The Ombuds Blog: Overview of Internal Dispute Programs at Intergovernmental Organizations

April 02, 2014

Overview of Internal Dispute Programs at Intergovernmental Organizations

The Winter 2014 issue of ACResolution Magazine, the quarterly publication of the Association for Conflict Resolution, surveys the dispute mechanisms at the preeminent intergovernmental institutions: the International Monetary Fund; World Bank; United Nations; and International Labour Organization.

Joshua M. Javits--an IOA member, mediator, and arbitrator in Washington, DC--fits the Ombuds into their organizational contexts for each. (Only the ILO lacks an Organizational Ombuds program.) These internal structure exist because the IGO's immunity typically bars employees with employment-related issues from using local court systems. This is a good primer for the why and how of IGO dispute resolution systems. (ACResolution.)

Related posts: International Monetary Fund Announces New Ombuds; World Bank Appoints a Third Ombuds; Survey of Conflict Resolution Systems in International Financial Organizations Notes Importance of Ombuds Programs.

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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

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April 02, 2014

Overview of Internal Dispute Programs at Intergovernmental Organizations

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