2. OSCE field operation activity: combating and preventing torture and ill-treatment 2.1 Overview of OSCE field operations The OSCE has 18 field operations spread throughout South-Eastern and Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia, the majority of which were established during the 1990s. The sizes of the field operations differ substantially, ranging from 13 staff (five international and eight national) at the OSCE Office in Minsk, to 926 staff (262 international and 664 national) at the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. 15 Likewise, the mandates of the field operations vary, although most incorporate monitoring or assisting with the implementation of OSCE commitments. In some cases (in Serbia and Albania, for example) there is a more specific mandate to assist in areas directly related to the prevention of torture, such as in rebuilding the legal system, developing and training of the judiciary and/or police forces, or developing Ombudsman offices. The mandates of other field operations may put more emphasis on other issues, such as, for example, conflict resolution or border monitoring. Therefore, the resources and focus of field operations – in addition to such countryspecific factors as the stage of democratic development, the political climate and whether relevant international instruments have been ratified – will affect the level of engagement of OSCE field operations with the respective governments. This bears directly on the potential effectiveness of any anti-torture activities. 2.2 OSCE field operations and international commitments With regard to the international legal instruments focusing specifically on torture, all of the host countries for OSCE field operations are States Parties to the UNCAT, and the majority to the ECPT as well (with the exception of those that are not members of the Council of Europe). A full table of signature and ratification of the UNCAT and OPCAT can be found in Annex II. The Council of Europe’s influence in the largest part of the region covered in this publication and the monitoring regime of the ECPT have undoubtedly added momentum to torture-prevention work. Most OSCE field operations have been contacted regularly by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment – often in connection with visits over a period of several years – and have provided oral and sometimes written information, in addition to assisting in the implementation of the Committee’s recommendations. Ongoing reforms might also be linked to consideration for eventual EU membership, with several countries in the region at different stages in this process. 15 “Survey of OSCE Field Operations”, OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, 2008, OSCE website, <http://www.osce.org/documents/cpc/2008/10/3242_en.pdf>. 13