News

Mr. Sikorski,
Mr. Lenarcic,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we celebrate twenty years of ODIHR.  Twenty years of unique, dedicated efforts to promote, in practical terms, the core goals and aims of the OSCE: human rights, democratization, good governance and rule of law, tolerance, trafficking prevention, fair, free and credible elections. The ODIHR continues to monitor the areas of freedom of assembly and association, the right to a fair trial.

We also celebrate, and give our deepest thanks to the highly dedicated women and men who bring expertise to those seeking and desiring to build their countries into examples of nations in service of the people.  May I also applaud former Directors Luchino Cortese, Audrey Glover, Gérard Stoudmann, Christian Strohal, and the current Director of the Office Janez Lenarčič. It is only due to their inspiring and dedicated leadership that ODIHR has been able to bring about steady and laudable progress toward the ideals of the Helsinki Final Act.  I also extend appreciation to the Government of Poland which extended its hospitality and provided the Office with these wonderful new premises.

This Office came to being in an era of monumental change in Europe. The events of 1989 and 1990 led the leaders of the then Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe to declare “a new era of democracy, peace and unity” in the historic Charter of Paris for a New Europe. It was then that participating States began the complex process to “build, consolidate and strengthen democracy as the only system of government of our nations.”

The OSCE – and ODIHR – are for us is a symbol of both virtuous continuity and responsible change.

Today it is appropriate that we look back at that extraordinary period of our history and consider what our most profound expectations have been achieved, and what further work still lies ahead.

Even though Europe’s face has been genuinely transformed during these last two decades, many of the challenges that we faced then still remain to be addressed today.  Our commitments from the Helsinki Final Act to the Astana Declaration last year are relevant today and will remain so in the future.  Because true security demands are not only security among States, but democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms for individuals within states.  

As we look ahead over the next twenty years ODIHR has a leading role to play.

ODIHR, along with High Commissioner for National Minorities and Representative for Freedom of Media, remains the guardian of multilateral partnership, concentrating its efforts on practical work on the ground.

As we consider not just the future of our own OSCE region, but also the future of our partner states, and even beyond, we are pleased, though humble, to offer our expertise acquired during the years to reach beyond our borders our partner countries as well.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Speaking on behalf of the Chairman in Office, my sincere best wishes to ODIHR and the dedicated human beings who have offered their best in pursuit of this organization’s honorable endeavors.  The process of building a transparent, rule of law based democratic society takes time.  Much more time than we would like to recognize or to accept.   The results of our cooperation show that we are on the right track.

In our efforts, we are supported by the right institutions, especially ODIHR, to continue making  progress toward comprehensive, co-operative, equal and indivisible security, the maintenance of peace,  the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and peaceful inter-State relations.