66 ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Uganda or Burkina Faso. This working method enables us to use specific cases as our starting point, which may contribute to providing a joint frame of reference for our institutions – that may differ widely with regard to working methods and conditions. The objective is typically to gain an insight into how ombudsmen can work in a goal-oriented manner in practice, and therefore the topics cover a wide field. For instance, representatives from the Albanian ombudsman office, which had established a new unit to be in charge of international work, paid us a visit in 2013. We also received a visit from a delegation from the newly established ombudsman institution in Serbia, who wanted an insight into communication strategy and IT utilisation at the Danish Ombudsman’s office. These seminars represent a forum where collaboration may lead to definite changes/improvements. It goes without saying that the learning process is intended to go both ways. We use examples based on practice as an approach to debate and exchange of experience – i.e. cases received and handled by ombudsman institutions: how we handle the cases and how we can contribute to the development of legal protection guarantees and the administrative culture. When we approach institutions abroad – like Tanzania and Uganda in 2013 – this is also our preferred working method since both parties benefit the most and gain the most insight through working with actual cases. Finally, it has to be mentioned that the collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also enables us to assist Danish embassies around the world. By way of example, we were contacted in May by the Danish embassy in Mexico City and asked whether we could give a lecture at a conference on anticorruption which the embassy had been involved in planning. Of course we accepted the invitation. Likewise, we always try to enter into close collaboration with the Danish embassies in the countries with which we collaborate – the latest example of such collaboration being the embassy in Beijing. In this connection, we would like to emphasise that Danish embassies have always given us inestimable help and advice, which is essential to our work.