An eleven-person delegation from the Petitions Committee of the Parliament of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, visited in September 2009 to gather information about the institutional structure, the responsibilities and the activities of the AOB and to inform in turn of their own activities. The Public Protector from South Africa, Thulisile Madonsela, provided insights into her work environment during her visit in November 2009. More visits EU twinning project In collaboration with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Human Rights, the AOB is participating in a twinning project with the newly established ombudsman office of the Republic of Serbia. The project is being implemented and financed by the ombudsman offices in Greece and the Netherlands as well as by the European Commission. The goal of the multiphase project, which is scheduled to run from 2009 to 2011, is to effect an improvement in public administration by strengthening the Serbian ombudsman institution. It will contribute to the recognition of the principle of the rule of law, the enforcement of human rights and the democratisation of society. An event launching the project, called the “Mission & Vision Conference”, took place on 12 and 13 October 2009 in Belgrade. Ombudsperson Terezija Stoisits was present. Up to 2011, numerous other activities and trainings will take place with the participation of experts from the AOB. Support for the Serbian ombudsman institution International conferences A highlight for the international ombudsman community was the IX. World Conference of the International Ombudsman Institute, which took place in Stockholm in June 2009 and celebrated the bicentennial of the Swedish Ombudsman Office. As previously mentioned, all three members of the AOB were present at this event, where more than 300 participants discussed a very broad range of topics, from the history of the ombudsman concept to the effects of privatisation on the monitoring of government administration to the problems relative to asylum issues. I.O.I. World Conference in Stockholm 25