In order to develop a common understanding and the cooperation among Ombudsmen and strengthen the role of Ombudsman regarding to the protection and promotion of rights of the citizens, ensuring the good governance, İstanbul International Ombudsman Conference held on 25-26 September 2017, at Swiss Otel the Bosphorus in İstanbul. 58 representatives from 42 Ombudsman Institutions from all over the world attended to the Conference.

Opening Ceremony of the Conference held with keynote speeches of the Chief Ombudsman Mr. Şeref Malkoç, Speaker of the Parliament İsmail Kahraman and President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Conference started with a forum, which provided a basis for sharing the ideas and experiences of participating Ombudsmen on Role and Effectiveness of Ombudsman Institutions: Country Experiences. During the sessions, Ombudsmen gave their speeches on the topics “problems encountered during examination of complaints and actions that might be taken for the solution of these problems” and “fight against racism, xenophobia and hate speech”.

Furthermore, General Assembly and Steering Committee Meetings of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ombudsman Association and Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen Executive and Governing Board Meetings held within the Conference organization.