Denis Petit, Deputy Head of ODIHR’s Democratization Department (right), addresses a Regional Roundtable on Freedom of Association in Central Asia, Bishkek, 21 October. (OSCE/Malik Alymkuloff) 25 on existing practices from across the OSCE region, but they do not establish any sort of normative framework. In 2009, ODIHR and the Venice Commission began work on a revised edition of their Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, in order to take into account new developments, in particular, recent case law of the European Court of Human Rights. This is a reflection of the fact that legislative guidelines are evolving documents that can be revised and updated to take into account the most recent experiences of participating States. In addition, ODIHR began work on a new set of guidelines for legislation pertaining to political parties (see “Democratic governance and participation in public affairs” below). Once completed, these guidelines will be useful for legislators engaged in framing new legislation or amending existing laws, as well as for those overseeing the implementation of such legislation. In preparing these guidelines, ODIHR is taking the same broad and participatory approach that was used for the development of its guidelines on freedom of assembly. As such, consultations are being held with an array of stakeholders in order to take into account a range of perspectives that is as diverse as possible. The guidelines will be prepared in co-ordination with the Venice Commission, which has provided advice on issues related to legislation pertaining to political parties. The guidelines will also build on ODIHR’s experience in the area of democratic governance, particularly its activities supporting political pluralism and increased women’s participation in public affairs. ODIHR Annual Report 2009 Access to law ODIHR’s legislative database, www.legislationline.org, provides online access to a thematically structured compilation of international standards related to the OSCE’s human dimension, as well as to selected pieces of relevant domestic legislation in both English and Russian. In 2009, the database was expanded to include a section on lawmaking and a blog on legislation related to political parties. This blog provides a platform by which experts and others interested in legislation pertaining to political parties in OSCE participating States can exchange information. Users can upload relevant information, news and documents, and also stay informed about progress on the guidelines. Democratic Governance and Participation in Public Affairs This area of ODIHR’s work is mainly concerned with two issues: the development of strong democratic institutions and gender equality, especially regarding women’s participation in democratic processes. As mentioned above, strong democratic institutions and a strong democratic culture are prerequisites for true democracy. Where these are lacking, the momentum for further democratization is lost, and participating Democratization