Ombudsperson fixes

internal-regulations.md

@@ -294,9 +294,43 @@ The ombudsperson shall monitor any cases of disagreement or conflict, ill-treatm
 The Ombudsperson shall serve as guardian to protect the interests of the Federation and all its associated individuals within the day-to-day proceedings of the Bureau, Office, and 
 Auditors (as well as non-statutory bodies, such as Programme Managers) and to serve as an independent body of negotiation and mediation.
 
-The Ombudsperson shall produce an annual report presented at the General Assembly. It is the responsibility of the Ombudsperson to make their annual report available once a year to the member organisations two weeks before the General Assembly takes place.
+## Term
+
+The Ombudsperson is elected for a term of two years and may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The term begins at the close of the General Assembly at which the Ombudsperson is elected.
+
+## Vacancy
+
+In the event of resignation, suspension, or other vacancy, the Advisory Council shall appoint an interim Ombudsperson who meet the eligibility criteria of the Candidacy section. The interim Ombudsperson serves until the next General Assembly, at which point an election shall be held to fill the position for the remainder of the original term, following the procedure in the Rules of Procedure.
+
+Where the position of Ombudsperson is vacant, reports under the Code of Conduct may be made directly to the Chair of the Advisory Council, who shall ensure interim handling consistent with the Code of Conduct procedure until an Ombudsperson is in place.
+
+## Reporting
+
+The Ombudsperson shall produce an annual report presented at the General Assembly. The report shall be made available to the member organisations at least two weeks before the General Assembly takes place. The annual report shall include, at a minimum, the number of reports received, the categories of issues addressed, the outcomes reached, and recommendations for systemic improvements, presented in a manner that protects the confidentiality of all individuals involved.
+
+The Ombudsperson may also report directly to the General Assembly, the Advisory Council, or the Bureau where circumstances require, while maintaining confidentiality of individual cases.
+
+## Suspension
+
+By the General Assembly: A motion of no-confidence against the Ombudsperson may be submitted by the Bureau, by the Advisory Council, or a Full Member organisation, as per the Rules of Procedure.
+
+By the Advisory Council in cases or urgent misconduct: Where the Ombudsperson is suspected of serious misconduct, breach of confidentiality, or fraudulent behaviour, and where waiting for the next General Assembly would create unacceptable risk to the Federation or to individuals, the Advisory Council may suspend the Ombudsperson by a two-thirds majority vote. Such a vote must be called for by at least two AC members and announced to the AC, the Bureau, and member organisations at least two weeks before the AC vote, including the grounds for suspension. The Ombudsperson shall be informed of the grounds and given the opportunity to respond before the vote takes place.
+
+A suspension under paragraph (b) shall be confirmed or rejected by the next General Assembly through a simple majority vote. If rejected, the Ombudsperson is reinstated. If confirmed, the position is treated as vacant under Vacancy.
+
+## Confidentiality and disclosure
+
+The Ombudsperson is bound by strict confidentiality. The Ombudsperson may disclose information about specific cases only:
+
+To the Committee of Discipline and Arbitration or the ad hoc panel constituted under Article 5.6, as required by the Code of Conduct procedure;
+
+To the Advisory Council, where necessary for the performance of the Ombudsperson's functions;
+
+In cooperation with law enforcement, including mandatory reporting obligations under Belgian law or the law of the jurisdiction in which a relevant event takes place;
+
+Where the affected person has given explicit written consent.
 
-The Ombudsperson shall be nominated by the Committee of Discipline and Arbitration.
+The Ombudsperson shall not be required to disclose the identity of reporting persons except where required under paragraph (c) or with explicit consent under paragraph (d). Where mandatory disclosure under paragraph (c) is required, the Ombudsperson shall, where possible, inform the affected person before disclosure.
 
 # Committee of Discipline and Arbitration
 

rules-of-procedure.md

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ No person shall act as Chair and as minute taker for the same session of the Gen
 
 # Elections {#elections}
 
-For the Bureau elections and appointments to the Advisory Council, those candidacies are valid that were received in writing by the IFLRY office four weeks before the start of the General Assembly.
+For the Bureau elections, appointments to the Advisory Council, and nominations for the Ombudsperson, those candidacies are valid that were received in writing by the IFLRY office four weeks before the start of the General Assembly.
 
 In elections where multiple rounds of voting are required, successive rounds shall be held immediately.
 
@@ -111,6 +111,15 @@ For the election of auditors, the ballot can be filled with one or two names. Ea
 ## Advisory Council Appointments {#ac-appointments}
 Advisory Council members will be appointed by the General Assembly through a simple majority vote.
 
+## Ombudsperson Election {#ombudsperson-election}
+The Ombudsperson shall be elected by the General Assembly by secret ballot. Where more than one candidate stands, the Ombudsperson shall be elected using instant runoff voting (IRV) with ballots giving a ranked preference of candidates. Where only one candidate stands, the Ombudsperson shall be elected by simple majority vote. Nominations may be submitted by:
+
+- the Committee of Discipline and Arbitration;
+
+- a group of no fewer than three Full Member organisations.
+
+Where the General Assembly rejects all nominees, or where no valid nominations are received, nominations from the floor shall be received from three Full Member organisations during the General Assembly, and an election shall be held following the same procedure.
+
 ## Expulsion and Replacement {#expulsion}
 It is the right of a General Assembly, both ordinary and extraordinary, to put the mandate of an elected person in question and to terminate that mandate following a motion of no-confidence. A motion of no-confidence requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass, unless it was submitted as an organisational proposal four weeks before the General Assembly, in which case it can pass with a simple majority vote.
 
@@ -134,7 +143,7 @@ At the opening of the General Assembly, while adopting the agenda, the membershi
 Those resolutions shall be dealt with, which, in the opinion of the General Assembly, could not have been proposed before the official deadline due to their urgent nature. Such resolutions should be submitted to the IFLRY Office before the beginning of the General Assembly, unless a two-thirds majority of those present and voting accept a later resolution as urgent.
 
 ## Reports {#reports}
-Items which report on the status quo. This includes financial reports, advisory council and auditor reports. The deadline for submitting reports is two weeks before the Statutory Meeting. The Bureau report and Annual report need to be submitted four weeks before the statutory meeting.
+Items which report on the status quo. This includes financial reports, advisory council, auditor and ombudsperson reports. The deadline for submitting reports is two weeks before the Statutory Meeting. The Bureau report and Annual report need to be submitted four weeks before the statutory meeting.
 
 ## Discharge {#discharge}
 Discharge is the formal release of an individual Bureau member from their official responsibilities and obligations upon the conclusion of their term of office or resignation. It represents the General Assembly’s recognition that the Bureau member has fulfilled their duties and is no longer accountable for them.