A very successful inaugural meeting of the I.O.I. Board of Directors was held in Vienna, Austria. From November 18 through November 20 the members of the Board met in the premises especially prepared for the I.O.I. by the Austrian Ombudsman Board.

Gabriele Strele was elected by the Parliament of the Land Vorarlberg as new Ombudswoman and took up office on 30 October 2009 following Dr. Felix Dünser who returned after his non-renewable six year term to the judiciary.

Advocate Thulisile (Thuli) Nomkhosi Madonsela, was appointed by the President as South Africa’s third Public Protector in October 2009 after being recommended by Parliament following a hundred percent vote in her favour by all parties represented in Parliament.

The Parliament of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina elected Mr. Dejan Janca as the new Provincial Ombudsman of Vojvodina on its meeting held on 15 October 2009.

In August 2009 Yang Kun, the first chief of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, resigned for personal reasons.

In June 2009 United Kingdom lawyer Nicola Williams was appointed by the Office of the Governor as the new Complaints Commissioner for the Cayman Islands Government.