On 6 December 2012, IOI Secretary General and Ombudsman Peter Kostelka welcomed a delegation of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) of the Republic of Korea at the Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) in Vienna.

The Pacific Ombudsman Alliance published its Issue 29 of the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance Network News.

It is a special edition reporting on the fourth Pacific Ombudsman Alliance members’ meeting and associated activities last month in Wellington, New Zealand. 

On 6 December 2012, the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union (FRA) published its new report "Access to justice in cases of discrimination in the EU – Steps to further equality". This report examines the process of seeking redress in cases of discrimination.

Barry Fleming, Citizens' Representative for Newfoundland and Labrador, was recently reappointed. He will serve for another term of six years.

On 29 November 2012, Ontario Ombudsman André Marin announced an investigation into the province’s services for adults with developmental disabilities who are in crisis situations, after several desperate families complained their loved ones risked being sent to homeless shelters or jail because there was nowhere to care for them.

On 30 November 2012, Secretary General Peter Kostelka and Martin Kreutner, Chair of the International Transitional Team of the International Anti-Corruption Agency, signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

As part of a project which has been running since his entering upon duties, Ombudsman Máté Szabó will explore the issue of children’s right to a healthy environment in 2013

Ombudsperson Raymonde Saint-Germain called for greater transparency and equity from public managers given the many gaps between the commitments written into policies, programs and action plans and what citizens really experience. "Due to the lack of sufficient resources to meet public needs, the services truly offered often are less accessible than what is touted in programs. The result is delays, disparities, interrupted services and poor performance," said Raymonde Saint-Germain. The annual report contains numerous examples of the gaps between the slate of services supposed to be provided and what exists in the real world.