Foreword
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR), as well as the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on Human
Rights Defenders. These important documents have much in common with OSCE
commitments.
First, they recognize the vital link between security and respect for human rights. The
UDHR points out in its preamble: “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal
and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of
freedom, justice and peace in the world”. This fact, borne out by the bitter experience
of humankind, has been reaffirmed many times by OSCE participating States, and
forms the basis for the existence of human dimension commitments within our
regional security framework.
Second, whereas the UDHR formed the starting point for the development of the
normative framework currently contained in international and regional human rights
conventions, the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders recognizes the
importance not just of upholding these norms, but also of protecting those who stand
up for their protection and promotion. Similarly, the OSCE acquis not only contains a
wide body of rights and freedoms in the human dimension, but it also recognizes the
right of everyone to stand up for those rights and freedoms. To put it in the words of
the OSCE’s Copenhagen Document, participating States must “ensure effectively the
rights of the individual to know and act upon human rights and fundamental
freedoms, and to contribute actively, individually or in association with others, to
their promotion and protection”. This commitment recognizes that, while states are
responsible for respecting and protecting human rights, human rights defenders play
an essential role in translating human rights standards and obligations into practice.
This report forms an important part of the work of ODIHR’s focal point on human
rights defenders and national human rights institutions. Through the focal point, we
have strengthened our co-operation both within the OSCE framework, in particular
with OSCE field operations, and with external actors, such as with the Council of
Europe’s commissioner for human rights, the United Nations special rapporteur on
human rights defenders, and international NGOs operating in this field. It is my firm
hope that it will be a helpful tool for them, for participating States, and for human
rights defenders themselves, who are working every day to turn the enduring ideals of
the Universal Declaration into a reality for us all.
Ambassador Janez Lenar i
Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
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