The Paris Principles adopted by the UN Human Rights Commission in 1993 are a set of requirements regarding the role and functions of national human rights institutions. The ICC accredits national human rights institutions - many of which are ombudsman institutions based on their degree of compliance with the Paris Principles. The AOB has for many years held ICC B-status, and over the past year stepped up its involvement with the ICC: in March 2010, Ombudswoman Terezija Stoisits participated in the 23rd meeting of the ICC in Geneva, and in October 2010, Ombudsman Peter Kostelka attended the ICC Biennial Conference in Edinburgh. Increased involvement with the ICC All national human rights institutions accredited by the ICC have to undergo a status check at least every 5 years. The AOB is currently undergoing re-accreditation, a process which should be completed by summer 2011. In January 2011, extensive documentation was made available to the ICC, to provide a clear picture of the AOB’s tasks, responsibilities and investigative activities under the Austrian constitution. ICC re-accreditation In April, Ombudsman Peter Kostelka was asked by the Council of Europe to participate in talks with parliamentarians from Monaco and ombudspersons from Belgium, France, Denmark, Cyprus, Spain concerning the setting up of an ombudsman institution in Monaco. The talks focussed on the particular conditions facing an ombudsman institution in a monarchy. Monaco is one of the few remaining European countries without an ombudsman office. At a parliamentary hearing in April, Ombudsman Peter Kostelka provided insight into approaches to the appointment process and the role and responsibilities of ombudspersons in general. Council of Europe project in Monaco The goal of the EU-funded twinning project "Support for the Strengthening of the Serbian Ombudsman" (2009-2011) is to help Serbia’s ombudsman office improve and further professionalise its activities. In September and October 2010, an AOB expert, with the assistance of colleagues from Greece, provided help with setting up a public communication unit and reorganisation of the reporting system. EU Twinning project with Serbia Along with experts from ombudsman institutions in the Netherlands, Spain and France, the AOB participated in a workshop in Cairo organised by Egypt’s Ministry of Administrative Development and the Workshop in Egypt 21