Stories
HDIM: Keeping an eye on the past with a view to the future
27 October 2003
Just what is a Human Dimension Implementation Meeting?
For the uninitiated, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) can sound like a daunting event - deciphering its meaning requires insider knowledge of the workings of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the world's largest regional security organization.
In OSCE parlance, the term "human dimension" describes the set of norms and activities related to human rights and democracy that are regarded within the OSCE as one of the three pillars of its comprehensive security concept, along with the politico-military and the economic and environmental dimensions.
Held in Warsaw every year in which the OSCE doesn't hold a full-fledged Review Conference, the HDIM is a forum where participating States discuss the implementation of human dimension commitments that were reached by consensus at prior OSCE Summits or Ministerial Meetings. These commitments are not legally binding norms and principles; instead, they are politically binding - a political promise to comply with the standards elaborated in OSCE documents. Follow-up meetings to review the implementation of the commitments contained in those documents is based on the principle that compliance with OSCE commitments is a subject of direct and legitimate concern for all OSCE participating States and is not shielded by the internal affairs of any particular state.
Organization
The two-week conference can be divided into three parts: Week 1, which reviews the progress made by participating States with respect to their human dimension commitments; Week 2, which provides a forum for participating States, OSCE institutions and field missions, other international organizations, and non-governmental organizations to discuss important thematic issues in a more forward-looking manner; and so-called side events, which are small meetings organized throughout the conference by any interested party on a particular topic.
Giving NGOs a seat at the table
An important feature of Human Dimension Implementation Meetings is that they are open to the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a feature the ODIHR emphasized in organizing the 2003 meeting, which was held between 6 and 17 October.
"This is the only such conference in Europe where representatives of civil society can sit with governments on an equal footing. More than 200 NGOs were represented, including many small national and even local ones," said Ambassador Christian Strohal, the ODIHR Director.
Stressing the importance of bringing governmental and non-governmental actors together, Ambassador Strohal said that civil society has an important function both in combating human rights violations and as a voice in the debate on such issues. "The decision to have NGOs contribute at this conference on an equal footing with government representatives turned out to enrich the debate and make the exchanges even more relevant and constructive. One should not overlook the energy with which civil society in our region pursues the cancerous weaknesses of our societies, reminding governmental bodies and institutions of their duties to ensure equality and do everything to stem new tides of chauvinism and xenophobia and eventually to eradicate these forms of discrimination."
The HDIM in 2003
This year's conference took place in the context of the OSCE's efforts to define new threats and challenges in the 21st century, as well as amid efforts to develop adequate responses. "The issues of anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia are a phenomenal challenge to our states. They go to the heart of how our societies function, addressing how we, as human beings, relate to one another in our actions and perceptions," said Ambassador Strohal.
The ODIHR Director also drew attention to many of the traditional subjects of concern in the OSCE's human dimension, calling on countries to implement ODIHR recommendations for meeting international standards for democratic elections and calling for participating States to make the eradication of torture a priority.
"For democracy to take root and [for] elections to be conducted freely and fairly, you need political will not only at the national level but at the level of the international community," Ambassador Strohal said in remarks to reporters following the conference.
He also noted that the OSCE will set up a new mechanism to combat trafficking in human beings and will take steps to raise the political profile of this issue."This is something that cannot be said too clearly: There is a market out there where you can buy and sell human beings. This is a modern form of slavery, and it is unacceptable."
Looking ahead
In the end, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting is an essential part of the OSCE; it's about reviewing the preceding year with an eye to the future, which is what the head of the U.S. delegation to the HDIM called "part of an essential continuum." In calling for efforts by participating States to follow up on their human dimension commitments, U.S. Ambassador Pamela Hyde Smith said, "The ball that was put in motion in 1975 [upon the creation of the OSCE's predecessor, the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Helsinki] must remain in motion with each generation in order for us to achieve success in the field of human rights."
The next step is Maastricht in December, where the recommendations made at the conference will be presented to the OSCE's Ministerial Council Meeting. Then, words will be put into action, as decisions made there will prepare the Organization's policy for the year to come.
For the uninitiated, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) can sound like a daunting event - deciphering its meaning requires insider knowledge of the workings of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the world's largest regional security organization.
In OSCE parlance, the term "human dimension" describes the set of norms and activities related to human rights and democracy that are regarded within the OSCE as one of the three pillars of its comprehensive security concept, along with the politico-military and the economic and environmental dimensions.
Held in Warsaw every year in which the OSCE doesn't hold a full-fledged Review Conference, the HDIM is a forum where participating States discuss the implementation of human dimension commitments that were reached by consensus at prior OSCE Summits or Ministerial Meetings. These commitments are not legally binding norms and principles; instead, they are politically binding - a political promise to comply with the standards elaborated in OSCE documents. Follow-up meetings to review the implementation of the commitments contained in those documents is based on the principle that compliance with OSCE commitments is a subject of direct and legitimate concern for all OSCE participating States and is not shielded by the internal affairs of any particular state.
Organization
The two-week conference can be divided into three parts: Week 1, which reviews the progress made by participating States with respect to their human dimension commitments; Week 2, which provides a forum for participating States, OSCE institutions and field missions, other international organizations, and non-governmental organizations to discuss important thematic issues in a more forward-looking manner; and so-called side events, which are small meetings organized throughout the conference by any interested party on a particular topic.
Giving NGOs a seat at the table
An important feature of Human Dimension Implementation Meetings is that they are open to the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a feature the ODIHR emphasized in organizing the 2003 meeting, which was held between 6 and 17 October.
"This is the only such conference in Europe where representatives of civil society can sit with governments on an equal footing. More than 200 NGOs were represented, including many small national and even local ones," said Ambassador Christian Strohal, the ODIHR Director.
Stressing the importance of bringing governmental and non-governmental actors together, Ambassador Strohal said that civil society has an important function both in combating human rights violations and as a voice in the debate on such issues. "The decision to have NGOs contribute at this conference on an equal footing with government representatives turned out to enrich the debate and make the exchanges even more relevant and constructive. One should not overlook the energy with which civil society in our region pursues the cancerous weaknesses of our societies, reminding governmental bodies and institutions of their duties to ensure equality and do everything to stem new tides of chauvinism and xenophobia and eventually to eradicate these forms of discrimination."
The HDIM in 2003
This year's conference took place in the context of the OSCE's efforts to define new threats and challenges in the 21st century, as well as amid efforts to develop adequate responses. "The issues of anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia are a phenomenal challenge to our states. They go to the heart of how our societies function, addressing how we, as human beings, relate to one another in our actions and perceptions," said Ambassador Strohal.
The ODIHR Director also drew attention to many of the traditional subjects of concern in the OSCE's human dimension, calling on countries to implement ODIHR recommendations for meeting international standards for democratic elections and calling for participating States to make the eradication of torture a priority.
"For democracy to take root and [for] elections to be conducted freely and fairly, you need political will not only at the national level but at the level of the international community," Ambassador Strohal said in remarks to reporters following the conference.
He also noted that the OSCE will set up a new mechanism to combat trafficking in human beings and will take steps to raise the political profile of this issue."This is something that cannot be said too clearly: There is a market out there where you can buy and sell human beings. This is a modern form of slavery, and it is unacceptable."
Looking ahead
In the end, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting is an essential part of the OSCE; it's about reviewing the preceding year with an eye to the future, which is what the head of the U.S. delegation to the HDIM called "part of an essential continuum." In calling for efforts by participating States to follow up on their human dimension commitments, U.S. Ambassador Pamela Hyde Smith said, "The ball that was put in motion in 1975 [upon the creation of the OSCE's predecessor, the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Helsinki] must remain in motion with each generation in order for us to achieve success in the field of human rights."
The next step is Maastricht in December, where the recommendations made at the conference will be presented to the OSCE's Ministerial Council Meeting. Then, words will be put into action, as decisions made there will prepare the Organization's policy for the year to come.