Annual OSCE human rights conference opens in Warsaw
Press release 362/2008
29 September, 2008
Government representatives, experts and human rights defenders from the OSCE’s 56 participating States gathered in Warsaw today for the opening of Europe’s largest human rights and democracy conference.
The two-week Human Dimension Implementation Meeting reviews the progress made by OSCE participating States in fulfilling their human rights and democracy commitments. The meeting is organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
“What makes this [conference] unique is the participation of representatives of civil society, including NGOs, and the possibility for them to exchange views with governments on an equal footing,” said Toralv Nordbo, ODIHR’s Deputy Director.
“The vision of OSCE commitments is not one where action taken by states alone is sufficient to achieve democratic government under the rule of law. Within the OSCE, we recognize as matters of international concern precisely those that civil society should engage in to influence government policy and protect democracy: full respect for human rights, including the freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom of expression and, of course, a free media,” he added.
“We should not overlook the existing gaps and even serious shortcomings regarding the respect and protection of human rights in the OSCE region,” said State Secretary Teija Tiilikainen, the representative of the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship.
The conference will review the whole range of human rights and democracy commitments undertaken by the OSCE's participating States.
This year's special focus areas include freedom of religion or belief, assistance to victims of human trafficking, and human rights education.
More than 50 side events, many organized by non-governmental organizations, will focus on specific issues such as the human rights situation in certain countries.
Two major publications will be launched by ODIHR during the conference: a report on hate-motivated incidents in the OSCE region, and a status report on the implementation of the OSCE's 2003 Action Plan on Roma and Sinti.
Journalists are invited to attend regular working sessions and side events.
The agenda, daily updates, interviews with participants, and short summaries of events in English and Russian, as well as other information, will be available on the conference website(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window).
Additional information: Sini Paukkunen, Unit for Human Rights Policy, mobile +358 40 849 5987, Ann-Mari Fröberg, Finnish OSCE Chairmanship Task Force, mobileel. +358 400 183 421, Riina-Riikka Kuparinen, Finland’s Permanent Mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), mobile tel. +43 664851 5538