31 Jul 2024

The international OMBUD Expo intends to foster collaborations, and discussions on emerging trends in the fields of ombudsman.

The statement was made by the UK based consultancy firm, Governance and Management Service International (GMS) director, Professor Victor Ayeni during the second edition of the  expo in Gaborone on Tuesday .

Giving an overview, Professor Ayeni stated that the office of the Ombudsman played a critical role in upholding and protection of justice and integrity, accountability, democracy and transparency among others.

He, therefore, said the expo was crucial as it provided the office of the Ombudsman the  opportunity to share experiences and discover feasible and long-term solutions to emerging trends in the field.

 “This is an opportunity to learn from each other and come up with a collective impact, to raise awareness about the importance of the Ombudsman institutions in the promotion of good governance and transparency amongst other roles,” he said.

The expo held under the theme: Trusted Institutions, Righting Injustice, Bolstering quality Governance, attended by different international Ombudsman stakeholders will feature workshops and discussions to share best practices in different areas in the field.

Some of the issues that were penciled for discussion include creating virtuous circles of integrity, navigating the challenges of standard and effectiveness, the implications of emerging issues in health and artificial intelligence and environment among others.

For his part, Ombudsman, Advocate Stephen Tiroyakgosi said the event was an opportunity that brought fresh and innovative ideas to develop local and international Ombudsman offices for them to remain relevant to customers and stakeholders.

The first edition of the event was held in Abuja, Nigeria in 2019. Ends