Overview took place in Laxenburg in September 2013 in co-operation with the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA). At a “Sharpening your Teeth” training in Zambia, participants gained new skills for performing systemic investigative proceedings. A total of EUR 45,000, generated by membership fee payments, was allocated to the support of regional projects. Seven ambitious projects passed the IOI’s selection process. The projects pursued very different targets, such as initiating an information campaign against human trafficking, developing human rights standards as benchmarks for the work of an ombudsman centre or developing a manual to evaluate the impact of investigative proceedings on public administration. Regional subsidies International organisations For the AOB, co-operating with international organisations is an important part of its work. The many years of close co-operation with the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency or the active involvement in the OSCE dialogue on the tasks of National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), deserve a special mention. The AOB also makes use of the opportunity to report to the UN on the implementation of international human rights treaties in Austria. Good co-operation with international organisations During the official country review of Austria in September 2013, the AOB provided the responsible UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) with details regarding Austria’s compliance with its obligations under the UN convention. In November 2013, before the official hearing, one of the AOB’s legal experts took part in a public meeting of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and explained the AOB‘s perceptions of the problems of vulnerable persons, especially in terms of asserting economic, social and cultural human rights. Involvement in country reviews As NHRI, the AOB is also represented on the International Coordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions (ICC). Since October 2013, the AOB has been a member of the South-East European NPM Network, whose purpose is to exchange experiences and mutually support the implementation of NPM tasks. Bilateral contacts The AOB used the opportunity of numerous working meetings to exchange experiences on an international level. In January 2013, the AOB welcomed the Federal Ombudsmen of Belgium to discuss the its experiences as National Preventive Mechanism. At a workshop with Sir Nigel Rodley, Chairperson of the UN Human Rights Committee, the members of the AOB gave a report of their activities as National Human Rights Institution. Other guests in 2013 included a delegation from the Petitions Committee of the German Bundestag and the Director of the Department of Fundamental and Child Rights at the European Commission’s General Justice Directorate. Exchanging experience across borders 23