ISLAMABAD -UNS: Wafaqi Mohtasib Mr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi was re-elected unopposed as President of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) at Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan) on Monday.
The elections to the various positions in the AOA Board of Directors were held at the 17 th Meeting of the General Assembly. In addition to the election of Mr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi as President of AOA, the General Assembly elected Heads of Ombudsman Institutions in Azerbaijan, Hong Kong and Iran as Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Association respectively.
Heads of Ombudsman Institutions in China, Japan, Korea, Tatarstan and Turkiye were elected as members of the Board of Directors. Following his election, Mr. Qureshi thanked the General Assembly for expressing confidence and trust in Pakistan’s contribution in promoting the cause of Ombudsmanship and the ultimate goals of good governance and the rule of law in Asia and beyond.
The Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) is a major non-political, independent and
professional body of international character representing more than two thirds of the world
population. Its current membership is 46 ombudsman institutions from the Asian Region. The
Association’s permanent secretariat is hosted by the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat at Islamabad.
The Association was established following the First Asian Ombudsman Conference held on 15-16
April 1996 at Islamabad.
The General Assembly meeting was followed by an International Conference on the
“Effective Practices of Ombudsman: National Features and Universal Approaches” which was
attended by a large number of international delegations and representatives of international bodies,
academia and the civil society. In his address to the Conference, Mr. Qureshi highlighted the
centrality of ombudsmanship as an effective mechanism for promoting the rule of law, good
governance, justice and fair play in the daily life of a common man. He added that the ombudsman
institutions constitute a universal fraternity that makes a strong case for grater interaction and
mutual cooperation in pursuit of their common goals and aspirations.
