63 Jens Olsen Director of International Relations, International Section Christian Ougaard Special Legal Advisor, International Section Since the inception of the Danish Ombudsman institution, the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsmen and their staff have been very active in spreading the knowledge of the institution, its purpose and its philosophy on an international basis. Some of these efforts have been formalised in a collaboration agreement between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ombudsman. Our collaboration on international activities was first formalised in a general agreement in 2000. The agreement covered a period of three years and has been extended and adjusted on a regular basis since then. In March 2013, a newly formulated collaboration agreement was signed. This agreement offers considerably more flexibility than the previous agreements as the Ombudsman institution now has the possibility of contacting countries where there may be a need to promote the agreement’s objective of securing human rights and democracy and establishing or strengthening existing democratic institutions. The agreement enables the Ministry to utilise the Ombudsman’s expertise in connection with development aid to establish and maintain democratic institutions, good governance and good administrative practice, especially in the world’s poorest countries. In addition, the Ombudsman must be proactive in relation to possibilities for involvement in the Ministry’s work. The collaboration agreement thus provides a wide framework for activities which we have experienced to cover a broad range, from dialogue with deci­sionmakers about the independence of institutions to practical assistance with the