Human Rights Advisory Council. In December 2012, AOB members hosted a delegation of the Korean Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and provided the visitors with deeper insights into the competences and functions of the AOB. International conferences European Ombudsman In 2012, the AOB was represented at various international conferences. In October 2012, Ombudspersons Brinek and Kostelka participated in the 8th Regional Seminar of the European Network of Ombudsmen in Brussels. The two main topics of discussion were the settlement of disputes for ombudspersons and communication with citizens. An expert represented the AOB at the 8th Liaison Seminar of the European Network of Ombudsmen, where the European Citizen Action Service, the handling of investigative proceedings and the reorganisation of ombudsman institutions were discussed. December 2012 saw the 5th Fundamental Rights Conference on the subject of “Justice in times of austerity – challenges and opportunities for the access to justice”. An AOB staff member participated in this conference, which was organised by FRA in collaboration with the European Parliament. NPM project organised by the Council of Europe Within the scope of the European NPM project, an AOB staff member attended a workshop in March 2012, which took place in Geneva and was organised by the Council of Europe, the Swiss NPM and the National Committee on the Prevention of Torture. The twoday workshop addressed the monitoring of the risk of abuse during forced returns and included discussions on how monitoring can contribute effectively to the prevention of abuse and torture. In June 2012, a follow-up event took place in Belgrade, which was organised by the Council of Europe in collaboration with the Serbian NPM. An AOB expert attended this event. 98