The Ombuds Blog: FCO and IOI Discuss Potential Collaboration on Ombuds Training

January 13, 2011

FCO and IOI Discuss Potential Collaboration on Ombuds Training

Earlier this month, Suzanne Belson and Steve Olive, visited the International Ombudsman Institute's General Secretariat, Secretary Peter Kostelka. Belson was one of the founding members of the Forum of Canadian Ombudsman and Olive is the current FCO administrator. Kostelka and his guests said that they see great potential for cooperation between the two organizations, especially in the area of training. According to the IOI website, "It is envisaged that the FCO and the I.O.I. will exchange ideas on training concepts and programmes on a regular basis." (IOI News.)

1 comment:

Dunc1/18/2011 8:02 PM
This sounds like it would be an excellent paring of resources. Both organizations are dedicated to the concept of having ombudsman functions that are organizationally separate from the entities they are empowered to investigate
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

Comment Policy

Content and Relevance

Stay on topic: Comments should be relevant to the post.
Be respectful: Personal attacks, insults, profanity, inflammatory language, and discriminatory or harassing comments will not be tolerated.
No self-promotion or spam: Comments should contribute to the conversation and not be used to for commercial purposes.
No confidential information: Do not share confidential information about your organization or visitors.

Length and Format

Keep it concise: Comments should be clear and to the point. Excessively long comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Use appropriate formatting: Do not use all caps unnecessarily. Comments may include HTML formatting for readability.

Other Considerations

Be professional and respectful: Please be mindful of your content, even when commending anonymously.
Comments may be edited: I reserve the right to remove or edit any comments that violate these guidelines. My edits will be noted.
Complaints about IOA: This is not the appropriate forum to lodge formal complaints against the International Ombuds Association.
Guest editorials: Please email me directly to discuss a guest editorial offering a longer, more in-depth perspective on a topic related to the organizational ombuds profession