BackIn order to remain a leading organization within the international ombudsman community, the IOI Board of Directors supported the idea that the IOI should strive to achieve more openness by establishing revised membership criteria. As a consequence, the Board appointed a By-laws Committee and entrusted it with the task of reviewing the existing IOI by-laws and drafting new ones taking all these considerations into account.
A first draft of such new IOI By-laws has been sent to all IOI members at the beginning of February 2012, thus opening a phase of regional consultation. A transparent and open consultation involving all members and regions was of utmost concern to the Board and therefore became the most important phase of the IOI by-laws reform process.
In close cooperation with the respective Regional Vice-Presidents the IOI General Secretariat was monitoring the regional consultation which was characterized by an extraordinarily active involvement of its members and many valuable contributions.
At the IOI World Conference held in Wellington, New Zealand, in November 2012 institutional members in good standing will be requested to vote on these newly drafted by-laws.
The IOI Board of Directors has therefore decided to schedule a mid-term Board meeting from 7 to 8 May 2012 in Hong Kong. The primary focus of this meeting will be to consider the results of the regional consultation and provide the membership with a final draft of new IOI by-laws taking the member’s concerns and proposals into account.
