Korean ACRC Delegation visits IOI General Secretariat and AOB

The visit was initiated by the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), a UN based international organization located in Laxenburg/Austria with which the IOI is linked through a Memorandum of Understanding. This Memorandum commits both IACA and the IOI to cooperate, particularly in the area of trainings and exchange of information.

After an initial welcome, Dr. Peter Fichtenbauer, one of the three members of the AOB, gave a brief lecture on the legal basis, mandate and work of the Austrian ombudsman institution, and the Head of the IOI General Secretariat explained the mission, tasks and activities of the International Ombudsman Institute. Special attention was drawn to the benefits the IOI provides for members: high-level training courses, regional subsidies, meetings and conferences – just to mention a few of them.

The presentations were followed by a lively discussion which focused on topics such as the ombudsman’s role in times of privatization of public services, the establishment of specialized ombudsman institutions and the ombudsman’s power to take on new mandates such as human rights monitoring.

The fourth visit of the ACRC to the AOB and the IOI General Secretariat was a further milestone in developing strong and stable relations between the Korean ACRC, the AOB and the IOI.