The International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), established in 1978, is the only global organisation for the cooperation of more than 190 independent Ombudsman institutions operating on a local, regional and national level from more than 100 countries worldwide. The role of Ombudsman institutions is to protect the people against the violation of rights, abuse of powers, unfair decisions and maladministration. They play an increasingly important role in improving public administration while making the government's actions more open and its administration more accountable to the public.