Control Yuan delegation attended the 29th Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region Conference held at Perth, Australia from November 27 to 29. President Chang and Dr. Bau were invited to join a panel discussion, exchanging views with ombudsmen from the region on ombudsman-related issues.
The Control Yuan is a formal member of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), belonging to the Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region (APOR). The purpose of the IOI is to advocate the ideas of ombudsman and human rights, to promote the concept and institution of ombudsman, to facilitate exchanges of information and experiences, and to serve as the bridge between ombudsman institutions from around the world.
29th APOR Conference was held by Ombudsman Western Australia and themed “Connections in our Australasian-Pacific Region,” including two keynote speeches, one on “Engagement with First Peoples,” and the other on “The unique challenges for offices of the Ombudsman in the Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region.”
President Chang, being invited as a speaker for the “The unique challenges for offices of the Ombudsman in the Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region,” expressed that ombudsman institutions are facing various new challenges, and only by adhering to democracy, the rule of law and universal human rights can we harness and answer the call of our times.
Dr. Bau continued with, when carrying out the Control Yuan’s mandates, the challenge of striking a balance between the disclosure of public sector information and privacy protection. He exchanged views and discussed on the topic with other participants.
APOR holds a conference once every year or once every two years. Besides the attendance of all APOR members, Governor of Western Australia, Kerry Sanderson, IOI second vice president, Chris Field, and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Peter Watson, also gave opening remarks at the conference, affirming the important function of ombudsman.
During their visit, the delegation also met with leaders and overseas Chinese at Western Australia, inspected Taipei Representative Office in Singapore, and met with three members of the Parliament and overseas Chinese there, all of which contributed to a better understanding of Taiwan’s trade, foreign relations, overseas affairs, cultural, and other related work in Australia and Singapore.