DEMOCRATIZATION A participant practices her skills in trial advocacy during a mock war crimes trial organized as part of a training session to build the capacity of legal practitioners in Bosnia and Herzegovina working on war crimes justice, Sarajevo, 31 May 2013. (OSCE/Zoran Kanlić) MAIN ISSUES that their lawmaking processes meet OSCE commitments on transparency and inclusiveness. Rule of Law and Legal Reform Justice systems in all OSCE participating States can benefit from assistance in meeting relevant international standards and OSCE commitments. ODIHR’s rule of law activities include strengthening independent judiciaries, monitoring trials — including in administrative justice — and promoting access to justice, particularly the provision of effective and free legal assistance, as well as the effective functioning of criminal justice systems. As part of its efforts to assist states in ensuring that their legislation is in line with international human rights standards and OSCE commitments, ODIHR, on request, reviews draft and existing legislation and makes recommendations on how to enhance compliance with OSCE commitments and key international human rights treaties and documents. ODIHR also makes democratic lawmaking assessments in participating States with a view to ensuring Democratic Governance All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to ensuring inclusive, pluralistic and accountable democratic institutions that support the broad participation of all citizens, including women, minorities and youth. To help participating States meet these commitments, in 2013 ODIHR continued its innovative democratic governance programmes to strengthen parliaments, with a specific focus on assisting states in developing parliamentary codes of conduct, providing expertise on political party regulation, and supporting the development of multiparty political landscapes. 22  /   ODIHR Annual Report 2013