On 9 May 2013 the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution appointing the Portuguese Ombudsman as the National Preventive Mechanism envisaged in the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT).

Prof. Irena Lipowicz visited the former German Nazi concentration camp Mauthausen-Gusen, met with FRA representatives in Vienna and and attended the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM).

People’s Advocate Igli Totozani presents the English version of the institution’s Annual Report 2012. The Annual Report is divided in four chapters and describes the activities of the People’s Advocate during 2012.

Public Protector Adv. Thuli Madonsela was on Friday conferred with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the University of Fort Hare’s 2013 graduation ceremony in East London, Eastern Cape.

After eight years of serving as the Ombudsman of the City of Amsterdam, Ulco van de Pol will retire as of June 2013. He has had the pleasure of sharing experiences with colleagues from all over the world.

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.