Ombudsman Peter Kostelka Rewarding working year The working year 2011 was probably one of the most rewarding and challenging during my tenure. In addition to our “core business”, all AOB members contributed to the process of the OPCAT implementation. In intensive debates we developed a joint position to diverse questions regarding the reorganisation of the AOB and the further steps to be taken in order to realise the mission statement, that is to establish the AOB as the so-called “human rights house of the Republic of Austria”. Many decisions associated with this process regarding primarily the structure, methodology and focal points will have to be developed by the AOB with the new Commissions and with the new Human Rights Advisory Council. As defined by the “Paris Principles”, each National Human Rights Institution for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (NHRI) must be able to promote the harmonisation of national legislation with international human rights instruments. It must also be capable of cooperating with NGOs, international organisations, institutions and legislative bodies, but also be able to raise public awareness on certain issues. In the last decades, very diversely structured NHRIs have been established in about 60 countries. The Council of Europe has developed a very constructive and consistent working relationship, which is focused on the transfer of knowledge, with ombudsman institutions, which – in Europe at least – were created quite a while ago and therefore require some fine-tuning that is focused on human rights. There have been and still are voices at the UN level that express a preference for organisational models for NHRIs that should not be competent for handling individual complaints, something that I, as Secretary General of the International Ombudsman Institute, deeply regret. NHRI accreditation 32 NHRIs have applied for (re)accreditation by the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) in only 16 of the 27 member states of the EU. The AOB undertook this time-consuming procedure voluntarily in January 2011 and in greater detail than previously in 2000. This step was taken in awareness that practically every application is associated with general observations to the applying institution and to the country to which it belongs. After the re-accreditation process the AOB continues to be a member of the ICC and is an internationally recognised NHRI with a so-called “Status B”. It should be highlighted