Preface Pursuant to Austria’s Federal Constitution, the Austrian Ombudsman Board (Volksanwaltschaft, AOB) has independently and impartially monitored Federal, state and local public administration since 1977. Once a year, its members submit a report to the National Council and the Federal Council outlining the AOB’s work, priorities and main findings during the past year. This International Version of the AOB's 2010 Annual Report is an abridged version of the original (German) version. Section 1 provides an outline of the activities of the three members of the AOB during the year, along with all key data, e.g. statistics regarding complaints and investigative proceedings. Section 2 provides an overview of international activities, including International Ombudsman Institute (I.O.I) activities and bilateral contacts. Since 2001, the AOB's Annual Report has put special emphasis on human rights. Accordingly, Section 3 provides examples of human rights related cases which the AOB has had to resolve in 2010 when assessing complaints about maladministration and infringements of administrative law by public authorities. This international version and the original version of the Annual Report (in German) are available free of charge via download from our website www.volksanw.gv.at. Peter Kostelka Vienna, June 2011 Gertrude Brinek Terezija Stoisits