The Ombudsman Social Justice and Human Rights

 Sir Howard said, "Globalisation has its advantages but it also puts pressure on poorer countries to eke out an acceptable standard of living for its citizens that makes for lasting peace and harmony. The need to take pressure off the formal court system is increasingly becoming a challenge, especially for developing countries where the court must be seen as the last resort. This is why other avenues of reconciliation are so important as citizens demand justice and rights." 

The meeting hosted by the Office of the Public Defender of Jamaica is sponsored by the Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD) of the Commonwealth Secretariat in collaboration with the Caribbean Ombudsman Association and the Government of Jamaica. 

 The main objectives of the conference are to promote greater understanding among ombudsmen of the region, promote sharing for greater relevance in a changing Caribbean society and to explore regional modalities for delivering on their mandates to Caribbean societies. In particular, the conference will highlight best practices and innovative schemes utilised by offices of ombudsmen in promoting social justice and human rights. 

The experiences and relevance of the 'political ombudsman' as a uniquely Jamaican phenomenon will be closely examined. A one-day workshop to examine public relations in the work of the Ombudsman will be facilitated by the Secretariat at the end of the conference. It is specifically aimed at training participating ombudsmen in handling public relations for improved profiling of their institutions. 

Professor Victor Ayeni, Director of GIDD, pointed out that over the last several years, the Secretariat has been actively supporting the Caribbean Ombudsman movement as part of its work in strengthening oversight institutions. He said, "This area of work supports the Commonwealth's commitment to making democracy work for pro-poor development and enhances democratic traditions and processes as mandated by Commonwealth Heads of Government at the end of their recent meeting in Abuja, Nigeria." 

The conference brings together ombudsmen from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, Guyana, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Leading Caribbean scholars and representatives of the Governments of St Kitts and Nevis and Bermuda as well as of the Ombudsman offices of Nigeria and Sierra Leone are also in attendance. Representatives of regional organisations such as the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Central American Council of Ombudsmen, the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights of the Organisation of American States, the Latin American Ombudsman Institute and a number of non-Commonwealth states of the region are also attending the meeting.

 The conference ends with the Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Ombudsman Association to work out strategies for advancing the work of the Association and deciding on work programmes for the coming year.