BackOn 16 April 2014, the first webinar co-sponsored by the World Bank, Open Government Partnership and the IOI was held. On behalf of the IOI, Ombudsman of Ireland Peter Tyndall presented his office’s involvement in the Open Government Partnership and potential entry points for Ombudsman offices to engage with the initiative. More than 80 representatives of Ombudsman offices, civil society organizations and academia actively followed the webinar ensuring a lively debate.
After a brief introduction by Elsa Peraldi from World Bank’s Access to Information Program, Mr. Tyndall gave an overview of the concept and history of Ombudsman and the IOI highlighting the strong commitment of Ombudsmen to promoting open government, accountability, citizen engagement and improved public services. Ombudsman offices can play a crucial role in the open government agenda as they contribute to civil society dialogue and the OGP action plan. Due to their role as oversight bodies they encourage governments to submit ambitious action plans and monitor its implementation. Drawing from his recent experience with OGP Mr. Tyndall illustrated the contribution his office made to the the Irish draft action plan.
The second presentation was given by Prof. Tom Pegram, Deputy Director of the Institute of Global Governance, University College London specializing on the study of human rights ombudsmen and their role in enhancing political accountability. According to Prof. Pegram Ombudsmen can play a key role in advancing open government and made the case for Ombudsmen as information-brokers, advocates of the government case for OGP, amplifiers of good practice and consensus-builders and conveners.
The webinar was attended by representatives from Ombudsman offices, civil society organizations and academia. After each presentation the speakers answered numerous questions posed by the participants. More than 80 people from all regions followed the webinar and engaged actively in the debates.
The session was recorded and will be made available to all IOI members in due time.
