The Ombudsman of Sint Maarten, Dr. Nilda Arduin, recently returned from her trip to New York, where she attended the annual Board meeting of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI).
Dr. Arduin is pleased to report that the meeting was very productive; various courses, to be sponsored with IOI funds, were approved. A substantial amount of monies have been reserved for practical training for Ombudsmen and their staff within the Latin American Region to which the Caribbean offices will benefit due to the closer proximity to Latin American countries. In addition the Directors of the Latin America/Caribbean region were also able to secure an amount of 10.200 euros to facilitate translators at regional meetings of the Spanish and English speaking Ombudsmen within the region.
A meeting between the ILO (Institute of Latin America Ombudsman) and CAROA (Caribbean Ombudsman Association) is scheduled to be held in November 2013 in Mexico.
The Seventh Biennial CAROA Conference was held in May on Sint Maarten with various Ombudsmen from the region and outside the region, including the IOI President, was in attendance.
Sint Maarten benefits greatly from these exchanges, through the exposure to best practices of established Ombudsman institutes worldwide, the wide network and excellent relationships between de Ombudsman of Sint Maarten and her colleagues both regionally and internationally. Being able to tap into these resources offers the Bureau Ombudsman great advantages.
Dr. Arduin was elected a Director for the Latin America/Caribbean Region on the IOI Board in November 2012 in New Zealand.