We have a duty to exchange information and cooperate with offices similar to the OCO in other countries. The OCO is a member of the European Network of Ombudspersons for Children (ENOC) and British and Irish Network of Ombudsman and Children Commissioners (BINOCC). ENOC links independent children’s rights institutions in countries within the Council of Europe to promote children’s rights. BINOCC brings together the OCO and the four Commissioners for Children in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to promote the sharing of information and discuss common issues of concern affecting children.

The OCO also engages with international human rights monitoring mechanisms. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child periodically reviews Ireland’s progress in implementing the CRC. The OCO has submitted alternative reports to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of this process outlining issues affecting children and recommendations for change. Other mechanisms that the OCO has submitted reports to include the Universal Periodic Review and the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.