HUMAN RIGHTS This instrument provides for the establishment of a national preventive mechanism for the prevention of torture. ACTIVITIES Human Rights Monitoring and Response In May, ODIHR started its second cycle of monitoring of public assemblies in OSCE participating States. Monitoring was conducted in three participating States: Greece, Montenegro and Portugal. The second cycle will continue into 2014, to be followed by the release of a report identifying the main challenges as well as good practices observed, and providing recommendations for the participating States to promote full compliance with relevant OSCE human dimension commitments. In July, ODIHR hosted an expert roundtable meeting to discuss existing legislative approaches and practices affecting the work and funding of NGOs in a number of OSCE participating States. The event, which featured a panel of experts including policymakers and civil society representatives from three OSCE participating States, provided a forum for constructive debate and open discussion, as well as for the formulation of recommendations on strengthening the implementation of human dimension commitments in this area. ODIHR continued to monitor the status of the death penalty in the OSCE area and published The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area: Background Paper 2013. The publication is compiled annually to facilitate the exchange of information among participating States on the use of capital punishment. The Office continued to provide support to national human rights institutions. In November, ODIHR hosted the first strategic planning meeting of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions. Participants agreed a strategic plan, which will inform the future action of the network at the regional level. ODIHR also delivered capacity-building activities for the Office of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, focusing on women’s rights and gender equality (June), and for the National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia, focusing on women’s rights, gender equality and human rights monitoring (October). ODIHR worked to strengthen the capacity of the police in OSCE participating States to facilitate assemblies in line with human rights standards. In co-operation with the OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit (SPMU) of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), ODIHR began the development of a human rights training guide to the policing of assemblies, which will consist of a handbook and a training manual. The tool, intended for law enforcement officials in command positions and police trainers, will outline key principles and practical steps for the facilitation of assemblies in line with human rights standards. The policing of assemblies was also the main focus of a roundtable meeting in Vienna in July, organized jointly with TNTD/SPMU. The event brought together police officers from Croatia, Italy, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine, the United Kingdom Human Rights Education and Capacity Building In September, ODIHR presented two new sets of guidelines on human rights education: Guidelines on human rights education for health workers and Guidelines on human rights education for human rights activists. The documents aim to promote human rights education for the two target groups, who play an important role in promoting and ensuring respect for human rights. ODIHR presented its Guidelines on human rights education for health workers at the International Conference on Human Rights Education and Training for Civil and Public Service in December in Dublin. 44  /   ODIHR Annual Report 2013