the institution has recently earned ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for information security. Its Complaint Management Information System (CMIS) was also awarded ISO 9001:2015 certification last year.
She added that these certifications result from sustained efforts to improve institutional efficiency, transparency, and the quality of public service.
Zambia’s Public Protector and Treasurer of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), Caroline C. Zulu, welcomed the participants in her opening remarks. She commended Ombudsman Hamid for bringing together a large number of delegates from across the world.
She stressed the importance of sharing knowledge, experience and best practices among ombudsman institutions, saying the conference would provide an effective platform for mutual learning and institutional cooperation.
The conference featured three panel discussions. The first, “The Evolving Role of Ombudsman Institutions in Strengthening Good Governance,” brought together panellists from Zambia, Russia, Timor-Leste, Mauritius, Türkiye, Switzerland, the Kyrgyz Republic and Cameroon. The second, “Quality Excellence in Digital Transformation in Ombudsman Institutions,” featured speakers from Italy, Nigeria, Mauritius, South Africa, Cameroon and Sindh. The third, “Institutional Best Practices in Strengthening Ombudsmanship,” included panellists from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Russia, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Qatar. Question-and-answer sessions followed each panel, with delegates sharing experiences on complaint redressal, digital transformation, institutional independence and citizens’ rights.
The delegates actively participated in question-and-answer sessions following each panel, sharing their experiences and perspectives on improving complaint redressal mechanisms, digital transformation, institutional independence and the protection of citizens’ rights.
The conference marked three decades of the Ombudsman Punjab’s public service and provided an international platform for exchanging experiences and best practices aimed at strengthening accountability, responsive governance and citizens’ access to justice.
Source: The Office of the Provincial Ombudsman Punjab, Pakistan
