BackAt the Bermuda Board Meeting in October 2010 the I.O.I. Board decided that the I.O.I. would provide funds up to a maximum of EUR 50,000 for regional projects in the membership year 2010/2011. Member institutions were invited to submit project proposals with a focus on training activities. Six applicants from five of the six I.O.I. World Regions were successful in the selection process conducted by the I.O.I. Executive Committee in spring 2011.
Three projects offer SYT training programmes. The Caribbean and Latin American Region has already had the opportunity to send two ombudsmen to the SYT Trainings held in Vienna. In addition, ombudsmen and staff from this Region will be able to attend the SYT Trainingto be held in Florida this fall. A total amount of EUR 10,000 is available to support this initiative. Burkina Faso will organize SYT-Training for French speaking ombudsman institutions in Africa; I.O.I. funds of up to EUR 14,000 will be provided. The North American Region is preparing the above-mentioned SYT Training in Florida in October 2011. Training-related costs of EUR 5,000 will be reimbursed by the I.O.I.
The Ombudsman of Peru has been operating an e-learning platform on ombudsman-related issues that was originally co-financed by the I.O.I. In order to update and improve this e-learning platform the Ombudsman of Peru will receive I.O.I. funds of up to EUR 10,200.
The Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen, i.e. the French Défenseur des droits together with the Moroccan ombudsman, requested a regional subvention for the training programme "The Ombudsmen's means of intervention" that takes place in Rabat/Morocco on a regular basis. The I.O.I. has agreed to contribute EUR 3,000 to this training.
The European region is carrying out two workshops with the financial assistance of the I.O.I. The workshop taking place in Warsaw in September 2011 is about the role of ombudsman institutions in the OPCAT framework and is hosted by the Polish I.O.I. member. (See details below). The second workshop will focus on the role of the ombudsman when it comes to dealing with private companies rendering public services. The workshop will take place in Barcelona. For the OPCAT workshop a maximum amount of EUR 4,700 will be available; for the workshop on the ombudsman's interaction with private companies the Catalan Ombudsman will receive funds of up to EUR 3,000.
Further information on the regional I.O.I. projects will be provided in the next issues of the I.O.I. Newsletter as well as on the I.O.I. Website.
