The Ombudsman and staff of the Office of the Ombudsman of Solomon Islands (OOSI) participate in a number of regional and international trainings, workshops and conferences aimed at strengthening the work of the Ombudsman and the Office.
These activities are aimed at standardizing practices adopted by Ombudsmen’s institutions at the regional and international levels and at building the capacity of Office of the Ombudsman (OOSI), thus contributing to the Office’s role in protecting the integrity of the Solomon Islands Government (SIG).
These international networks and alliances of Ombudsman institutes include:
International Ombudsman Institute
The Ombudsman’s Office (OOSI) is also a member of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI).
The International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), established in 1978, is the only global organization for the cooperation of more than 198 independent Ombudsman institutions from more than 100 countries worldwide. The IOI is organised in six regional chapters including the Australasia & Pacific Chapter which the OOSI is a part of. In its effort to focus on good governance and capacity building, the IOI supports its members in a threefold way: training, research and regional subsidies for projects.
Asia and Pacific Ombudsman’s Alliance
The Solomon Islands Ombudsman’s Office (OOSI) is also a member of the Asia and Pacific Ombudsman’s Alliance (APOA). Similar to the Pacific Integrity Network (PIN), APOA can also assist its members with funding to attend conferences, workshops and trainings
APOA is part of the regional chapter of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI).
Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association (ANZOA)
The Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association (ANZOA) is the peak body for ombudsmen in Australia and New Zealand.
In ANZOA, the term ombudsman includes people who perform the same independent role in positions such as Complaints Commissioners. ANZOA members come from not-for-profit industry-based, parliamentary and other statutory external dispute resolution offices, which meet accepted high standards of independence, impartiality and effectiveness and observe the Benchmarks for Industry-Based Customer Dispute Resolution (the CDR Benchmarks).
Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman’s purpose is to provide assurance that Australian Government entities and prescribed private sector organisations that the Office oversees, act with integrity and treat people fairly. The Office also influences enduring systemic improvement in public administration in Australia and the region.
The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman delivers on its mandated purpose through complaint–handling, the conduct of investigations, performing audits and inspections, encouraging good public administration practices, and discharging specialist oversight tasks. The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman influences improvement in public administration in the Pacific region and Indonesia through collaboration with partner entities.
Pacific Integrity Network
The Ombudsman’s Office (OOSI) is a member of the Pacific Integrity Network (PIN). PIN first started around 2009 and was then known as the Pacific Ombudsman Alliance (POA). In 2014, the alliance changed its name after it secured funding from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) to broaden its membership to include other integrity institutions such as the Leadership Code and Auditor General Offices.
PIN membership consists of 7 Pacific Island nations namely Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia and Marshall Islands.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman Office is the secretariat of PIN with New Zealand’s Ombudsman Office being an active member of PIN.
As a member, the Solomon Islands Ombudsman’s Office (OOSI) benefits, through the network, from funding support to attend the network’s meetings, conferences, workshops and trainings.