The Austrian Ministry for European and International Affairs granted the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI) a status as international institution in accordance with the Austrian Act on Headquarter Locations (Amtssitzgesetz); i.e. the federal law to enhance Austria as the location for headquarters of international organizations. Pursuant to regulation 594 on “Granting Legal Capacity to Other International Institutions”, the IOI holds the privileged and more beneficial status of an international institution as of 1 January 2022.

This is an important step to further strengthening the IOI’s role as independent, international organization representing more than 200 Ombudsman institutions around the world and it will increase the IOI’s recognition as the authoritative body on Ombudsman matters significantly. With this new status, the IOI will be able to enhance its presence and standing at the international level. It is an essential step in driving forward one of the IOI’s key objectives:  the promotion of the Ombudsman concept and the support of colleagues around the world.