Democratization in its work on promoting multi-party democracy, the ODIHR assists parties in the development and clarification of their platforms so as to make clear to the public what ideas and values they represent. Thematic Areas of Work k Rule of law: The ODIHR is engaged in a broad range of technical-assistance projects designed to foster the rule of law. Through its programmes in the areas of criminal-justice reform and fair trials, the ODIHR provides practical assistance and training to lawyers, judges, prosecutors, and government officials, as well as to civil society. k Democratic governance: The ODIHR takes a comprehensive approach to strengthening democratic practices, targeting both government institutions and civil society. The Office’s strategy is to work with institutions of governance, political parties, and parliaments, as well as to assist civil society in making contributions to policy-making. The ODIHR also encourages transparent and inclusive legislative processes that enable all relevant stakeholders to provide input. k Gender equality: To promote gender equality, the ODIHR carries out targeted programmes and, at the same time, integrates gender aspects into all its work. Current programmes concentrate on three key areas: developing women’s leadership and increasing the role of women in decision-making; fostering government/civil society co-operation to promote gender equality; and building local gender expertise and networks. Lesson No. 1: Frame activities with a clear conception of the ODIHR’s added value Keeping in mind the financial and personnel limitations of ODIHR contributions, its democratization assistance should aim to support the development of the institutional order of participating States rather than providing material aid. Lesson No. 2: The OSCE is about co-operation: programmes should promote co-operative approaches The way the ODIHR plans and carries out programmes respects the OSCE’s co-operative spirit. Sustainable democratization support cannot be built on simple transfer of knowledge, and no programme can be sustainable without a local partner. Instead, the ODIHR provides most value where it attempts to link existing expertise or integrates the developing expertise of transitional democracies into its own strategies and activities. Lesson No. 3: Assess and create knowledge The“problem of knowledge”is recognized in the analytic community to be at the heart of much wasted energy in democratization support, where standard approaches are applied without deeper knowledge of the political, historical, and cultural context. Programme justification sometimes relies on general assumptions – e.g.,“civil society is weak”– without deeper analysis. In this case, some further questions to be addressed are: Why is it considered weak? Which definition of civil society is employed? Is there empirical data available to underpin the assumption? The ODIHR has the advantage of being able to rely, in most countries where it has project activities, on the advice of OSCE field operations. This is sought from the outset, and complemented by input from other international organizations on the ground. Should available information on the institutional situation prove insufficient, it is recommended to start programming with an analytical phase, such as carrying out a study, possibly together with a local institution (e.g., a think tank, university, or NGO). Lesson No. 4: Process is as important as results Democracy is to a large extent concerned with proper process: that is to say, a process that is inclusive, transparent, well-informed, and sustained. Support for democratic institutions should likewise be concerned with process. Though it is easier to present donors with tangible results – a law changed, an institution created – the real benefit may lie in the process by which support was provided. If, for example, countrywide consultations are held before the creation of a new institution, local partners may learn more about democracy than they would from any general training. Lesson No. 5: Democracy support should be inclusive The international aid community risks achieving no results, or even being counterproductive, when it imposes specific preconceived solutions. Even if such solutions have worked elsewhere, they may not work because of a lack of domestic support. Thus, when embarking on activities, specific attention should be paid to consulting governments, parliaments, local government units or their representatives, and possibly political parties on their intentions and priorities. The involvement of these stakeholders also needs to be maintained throughout the programme cycle. This helps to build long-term support. 22 Annual Report 