Prof. Máté Szabó, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, hosted a conference on the actual situation, problems and challenges concerning children’s right to a healthy environment. Several scholars and representatives of governmental bodies and the civil society were presented on the one-day event.

On 3 July 2013, Ms Emily O’Reilly, Ombudsman and Information Commissioner of Ireland, has been elected by the European Parliament and will succeed Nikiforos Diamandouros as new European Ombudsman.

On 1 July 2013 Dr. Günther Kräuter took office as Member of the Austrian Ombudsman Board and was appointed IOI Secretary General by the Austrian Ombudsman Board in its inaugural session.

On 26 June 2013, the Australian Parliament passed the Public Interest Disclosure Bill, legislation which establishes the first stand-alone whistleblower protection scheme for federal public servants, contractors and employees of contractors who report wrongdoing within the Commonwealth public sector.

On 1 July 2013 the new members of the Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) took office. Günther Kräuter, Gertrude Brinek and Peter Fichtenbauer were elected by the Austrian National Council for the term of office from July 2013 to June 2019. For Gertrude Brinek it is already the second term of office. In its inaugural meeting the new AOB appointed Günther Kräuter as Secretary General of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI). 

The Pacific Ombudsman Alliance issued its latest Newsletter in June 2013. This edition includes reports on the POA’s activities in Kiribati and the Marshall Islands, as well as visits to Australia by the Cook Islands and Vanuatu Ombudsmen.

Mr. Peter Hourihan, Ombudsman for the Canadian province of Alberta, was recently appointed the province’s first Public Interest Commissioner. The office was formally launched 1 June, 2013 after new legislation, the Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower) Act, came into force. 

Arlene Brock, Ombudsman for Bermuda, issued an Annual Report for the 2012 calendar year. This report comments on the ongoing denial of the government that the UK Environmental Charter constitutes a legal obligation, issues such as whistle-blowing and public access to information.