Good laws should be fair, clear, easy to understand and applied equally. They should protect rights, reflect diversity, avoid discrimination and work in practice.
At the request of OSCE participating States, we review draft or existing laws to ensure alignment with international standards and OSCE human dimension commitments. ODIHR also looks at how laws are made and applied: from the initial concept, through the drafting process, to how they work in practice. Our legal reviews and lawmaking assessments flag issues, share examples of what works elsewhere and suggest steps for improvement.
ODIHR also develops legislative guidelines – often with the Venice Commission – that offer comprehensive advice to lawmakers on how to legislate on matters such as fundamental freedoms, political parties and elections.
