OSCE conference on human rights and democracy opens in Warsaw

WARSAW, 19 September 2005 - The implementation of the OSCE's founding document, the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, as well as other commitments made since then are on the agenda of Europe's largest human rights and democracy conference, which opened today in Warsaw.

The event brought together over 800 participants from the OSCE region.

Ambassador Christian Strohal, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human rights (ODIHR), which is hosting the meeting, said: "Thirty years ago, the Final Act was concluded in a situation characterized by opposing blocs, and no one in East or West could have foreseen the effect the Helsinki Accord would eventually have."

"It took courage and determination, defying oppression and intimidation to hold governments accountable, and to take them at their word. Thirty years later, former opponents have become partners or even allies," he added.

"This meeting not only helps to discuss in a frank and open way the achievements and failures, but also to work more closely to identify ways and means to provide better human security for everyone in the OSCE region."

OSCE/ODIHR has published a compilation of all the OSCE commitments in the field of human rights, rule of law and democracy, which forms part of the human dimension of security.

Now in its second edition, the compilation fills two volumes of commitments from the Helsinki Act in 1975 to the statement of the Sofia Ministerial Council in 2004.

"These commitments need to be continually reviewed, every day," said Ambassador Strohal.

Dr. Piotr Switalski, Polish Undersecretary of State, supported the ODIHR statement by saying: "It is not true that there are countries, places and societies in the OSCE area immune, by their nature, to the values and standards of democracy, rule of law and human rights."

It was particularly worrisome, he said, that in some countries democracy and the freedom of speech were seen as a catalyst of instability and chaos. "Equating democracy with anarchy is a dead-ended policy."