THAILAND | Thai Ombudsman handed over the SEAOF Chairmanship

At the closing ceremony of the SEAOF Meeting and the SEAOF+ Meeting on 2nd November 2022, the Chief Ombudsman of Thailand, Mr. Somsak Suwansujarit, handed over the symbol of the SEAOF Chairmanship to Mr. Mokhammad Najih, Chairman of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia and wished the organisation a great success in steering the forum contributing to the development of Ombudsmanship in the region for qualified life of the citizen.

As endorsed in the TOR; an assumption of the SEAOF Chairmanship shall rotate every two years, based on alphabetical order of the English names of Southeast Asian member States, Mr. Najih will be presiding two-year term of the Chairmanship (8th December 2022 – 7th December 2024).

In this event, the founding members of the SEAOF also jointly signed the SEAOF Bangkok Declaration to emphasize the purposes and principles of the SEAOF, the role of Ombudsman in international and regional cooperation to effectively deliver legal mandates in the region.

The declaration presented the SEAOF’s main purposes: (a) serve as a platform to contribute to transparent public administration, the protection and promotion of human rights, and the rule of law by sharing together experiences and expertise within and outside of Southeast Asia; and (b) enhance the capacity of Ombudsman institutions and public complaint agencies in Southeast Asia to operate in accordance with relevant international instruments, including the Venice Principles, in order to strengthen their independence and autonomy.

Source: The Ombudsman of Thailand