Chris Field, President of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) and Western Australian Ombudsman, provided an address to conference guests on the occasion of the 30^th anniversary of the Office of the Cyprus Ombudsman.

The Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia has published an ad hoc report on ensuring the rights of women, minors, and foreigners deprived of their liberty in the penitentiary system. The English summary of this report is now available.

The Ombudsperson British Columbia (BC) released the final investigative update to his office’s 2017 report Misfire: The 2012 Ministry of Health Employment Terminations and Related Matters. The update concludes that all of the report’s 41 recommendations to the provincial government are now implemented.

El Defensor del Pueblo, Ángel Gabilondo, considera que para restablecer el suministro eléctrico en la Cañada Real se contemple la concesión de licencias urbanísticas especiales a los afectados. Cerca de 3.000 personas, de ellas más de 1.200 son niños, se ven afectadas por la falta de electricidad que les impide tener una vida digna y que ponen, en algunos casos, en riesgo la salud de muchos de los que allí viven. El Defensor del Pueblo reitera el llamamiento a las administraciones para que se atienda sin más dilación esta emergencia humanitaria.

Control Yuan President Chen Chu accompanied Social Welfare and Environment Hygiene Affairs Convener Su Li-Chiung and a group of Control Yuan Members to conduct a circuit supervision of the Southern Occupational Safety and Health Center (part of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor) and the Kaohsiung City Government Labor Bureau Bo-Ai Vocational Training Center. The delegation also visited the ASE Group to promote workplace safety, vocational training for people with disabilities, and the operation of sheltered workshops for people with disabilities.

The Divine Word University (DWU) received its full amalgamation grants from the National Government after a mediation between the Ombudsman Commission, the DWU University Council and the Department of Higher Education Research Science and Technology. The mediation was mainly to address a planned fee increase by the University and to find ways the University can explore to avoid passing the costs to the parents. Chief Ombudsman Richard Pagen led the mediation.

Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier welcomes the enhanced children in care oversight role for his Office. The Act passed its Third Reading in Parliament in August and it will come into effect on 1 July 2023. The Act gives the Chief Ombudsman a greater ability to consider complaints and monitor and investigate systemic issues in this area.

2022 marks the 50^th anniversary of the Ombudsman South Australia (SA). The Ombudsman Act 1972 was assented to on 23 November 1972 and the Office opened its doors to the public on 14 December 1972. At that time, South Australia was only the second Australian jurisdiction after Western Australia to install a parliamentary Ombudsman (although South Australia was the first to use the title ‘Ombudsman’).  Now all States, Territories and the Commonwealth have an Ombudsman.