The Ombuds Blog: IOA Website Gets Major Upgrade

April 11, 2011

IOA Website Gets Major Upgrade

The International Ombudsman Association rebooted its online portal this week and the result is a richer and more dynamic offering for members, aspiring Ombuds and the general public. The new webpage features a video montage of Organizational Ombuds offering greetings in several language including French, Spanish, ~~Hindi~~ Bengali and American Sign Language. For the first time, the IOA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice are published in French and Spanish.

Information about the association includes board and committee membership; mission, vision and values statements; and history. Professional materials include the Journal of IOA, past newsletters and a video overview of Organizational Ombuds. The website also includes updated news and links to other resources. (IOA Home.)

2 comments:

Anonymous4/11/2011 1:01 PM
This is a quantum leap forward in terms of content and design. Good work IOA.
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Anonymous4/14/2011 12:04 PM
Hi Tom,

Just a quick clarification regarding language - it's Bengali, not Hindi. Thanks!

Indu
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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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