Celebrating 20 years of ODIHR

In 2011, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Created by the 1990 Charter of Paris, the then-Office for Free Elections began its work in Warsaw in the spring of 1991. Initially, the office was tasked with facilitating the exchange of information on elections.

Against the backdrop of the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, and the violence that accompanied some parts of those processes, the office’s mandate was soon broadened to include all issues related to the “human dimension” of the OSCE’s comprehensive security concept: human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Its main task was to assist the new democracies that emerged after the end of the Cold War in their transition processes. To reflect its new mandate, the name of the office was changed to what it is now in 1992.

The choice of Warsaw as ODIHR’s seat was no coincidence: it meant an acknowledgement of the role Poland played in ending Communist one-party rule in Central and Eastern Europe.

Milestones in ODIHR’s development

From modest beginnings – the office initially only had two international staff – ODIHR quickly developed into the region’s leading institution for election observation and an important provider of human rights and democracy assistance to governments and civil society.

ODIHR’s early experiences with observing elections, an almost entirely new field at the time, led to the development of one of the first comprehensive election observation methodologies, published in 1996 at the request of the OSCE’s participating States.

In the late 1990s, ODIHR was restructured, and its initial focus on elections and holding conferences on various human rights and democratization issues was expanded to include assistance projects in areas such as promoting the rule of law, strengthening civil society, preventing torture, and combating trafficking in human beings.

In 1999, ODIHR appointed the first full-time international official to work solely on Roma issues. This was part of a significant strengthening of the ODIHR Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues, which, ever since, has been at the forefront of international efforts to promote the integration of Roma and Sinti in Europe.

The expansion of ODIHR’s activities was accompanied by an increase in staff. When ODIHR celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2001, the number of staff was approaching 100.

The first years of the new decade saw new additions to ODIHR’s portfolio. Increased international attention to counter-terrorism in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attack, for example, led to the creation of a programme on ensuring compliance with human rights standards while combating terrorism.

Also, the growing recognition of the security risks emanating from hate crimes and other forms of intolerance towards minority groups allowed ODIHR to set up a large new programme aimed at assisting states in their efforts to combat manifestations of hate in society.

In tackling emerging region-wide challenges such as terrorism, intolerance, and human trafficking, ODIHR gradually expanded its geographic reach to countries with longer democratic traditions in Western Europe and North America. A growing recognition of the fact that electoral shortcomings are not limited to countries in transition, exemplified by the contested presidential election in the United States in 2000, prompted ODIHR to begin sending observers to longstanding democracies. Consequently, ODIHR has by now assessed elections in 52 of the 56 participating States.        

By the mid-2000s, with the political space for human rights and democracy assistance shrinking in some parts of the OSCE region, ODIHR entered a phase of consolidation of existing programmes. The Office’s ongoing work in the field and the expertise assembled over the years provided the basis for the development of a number of handbooks and guidelines. They are designed for governments, lawmakers, and civil society engaged in advancing reforms in areas such as protecting victims of trafficking, ensuring freedom of assembly, promoting human rights in the armed forces, and developing legislation on hate crimes or political parties.

What next for ODIHR?

In the year of its 20th anniversary, ODIHR is a mature and well-respected institution with more than 140 staff from over 30 countries, a budget of 15.8 million euros, and activities across the entire OSCE region. Its growth over recent years has meant that ODIHR’s offices are no longer sufficient. As a result, ODIHR moved to new premises in Warsaw’s Old Town in March 2011.

Looking ahead, ODIHR faces a number of challenges. There remains a significant gap between the commitments participating States have agreed to and the reality in a number of countries. In some cases, this gap is even widening.  

ODIHR will continue to use and develop the tools it has at its disposal to monitor, report, and provide assistance to participating States – in the fields of election observation, democratization assistance, or human rights protection. It will continue to build trust with governments in all parts of the region. And the Office will continue to work with non-governmental organizations and civil society. The commitments negotiated and agreed by all 56 participating States remain the sole basis for ODIHR’s activities.

Ultimately, the Office can only be as effective as the participating States allow it to be. At the Astana Summit in December 2010, the heads of state and government of the OSCE participating States reconfirmed in strong terms their promise to implement all OSCE commitments, including those relating to human rights and democracy.

Entering the third decade of its existence, ODIHR is well-equipped to assist the participating States in this endeavour.

ODIHR Directors

Janez Lenarčič (Slovenia): 2008 -

Christian Strohal (Austria): 2003-2008

Gérard Stoudmann (Switzerland): 1997-2002

Audrey Glover (United Kingdom): 1994-1997