THAILAND | The First Southeast Asian Ombudsman Forum Meeting with Plus Countries (SEAOF+ Meeting) 2022 held in Bangkok

On 1st November 2022 at the Centara Grand Hotel Central Plaza Ladprao in Bangkok, the SEAOF+ Meeting brought together Chief Ombudsmen of Thailand and representatives from the invited organisations, including Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) Malaysia, Ombudsman of New Zealand, Ombudsman for Human Rights and Justice of Timor-Leste (PDHJ), Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) and UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

This extensive forum was held with a strong commitment to enhance the capacity of SEAOF member institutions by providing a forum for exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices as well as promoting regional and international cooperation among Ombudsman community.

At the meeting, representatives from each organisation shared their insightful experiences and information regarding the complaint handling mechanism, unique case studies, areas of interest as well as directions of the organisation's activities and issues.

The meeting reviewed and exchanged ideas on the possible areas of cooperation between organisations involving significant fields, such as, but not limited to, the protection of human rights and supporting for good governance. Informative presentations and suggestions made by the participants highlighted that the integrated cooperation with other organizations, such as Ombudsman associations, private sectors, and non-governmental organizations to address people’s grievance is truly important.

To further the cooperative activities proposed during the meeting, senior officials from the SEAOF members were entrusted to undertake the responsibilities and SEAOF also welcomes the interested organizations to be a member of the forum and participate in the activities in the coming future.

Source: The Ombudsman of Thailand