BackIn preparation of the 2014 meeting of the IOI Board of Directors, which will be held from 27 to 29 October in Rosario, Argentina, the Ombudsman of the Province of Santa Fe, Dr. Edgardo José Bistoletti, recently met with the Ambassadors of New Zealand and Austria in Argentina, and took the opportunity of his visit to inform them about the meeting and invite them to attend the official opening ceremony and gala dinner.
The decision to meet with the Ambassadors of these two countries derives from the fact that the position of IOI President is currently held by New Zealand Chief Ombudsman Dame Beverley Wakem and that the headquarters of the IOI, under the able leadership of IOI Secretary General Günther Kräuter, is hosted by Austria. Ombudsman Bistoletti therefore took the opportunity of these meetings to talk about issues of mutual interest involving the promotion and protection of human rights and the rights and interests of citizens.
At the last meeting of the IOI Board of Directors, held in New York in 2013, the Board highly appreciated the proposal made by the Ombudsman of Santa Fe and unanimously approved Rosario to be the host of the 2014 meeting of the IOI Board. Ombudsman Bistoletti has become a valuable member of the IOI Board as one of the Directors of the IOI’s Caribbean and Latin American Region. The Ombudsman’s active engagement within the IOI as well as other associations is a clear commitment to the promotion and strengthening of the concept of the ombudsman as well as the promotion and protection of human rights on an international level.
“Since I have taken up the challenge of acting as the Ombudsman of the Province of Santa Fe, I noticed how important it is that institutions fighting for a similar cause cooperate closely in order to improve the visibility and standing in society – both on a national and international level – and to guarantee that human rights and citizens’ rights are fully respected everywhere to the same extent. A better visibility and standing of these institutions and their work will significantly support their mission of promoting and protecting human rights”, explains Dr. Bistoletti and adds that “this international commitment does in no way interfere with the actual reason of being of the Ombudsman of Santa Fe, and the statistics, which show that the office received more than 38 000 complaints in 2013, clearly illustrate this”.
Ombudsman Bistoletti said he was very proud to receive Ombudsmen from all over the world in Rosario as, due to this meeting, “the city of Rosario and the Province of Santa Fe will be noticed – more than ever before – within the community of institutions committed to the promotion and protection of human rights world an international level.”
Source: Office of the Ombudsman of the Province of Santa Fe, Argentina
