the I.O.I. World Conference that will take place in November 2012 in Wellington, New Zealand. The most important aspects of the reform are the inclusive orientation of the I.O.I., clearly formulated membership criteria, a stronger involvement of the member institutions into the Institute’s decision-making processes and a more sustainable operation of the I.O.I. by extending the office-holders’ term of tenure. International organisations 38 Sharing experience relative to OPCAT International sharing of experience is particularly important in the run-up to the pending implementation of the OPCAT. This was the primary reason why Ombudswoman Brinek and Ombudsman Kostelka attended the seminar “OPCAT and Ombudsman” in Warsaw in September 2011. The event provided an outstanding opportunity to discuss structural questions, methodological approaches and the financial aspects of the OPCAT implementation. In December 2011, the AOB participated as an observer in an expert conference organised by the Council of Europe for ombudsman institutions that are assuming a function as a National Preventive Mechanism. The status of the OPCAT implementation in Austria was also the main topic at a meeting between Thomas Hammarberg, the Human Rights Commissioner for the Council of Europe, and members of the AOB in July 2011. ICC / OHCHR After its reaccreditation that was completed in 2011, as a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), the AOB is represented on the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) of National Human Rights Institutions with a B-status. Ombudsman Kostelka attended the 24th annual meeting of the ICC in Geneva in May 2011, as well as the meeting of the European Group of the ICC in September 2011 in Madrid. Additionally, the AOB regularly provided expertise about areas relevant to human rights for reports and internal working papers of the OHCHR and participated actively in the preparations for the establishment of an ICC secretariat for the NHRIs in the European region. UN Human Rights Council In January 2011, the human rights situation in Austria came under scrutiny as part of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The subject of this evaluation was whether and how Austria has implemented its obligations along the entire human rights spectrum. The AOB played an active role in preparations for this review, both in Austria and at the international level, and was