It is widely accepted that democracy promotes peace among nations, reduces the abuse of power and encourages societies to live in harmony. Upholding human rights undeniably fosters democratic security. A report by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) focuses on the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe.

Charlene Paquin became Manitoba’s ombudsman on 4 May 2015. Ms Paquin has many years of public service experience including both policy and service delivery and she follows Mel Holley, who announced his retirement after three years and four months as acting Manitoba Ombudsman.

Groundbreaking project of Toronto Ombudsman to evaluate impact of Ombudsman investigations on public administration now also available in French.

The current newsletter provides the latest updates regarding the changes within the European Network of Ombudsmen and other Ombudsman institutions in Europe.

Ombudsman and Information Commissioner Peter Tyndall has welcomed the recommendations of an Oireachtas Committee contained in a report on the Direct Provision system for asylum seekers.

Veuillez prendre note que le IXe Congrès de l’AOMF aura lieu à Québec (Canada) du 13 au 15 octobre 2015 plutôt que du 8 au 10 septembre comme annoncé dans la lettre d’information du mois de février.

European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, has made proposals to the EU agency Frontex on how to better ensure respect for the fundamental rights of migrants who are subject to forced returns from the EU to their countries of origin. Frontex coordinates and finances joint return operations by air (JROs) in cooperation with Member States. Between 2006 and 2015, it coordinated 267 joint return flights, returning more than 13 000 people.

IOI First Vice President Diane Welborn attended the 10th Anniversary of the Japanese Association for Ombudsman Studies Conference at Kansai University in Osaka on April 19, 2015.  At the conference she presented a paper on “The Recent Trends of the International Ombudsman Institute.”