International Co-operation Council of Europe The ODIHR has a history of close working relations with a variety of bodies of the Council of Europe, involving regular information-sharing and co-ordination of activities. In the field of election observation, two Council bodies regularly participate in ODIHR election observation missions: the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. In addition, the ODIHR and the Council’s Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) have established a formal framework for reviewing election-related legislation. At the same time, joint reviews of legislation with the Venice Commission extend beyond the field of elections. The ODIHR and the Commission regularly review constitutional matters and other legislation in the area of the OSCE’s human dimension. For example, the two have reviewed legislation on freedom of assembly, and members of the Venice Commission have attended roundtables organized by the ODIHR aimed at preparing guidelines on legislation pertaining to freedom of assembly. The ODIHR has close working relations with three of the Council’s directorates-general: the Human Rights Directorate-General, which is involved in counter-terrorism activities and contributed to the establishment of an ODIHR Focal Point for Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions and in developing a programme that includes joint activities in this area; the Directorate-General on Education for Citizenship and Human Rights Education, which has agreed to work with the ODIHR on the development of a compendium of best practices in human rights and diversity education; and the Directorate-General on Legal Affairs, which is involved in issues related to counter-terrorism and gender equality. Cooperation in the sphere of counter-terrorism involves keeping the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on Terrorism abreast of OSCE activities and co-ordinating work, especially with respect to victims of terrorism. ODIHR 92 Annual Report  staff also regularly attend meetings organized by the Sub-Committee on Human Rights in the Fight against Terrorism. The ODIHR and the Council of Europe have established an informal framework for the coordination of future activities on issues related to gender equality and women’s participation in democratic processes and have also established channels for regular exchanges of information. The ODIHR has been granted formal observer status at the proceedings of the Steering Committee for Equality between Women and Men. In this capacity, the ODIHR took part in the 36th meeting of the Committee in November. Observer status enables the two organizations to exchange information and ideas about relevant activities, thus ensuring a complementary approach and avoiding the duplication of work. The ODIHR also co-operates with the Directorate on Legal Affairs and the Gender Equality Division, where information is exchanged and joint or parallel reviews are drafted on legislation regarding matters of common interest. In the field of democratic governance, the ODIHR is an active participant in the Council’s Forum for the Future of Democracy, which was most recently held in Moscow in October. The ODIHR also attended, for the second time, the Ad Hoc Committee on E-democracy as an observer. The ODIHR is also invited as an observer to meetings of the Steering Committee on Local and Regional Democracy and works closely with the Directorate of Co-operation for Local and Regional Democracy in implementing the OSCE-Council of Europe Co-operation Agreement on Local Government Assistance in South-East Europe. In the implementation of its Criminal-Justice Reform and Fair Trials programmes, the ODIHR regularly consults and co-ordinates its activities with the relevant bodies of the Council of Europe. This long-standing co-operation has been tested over the years in a broad range of areas from support to national human rights institutions and penal-policy reform to issues such as reform of the defence bar, access to jus-