The Ombuds Blog: International Baccalaureate Opens Ombuds Office

May 19, 2008

International Baccalaureate Opens Ombuds Office

In August 2007, the Board of Governors for International Baccalaureate (formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization, an international non-profit educational foundation), endorsed the creation of an Ombuds program to solve and anticipate problems as the organization continues its growth. Tony Flatley, IB's former International Heads Representative Committee chair, was recently appointed as the first Ombuds. Flatley emigrated to Canada over 30 years ago as a math teacher, and has managed private and state facilities, in elementary and high-school sectors, in cities and in the country. The IB Ombudsman website just went on line. (IB News; IB Ombuds Home; IB World Newsletter.)

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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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May 19, 2008

International Baccalaureate Opens Ombuds Office

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