The Pacific Ombudsman Alliance published a new issue of its newsletter including recent news in Vanuatu and an update from the Samoa Ombudsman Office. It also highlights a regional workshop on democratic institutions.

The Albanian People’s Advocate Igli Totozani recently met with LGBT representatives emphasizing on that occasion that the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons (LGBT) are human rights. Albanian public institutions and civil society have the duty to protect and respect their rights.

The Austrian Ombudsman Board (AOB) will take up its new function as National Preventive Mechanism within the OPCAT regime as of 1 July 2012 and is currently taking the necessary preparatory steps. In addition to filling staff vacancies the AOB’s new Human Rights Advisory Board recently convened for the first time.

IOI Treasurer Alan N. Lai and IOI Secretary General Peter Kostelka represented the IOI during an informal consultation workshop hosted jointly by the Jordan Ombudsman Bureau (JOB) and the World Bank in Amman on 3 and 4 April 2012.

The Protector of Citizens of the Republic of Serbia presented its Annual Report 2011. In total the Protector of Citizens acted upon 3.428 complaints, constituting a significant increase compared to 2010. In the reporting period, the Protector of Citizens established 12,130 contacts with citizens.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the ICC, the Serbian Ombudsman and the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia organized an international expert seminar on the relationship between National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and Parliaments on 22-23 February 2012.

The Catalan Ombudsman recently published its newsletter.

The Québec Ombudsman just released an Investigation Report about the accessibility to home support services for people with significant and persistent disabilities.