The Ombudsman, Good Governance and Human Rights in Africa, Asia and the Pacific Region

Abstract

The ombudsman was introduced in some Commonwealth countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, starting in New Zealand in 1962, followed by Tanzania and Mauritius during the 1960s, and in others during the 1970s and 1980s. Even at this stage, although the classical ombudsman model was predominant, adaptations began to occur, such as the executive ombudsman, use of multi-member bodies or conferral of leadership code enforcement duties on the ombudsman. Ombudsmen were established in greater numbers during the 1990s, expanding outside the Commonwealth. Several factors can been seen as contributing to this development, such as the democratization of a number of countries in these regions during the 1990s and the increased interest of the international community, especially development agencies and donor governments, in good governance and national human rights institutions. Starting in the 1990s, classical and hybrid ombudsmen, human rights commissions and specialized institutions began to proliferate in Africa and, to a lesser extent, in Asia and the Pacific. In particular, extreme examples of hybrid ombudsmen can be found in Africa, with institutions that add human rights protection, anti-corruption, leadership code enforcement and/or environmental protection mandates to the ombudsman function. In Asia and the Pacific region, while human rights ombudsmen are still the exception, anti-corruption and leadership code enforcement mandates have often been conferred on ombudsmen.