(L to R): Elisabeth Rynning, Chief Ombudsman of Sweden; Marie Anderson, Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman; Professor Linda Reif; Boon Tapanadul, Ombudsman of Thailand; Consuelo Olivera Trevino, Director-General of Secretariat, National Human Rights Commission of Mexico.
On November 16, 2016, CN Professor of International Trade Linda C. Reif presented a paper on "Human Rights Ombudsman Institutions as GANHRI Accredited National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs)" on a panel on the theme of "A Human Rights Based Approach to the Ombudsman's Work" at the 11th World Conference of the International Ombudsman Institute held in Bangkok, Thailand from November 13 to 19. The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) is the global network of NHRIs and its accreditation system is a gatekeeper mechanism that gives only NHRIs with A-status accreditation full participation rights in UN human rights and other processes. Approximately 40% of GANHRI A-status accredited NHRIs are national human rights ombudsman institutions.
More than 250 ombudspersons and their deputies, government officials, NGO representatives and scholars from 70 countries and territories attended the conference.
Professor Reif is at work on the second edition of her book The Ombudsman, Good Governance and the International Human Rights System (Brill) and the paper will form part of a new chapter in the second edition.