RP hosting conference of Asian ombudsmen this week

MANILA, Philippines - Graftbusters from 10 different Asian nations are expected to arrive in the country this week to attend this year’s two-day regional conference of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) hosted by the Philippines.

The activity aims to bring together the heads of various ombudsman and accountability institutions in Asia, academic scholars, and representatives of non-government organizations to discuss the various factors related to the independence, accountability, accessibility and mandate of the ombudsman.

The two-day conference slated from Aug. 24 to 25 will feature highlights of five cross-country studies and a Pakistan specific study on various aspects of ombudsmanship in Asia.

Participants will include heads of anti-corruption agencies from China, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez will lead the opening ceremonies on Wednesday at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Mandaluyong City.

During the conference, discussions will be held on the role and effectiveness of the Ombudsman in Asia; decentralization of Ombudsman approaches and services; independence and accountability of the Ombudsman; and improving access to Ombudsman services.

At the end of the activity, participants will be requested to identify and adopt basic best practice principles to guide Asian ombudsman institutions in the performance of their functions.

The Office of the Ombudsman of the Philippines will also launch the Declaration of Ombudsmanship Principles that will guide all anti-graft institutions in the performance of their mandated functions.

It will be the culminating activity of the two-day activity being sponsored under the ADB Regional Technical Assistance (RETA) Project.

The Declaration outlines the key concepts and core principles of ombudsmanship including institutional competence, independence, accessibility, accountability, responsiveness and cooperation.

It seeks to, among others, promote ombudsmanship as a credible means of combating administrative injustice and mal-administration, and to provide a direction for its future growth and further development in the region.

The AOA, established on April 16, 1996, is a non-governmental, non-political, independent and professional forum for Ombudsmen in Asia.

It was formed to promote the concepts of ombudsmanship and to encourage its development in Asia; develop professionalism in discharge of the functions as Ombudsman; encourage and support study and research regarding the institution of Ombudsman; and sponsor training and educational programs for the institutions of Ombudsman in the region.

Under the RETA project, the Asian graftbusters aim to strengthen itself by providing capacity development programs to member institutions, enabling them to become more efficient and responsive in performing their mandated functions.

The Office of the Ombudsman of the Philippines will also host the 12th meeting of the AOA Board of Directors headed by its president, Mr. Javed Sadiq Malik with Ombudsman Gutierrez as vice-president.