Democratization: Legislative Support k Inefficient and non-transparent legislative pro- cesses: In many countries, there is insufficient awareness of the need to manage the legislative process in its entirety, as opposed to relying on fragmented rules and inadequately co-ordinated procedures. Often, laws are adopted without the involvement of those who will eventually be affected by the legislation. Or a law will be hastily adopted without first being evaluated at the drafting stage. More often than not, the result is ineffective legislation that fails to fulfil the purpose for which it was adopted and that, furthermore, necessitates frequent revisions that could put public confidence at risk. Activities In 2006, the ODIHR’s activities focused on the following areas: k Strengthening capacity for legislative reform; k Improving legislative efficiency and transparency; and k Improving www.legislationline.org. Members of ODIHR’s expert panel on freedom of assembly discuss draft legislative guidelines at a roundtable, LIZA ZHUMAKHMETOVA Almaty, 11 September. 48 Annual Report  I. Strengthening capacity for legislative reform Legislative reform is high on domestic agendas throughout the OSCE region. Whether inspired by a need to meet international standards or as a reaction to emerging domestic or international issues and challenges, existing laws are continually being assessed, reviewed, and revised, and new laws are being drafted and adopted. In many cases, however, the structures or procedures needed to produce effective legislation do not evolve in a commensurate manner. Where one process might lack the technical expertise needed to draft legislation on a particular topic, another might fail to include civil society in the drafting process. Upon request, the ODIHR lends assistance to states to make up part of this capacity gap. This primarily consists of providing legal expertise to assess compliance with relevant standards, making recommendations to improve draft legislation, and sharing good practices that may help law drafters explore options other than those originally considered. In terms of sharing