ODIHR signs co-operation agreement with the International Ombudsman Institute

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) signed a co-operation agreement on 19 September 2017, on the margins of the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.

“National human rights institutions (NHRIs), including Ombudsman institutions, are key partners for ODIHR,’’ said Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, ODIHR Director. ‘’Institutionalizing our work with the IOI creates a sustainable platform for co-operation and mutual support for the activities of both of our organizations in the future.’’

‘’The IOI and ODIHR have already established a fruitful working relationship. This memorandum of understanding paves the way for deepening that relationship and allows us to identify further joint activities,’’ Günther Kräuter, Secretary General of the IOI and Ombudsman at the Austrian Ombudsman Board, said at the event.

The memorandum of understanding, which establishes a structural relationship between ODIHR and the IOI, continues ODIHR’s programmatic activities within its mandate to support strong and independent NHRIs in the OSCE region.

In November 2016, ODIHR and the IOI were two of the co-organizers of an expert meeting in Warsaw on the importance of NHRIs, including ombuds institutions. The more than 30 participants in the meeting from NHRIs, academia and international organizations produced a report highlighting good practices strengthening the independence of NHRIs.