The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) : a tool for human rights and preventive diplomacy

Abstract

As it strengthens and widens its activities, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) - the institution primarily charged with the "human dimension" within the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) - has the potential to make an important contribution to preventive diplomacy, and thus to peace and a stable society. Preventive diplomacy is employed to forestall policies that create political and social tension. These policies include human rights violations, such as denial of an individual's freedom of expression and of his or her right to a fair trial, and discrimination against people on the ground of ethnic, linguistic or religious identity or political belief. But the ability of the ODIHR to work effectively depends on the determination of the OSCE's 53 member States to insist that commitments undertaken in the field of human rights and democracy are honoured.