ODIHR Director Janez Lenarcˇicˇ observes the Bulgarian parliamentary elections in a polling station in Dupnica, 5 July. (OSCE/Jens Eschenbaecher) ODIHR, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and other project partners will now focus on transferring knowledge and expertise from the Tribunal to national jurisdictions. ODIHR experts completed extensive monitoring of trials held following the March 2008 post-election violence in Armenia. The report emanating from this exercise is expected to serve as a basis for further work with the authorities on addressing shortcomings in Armenia’s justice system. In the field of human rights, ODIHR provided assistance on a wide range of issues, ranging from support for human rights defenders to helping national authorities enhance their capacities to identify and assist victims of trafficking in human beings. Following a tasking by the OSCE Ministerial Council, ODIHR in 2009 published a major compilation of good practices in human rights education. The compendium, developed with the United Nations and the Council of Europe, contains 101 exemplary practices from over 30 participating States that can serve as models in countries wishing to step up human rights education. With regard to tolerance and non-discrimination, ODIHR’s annual hate crimes report again documented numerous instances of hate-related violence, including murders. The report also stressed that the full extent of hate crimes remains obscured by a lack of reliable data. Increasing the availability and quality of information on hate crimes, therefore, has again been one of ODIHR’s priorities in 2009. Other priorities have included activities aimed at addressing limitations to freedom of religion or belief and challenging biases and prejudices through education. Throughout the year, ODIHR worked closely with the three personal representatives of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on promoting tolerance. Responding to an increase in violence against Roma and Sinti, ODIHR’s Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues stepped up its monitoring activities and provided advice to national authorities, as stipulated by the ODIHR Annual Report 2009 OSCE Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE region. In 2009, the Contact Point conducted a field visit to Hungary and published a report on a similar visit to Italy that took place the year before. As tasked by the OSCE Ministerial Council, ODIHR also increased its efforts to promote early education for Roma and Sinti as a means to break the cycle of social exclusion and discrimination these communities face in many OSCE participating States. The 2009 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), the OSCE’s annual human rights and democracy gathering, organized by ODIHR, again attracted about 1,000 participants from across the OSCE region. The wide participation in the HDIM — Europe’s largest human rights conference — proved that the meeting continues to be an important forum for states and civil society to review the implementation of human dimension commitments. In conclusion, I believe the continuously increasing demand for ODIHR’s expertise and assistance throughout the year demonstrates that the Office is on the right track. Participating States from across all parts of the OSCE region were engaged with our experts in finding solutions to challenges, both old and new, in the human dimension. It is this spirit of trust and co-operation that is at the heart of the OSCE’s comprehensive security concept and a precondition for the success of our work. ODIHR is grateful to participating States for their support and co-operation during 2009 and is looking forward to working closely with governments and civil society in the OSCE region to address the challenges lying ahead. 5 Ambassador Janez Lenarčič Director, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Overview