Control Yuan President Chang Po-ya and CY Member Bau Tzong-ho visited the headquarters of the International Ombudsman Institute in Vienna on June 25 as part of efforts to advance Taiwan’s international ombudsman exchanges. Following their visit to the IOI headquarters, President Chang and Dr. Bau met Peter Tyndall, the Ireland’s Ombudsman and IOI President, during their visit to Office of the Ombudsman in Dublin, Ireland. They discussed the latest ombudsman-related developments in Taiwan and Ireland. President Chang and Dr. Bau also paid visits to Taipei Representative Offices in Austria and Ireland for supervision and inspection.
The IOI, founded in 1978, is a non-governmental global organization dedicated to promoting ombudsman and human rights concepts through cooperation, and information and experience sharing among ombudsman institutes around the globe and capacity building of such institutions. The Control Yuan is one of the voting members in IOI’s Australasia and Pacific Region chapter.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of its establishment, the IOI published “A Mission to Justice–The International Ombudsman Institute 1978-2018.” The book was presented at a side event held by IOI President Peter Tyndall at the U.N. headquarters on April 30, 2018.
IOI President Peter Tyndall and Secretary General Günther Kräuter welcomed the delegation at the IOI headquarters in Vienna. President Chang and Dr. Bau expressed their congratulations on the institute’s 40th anniversary this year. They also voiced their sincere appreciation for the IOI’s longstanding support and efforts in increasing the international participation and visibility of its members.
CY President Chang pointed out that the IOI not only has served as a model but has also created a more diverse international environment for its members. By raising important issues and enhancing cooperation with the United Nations and key regional ombudsman organizations, such as AOMA, AOMF, FIO, COROA, etc., the IOI has gradually increased the importance of the ombudsman’s role in the world, thereby helping promote democratic rule of law and human rights protection.
The visitors also presented a copy of a Chinese-language book edited and published by the Control Yuan titled, “International Ombudsman System Overview.” Noting that there are nearly 1.2 billion Chinese speakers in the world, Dr. Bau explained that the book provides them with updated information on 193 ombudsman institutions around the world and includes the Chinese translations of major IOI documents, such as its Bylaws, Strategic Plan 2016-2020, report on a fact finding mission to Warsaw, and so on, as well as U.N. resolutions regarding ombudsman institutes. The book is over 500 pages and provides readers with insight into the development and future vision of the global ombudsman system.
While visiting the Ombudsman Office of Ireland, CY President Chang appreciated the reception from Peter Tyndall, IOI President and Irish Ombudsman, as well as his support to IOI members. President Chang noted that the Control Yuan, being established in 1931, holds an especially important position as one of the five official branches of government under the ROC Constitution. She also praised the Ireland’s Office of the Ombudsman for its excellent work, saying there is much that Taiwan can learn from Ireland’s comprehensive and well-run ombudsman system, and expressing the hope for even closer cooperation and exchanges based on the foundations of existing friendly ties.
During the visit, the delegation met with members of the overseas Taiwanese communities, as well as paid visits to Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Austria and Taipei Representative Office in Ireland for the basic understanding of Taiwan’s foreign relations, trade, overseas affairs, cultural and related work in these nations.