Taiwan participated in the 34th Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region conference under the International Ombudsman Institute in New Zealand, underscoring the government’s commitment to working with like-minded partners to promote human rights and proactively address government monitoring issues, according to the Control Yuan Oct. 17.
CY President Chen Chu and three other officials represented Taiwan at the Oct. 13-14 event. Staged by New Zealand’s Office of the Ombudsman and Australia’s Victorian Ombudsman, the conference involved keynote speeches and discussions on investigating corruption, maintaining independence while seeking civil society advice and helping the government achieve integrity and human rights protection.
During her speech on integrity, Chen said CY members are sparing no effort in making information more open and transparent when the agency investigates cases involving potential crimes such as collective corruption by judicial officials. The CY is also devoting more attention to human rights violations and transitional justice issues, as demonstrated by their work to maintain human rights amid the COVID-19 pandemic and safeguard international migrant workers’ rights, she added.
Following the conference, the APOR members issued a communique stressing willingness to strengthen cooperation and reaffirming the Principles on the Protection and Promotion of the Institution of the Ombudsman created by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe in 2019.
The Taiwan delegation’s itinerary also included visits to New Zealand’s Office of the Ombudsman and Human Rights Commission and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New Zealand, as well as meetings with IOI President Chris Field and APOR Director Deborah Glass.
Established in 1978, the IOI is a Vienna-headquartered nongovernmental organization that seeks to promote ombudsmanship and human rights protection. The APOR is one of six regional bodies under the IOI. (YCH-E)
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