On 30 September, the Chancellor of Justice of the Republic of Estonia, Ülle Madise, was elected as a member of the Board of seven directors of the European region of the International Ombudsman Institute. The European region of the institute includes 80 national and regional ombudsmen from most of the countries of Europe. The Chancellor of Justice of the Republic of Estonia has been a full member of the International Ombudsman Institute since 2001.
The International Ombudsman Institute was established in 1978 and it is the only global organisation promoting the cooperation of more than 170 independent ombudsman institutions from more than 90 countries. The International Ombudsman Institute is divided into six major regions – Africa, Asia, Australasia & Pacific, Europe, the Caribbean & Latin America, and North America. Each region is managed by the Regional President and Board of Directors.
The role of the International Ombudsman Institute is to support the establishment of independent ombudsman institutions worldwide, in order to ensure better protection of human rights, combat abuse of powers, contribute to the development of public administration and ensure transparency of governance.