The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) took part in the conference ‘SDGs, Climate and the Future of Europe’ on 31 May in Milan, organised by the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development. The meeting discussed the key role that the EU can play towards advancing the 2030 agenda and will feed into a European Commission reflection paper on the subject.

The 2^nd issue of the IOI’s Best Practice Paper series deals with the question of how to secure effective change. It draws on the experience of IOI member institutions and highlights ways of working that are most likely to bring about a successful outcome and make recommendations that result in sustainable improvements to public administration.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass has begun a follow up investigation to her previous Investigation into the management of complex workers compensation claims and WorkSafe oversight. In that 2016 investigation, she found that Victoria’s workers compensation scheme had failed some particularly vulnerable people.

The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Mr Anthony C. Mifsud, called upon the President of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Angelo Farrugia to present the Office of the Ombudsman’s Annual Report for 2016. During the meeting with the Speaker, the Ombudsman announced that during the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsman in Skopje, Macedonia, he was appointed as Secretary General of the Association.

Nearly 60% of Europeans consider being old a disadvantage when looking for work. Societies often view older people as burdens. Too often we overlook the basic human rights of our older people. This year, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in its 2018 Fundamental Rights Report explores how a rights-based approach towards respect for older people is starting to happen.

The Ombudsman Sindh Mr. Asad Ashraf Malik who is also the President Asia Region of International Ombudsman Institution was granted Life Time Achievement Award on 11^th May 2018, in recognition of his services to the community in the Field of “Public Service” on the eve of “Engineer Day” by the Institution of Engineers Pakistan.

Ararteko has finalized the conclusions of the IOI international workshop that it hosted in Vitoria-Gasteiz on 16-17 May 2018 and is making them here available to all IOI member institutions. The topic of the workshop was "Good Environmental Governance: The Role of Ombuds Institutions in Protecting Environmental Rights".

La Defensora de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes de la Provincia de Santa Fe, Analía Colombo, participa del Congreso Mundial sobre la Justicia para los niños, niñas y adolescentes. El evento se realiza en la sede de UNESCO en la ciudad de París entre el 28 al 30 de mayo.