Turkey | International Ombudsman Conference held in Istanbul

In order to develop a common understanding and cooperation among Ombudsmen and to strengthen the role of Ombudsman regarding the protection and promotion of the rights of the citizens and good governance, the International Ombudsman Conference was held in Istanbul from 25 - 26 September 2017. In total 58 representatives from 42 Ombudsman Institutions from all over the world attended the conference.

The Opening Ceremony of the Conference was held with keynote speeches of the Chief Ombudsman Mr. Şeref Malkoç, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. İsmail Kahraman, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The conference started with a forum, which provided a basis for sharing the ideas and experiences of participating Ombudsmen on the “Role and Effectiveness of Ombudsman Institutions: Country Experiences”. During the sessions, Ombudsmen gave their speeches on topics such as “problems encountered during examination of complaints and actions that might be taken for the solution of these problems” and the “fight against racism, xenophobia and hate speech”.

Furthermore, General Assembly and Steering Committee Meetings of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ombudsman Association and Executive and Governing Board Meetings of the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AOM) were held within the Conference organization.

Source: Ombudsman Institution of Turkey