Gap between human rights defenders and governments must be closed, top OSCE official says

WARSAW, 13 October 2006 - The OSCE and its 56 participating States need to act to close the "widening gap between human rights defenders and governmental authorities," the Director of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Ambassador Christian Strohal, said today.

Ambassador Strohal spoke at the closing of a two-week meeting scrutinizing how OSCE countries are implementing their human-rights-related commitments. Rejecting suggestions that the OSCE focuses too much on human rights, he called on participating States to pay more attention to such issues.

"The human dimension needs to be given more, and not less, attention. Participating States need to focus more, and not less, on implementation deficiencies," he said. "Our community of values needs to be reinforced and affirmed, not weakened. Citizens must have a greater, not a smaller, share in the realization of the wide-ranging promises that constitute the OSCE acquis."

Ambassador Frank Geerkens, representing the Belgian Chairman-in-Office, echoed this sentiment: "Work in the human dimension is never over. This meeting reminds us that implementation is never perfect, never complete. Implementing our commitments is a continuous task that requires constant attention and active engagement on a daily basis."

Ambassador Strohal noted that the meeting is unique in that it brings together governments and non-governmental organizations.

"Whereas the decision-making bodies of the Organization are not open to the public, it is the presence of civil society and their participation on an equal footing that makes this meeting special," he said.

The meeting was the 11th of its kind, and this year was the first time the number of participants exceeded 1,000, including representatives from 324 non-governmental organizations.