The Ombudsman’s international activities

Purpose

Based on its mandate and practical experience, the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman institution seeks to contribute to the development and consolidation of ombudsman institutions in other countries. In addition, the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman seeks to learn from the experiences of ombudsman institutions in other countries.

Approach

The international activities of the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman are characterised by:

  • Being demand-driven
  • Being based on the mandate and expertise of the Ombudsman
  • Involving other relevant institutions and experts when needed
  • Being non-political
  • Respecting contextual differences
  • Seeking a constructive dialogue

Type of Activities

When working internationally, the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman engages in different types of activities. The Ombudsman may:

  • Arrange and host study visits to Denmark for ombudsman institutions or other relevant institutions. Such visits are often financed by donors like the EU or the Council of Europe
  • Participate in workshops or other types of activities abroad by invitation of the ombudsman institution of the country concerned
  • Participate in international activities of other Danish institutions by contributing with knowledge and practical experience from activities of the Danish Ombudsman institution
  • Receive short visits from foreign delegations participating in visits hosted by other Danish institutions
  • Engage in long-term cooperation facilitating an ongoing dialogue and exchange of experiences with ombudsman institutions or other relevant institutions on the basis of Memorandums of Understanding (MoU)
  • Participate in international networks for ombudsman institutions

Partners

The international activities of the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman include activities in cooperation with a variety of international and national institutions and networks.

  • The EU – the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument of the European Commission (TAIEX): TAIEX has funded several study visits to the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman’s office

  • The Council of Europe – the Office of the Directorate General of Programmes (ODGP): Several ODGP study visits to the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman’s office have been arranged
  • The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: According to an agreement with the Ministry, the Ombudsman institution offers its assistance for the development and strengthening of democratic institutions in the world’s poorest countries. Usually in cooperation with the Danish embassies, the work is mostly directed at assisting institutions similar to that of the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman

  • Various Danish authorities and institutions: Realising that some of the requests for international activities involve issues that are outside the scope of our mandate, we cooperate with other Danish authorities and institutions. Below are some examples of authorities and institutions with which we have cooperated on various issues:
    • The Danish Institute for Human Rights – the National Human Rights Institution of Denmark (NHRI)
    • DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture
    • The Agency for Modernisation (under the Ministry of Finance)
    • The Danish Prison and Probation Service
    • The Danish Immigration Service
    • The Danish National Police
    • The Danish Red Cross
    • The Danish Refugee Council
    • The Director of Public Prosecutions
    • The State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime
    • The Auditor General
    • Transparency International (Danish Chapter)
    • The National Social Appeals Board
    • The City of Copenhagen
    • The Citizen Advisor of Copenhagen
    • The City of Aarhus
    • Aarhus University