The IOI presents a new Best Practice Paper on “Outreach practices from Ombudsman around the world”. The paper builds on the regional exchange prior to and during the 13^th IOI World Conference and reflects the results of this exchange among IOI members. It was developed by the office of the National Ombudsman of the Netherlands and presents outreach practices from IOI members across various countries.

The 2nd International Ombud Expo (IOE) 2024 concluded on a high note, reaffirming the crucial role of Ombud institutions in strengthening governance, upholding human rights, and ensuring good public administration. Hosted in Gaborone, Botswana, from July 29 to August 2, 2024, the event brought together 541 delegates, including Ombud offices, human rights bodies, grievance handlers, and integrity organisations from over 100 countries. The participation of the AOMA Secretariat AORC and of some institutions, which could not afford exhibition stalls and have their accommodation subsidised, received financial support of the IOI including through its regional subsidy programme.

In 2024, the Basque Ombudsman, Manuel Lezertua, together with the President of the IOI European Region, visited Strasbourg. The purpose of their visit was to revive the practice of organizing conferences for ombuds institutions, a tradition that had previously been upheld by the Commissioner for Human Rights. The Basque Ombudsman proposal played a crucial role in bringing into being the High-Level Conference in Strasbourg in March 2025 for National Human Rights and Ombuds Institutions. Kindly click here to read more about this year’s conference.