Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2009

"The OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting brings together hundreds of government representatives, experts and human rights defenders to review progress made by OSCE participating States in implementing their commitments in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The meeting is the largest yearly human rights gathering in Europe. Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, we continue to face challenges to human rights and democracy in the OSCE region - Europe, Central Asia and North America. I believe this year's meeting can make an important contribution to taking stock as to where we stand in putting commitments into practice, identifying areas that need further improvement and engaging in dialogue on how best this can be done. Civil society will play an important role in this endeavour - in the spirit of the Helsinki movement, civil society groups have full access to the meeting and can discuss issues with government representatives on an equal footing."

Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, ODIHR Director