The 2012 Annual Report of the Ombudsman Saskatchewan was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on 25 April. As one of the highlights, the report informs that two referrals to the Ombudsman’s office by cabinet ministers were made in 2012.

A Parliamentary Committee recently completed a comprehensive review of the system of land valuation in New South Wales. One of its recommendations is a dedicated statutory role for the Ombudsman overseeing the operation of the land valuation system.

During its mid-term meeting that took place from 15 to 16 April 2013 in Vienna, the IOI Board of Directors decided on the membership application of the Médiateur of the Republic of Guinea. Welcoming the new member to the IOI Community, the General Secretariat will present the main facts and figures of the new member.

The IOI Board of Directors also decided on the membership application of the Office of the Ombudsman of Curaçao, in the Netherlands Antilles.

During 2012, the People's Advocate has prepared several Special Reports, including topics such as violence against women, poverty and social assistance, the non-execution of court rulings, just to name a few. Now the Executive Summaries of these Special Reports are also available in French.

The NSW Ombudsman is required to review the deaths of children and adults who lived in the care of disability services and licensed boarding houses. NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour, tabled a report to Parliament today on the deaths in 2010 and 2011 of 220 people with disabilities who lived in care.

The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary organised a workshop entitled “Good Practices for Tolerance. With Communication for Equal Dignity- Inclusive Speech contra Hate Speech” on 29th April, 2013.

The Quebec Ombudsman (Canada) has released two investigation reports – one on the organization of emergency response services for off-road accidents, and the other on the financial contribution of parents towards the cost of placing their child of minor age.