05 / Chapter five
Knowledge Sharing
Empowering the ADB community
Photos by Adobe Stock.
Apart from its role in helping address workplace conflict management cases, OOMP undertook a range of activities in 2025 to raise awareness, share knowledge, and strengthen engagement within the ADB community. Beyond its work within ADB, OOMP engaged with the global ombuds community to share experiences, deepen professional expertise, and strengthen the office’s capacity to respond to evolving workplace and organizational challenges.
01 Awareness Raising and Knowledge Sharing
Throughout 2025, OOMP continued its awareness-raising and knowledge-sharing efforts across the ADB community to strengthen understanding of informal conflict resolution and promote healthy workplace interactions. The office participated in several sessions of ADB’s Induction Program, introducing new staff to OOMP’s role, guiding principles, and services.
The ombudsperson also served as keynote speaker at the Staff Council Annual General Meeting, delivering a presentation on “People at the Center of Change: Evolving Together to Thrive with Purpose.” In addition, OOMP conducted presentations and discussions with various departments and staff groups to address workplace issues and development needs reflected in the Staff Engagement Survey, fostering dialogue on communication, conflict competence, workplace relationships, and organizational well-being.
02 Listening to Women’s Voices
Recognizing the perennially high number of cases initiated by women, OOMP conducted a listening exercise from December 2024 until the first quarter of 2025. Through 76 sessions with 217 participants, it identified recurring gaps between formal commitments and daily workplace experience. Participants described inconsistent voice, career visibility, flexibility, and confidence in raising concerns.
Across themes, outcomes depended heavily on supervision, hierarchy, location, and employment category. The exercise suggested that these are not only individual experiences, but recurring workplace conditions that affect participation, confidence, and institutional effectiveness. The report frames improvement as making existing good practices more consistent, visible, and institutionally supported.
03 Engagement in Professional Ombuds Networks
OOMP welcomed members of the Network of Ombudsmen and Mediators of the United Nations and Related International Organizations to ADB headquarters in September 2025 for their annual meeting, themed “Ombudsing and Mediating: Anchoring Trust in Uncertain Times.” The event convened ombuds and mediators from various international organizations to exchange perspectives on emerging organizational challenges, including navigating conflict in a changing world, gendered realities of conflicts in organizations, and reimagining cultural dynamics in conflict resolution. This group underwent a name change and is now called the Network of Ombuds and Mediators of Multilateral Organizations.
In October, OOMP participated in the Annual Conference of the Asia-Pacific Regional Advancement Community of the International Ombuds Association, joining fellow practitioners from across the region to exchange insights and strengthen professional practice. The 3-day conference featured a series of presentations, panel discussions, and interactive workshops focused on advancing ombuds work and service delivery. Key themes included trauma-informed approaches to ombuds practice, the application of restorative practices, and the emerging use of artificial intelligence in analyzing trends and demographic data.
The conference provided a valuable platform for knowledge-sharing, reflection, and collaboration, reinforcing OOMP’s commitment to continuously enhancing its services in response to evolving organizational needs.