Human Rights and Anti-Terrorism Human Rights and the Armed Forces The OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security is especially relevant when it comes to counter-terrorism. Without respect for human rights, measures taken to combat and prevent terrorism will not be successful. Strategies that do not respect human rights violate participating States’ international commitments and can be counter-productive, fuelling terrorist recruitment, feeding cycles of grievances and rupturing relations between the state and communities. In order to achieve long-term security and to effectively combat terrorism, participating States must take a comprehensive approach that reflects the value and necessity of protecting human rights. ODIHR continues to offer OSCE-wide and nationallevel projects to assist participating States in understanding the impact of their approaches and to build capacity through the delivery of technical assistance. In 2009, ODIHR participated in five UN Office on Drugs and Crime workshops on international legal co-operation in combating terrorism, and developed, organized and implemented events in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Activities aimed at understanding the impact of different counter-terrorism approaches and addressing a gap in understanding the factors involved in radicalization leading to terrorism continued throughout the year. The Roundtable on Understanding Violent Extremism and Radicalization Leading to Terrorism organized by ODIHR and the OSCE Office in Tajikistan for law enforcement and security officers provided a forum for an exchange of experiences between Tajik officers and international bodies, including representatives of the OHCHR and the OSCE’s Action against Terrorism Unit. Building on this platform, ODIHR and the OSCE Office in Tajikistan organized an intensive training session for instructors for law enforcement and security officers on countering terrorism while protecting human rights. The training constituted the first step in working towards integrating a similar course into the regular curriculum of the Academy of the Interior Ministry. ODIHR also continued its work with civil society on the prevention of terrorism. ODIHR and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek co-organized a workshop aimed at developing civil society and NGO approaches to counter-terrorism and violent extremism in Kyrgyzstan. Representatives of the regional office of the OHCHR and the OSCE’s Action against Terrorism Unit were also in attendance. The aim of the event, held on 7 and 8 December, was to enable attendees to develop their capacity to engage as partners with the authorities on counter-terrorism approaches and issues. Finally, the ODIHR practitioner’s manual, Countering Terrorism, Protecting Human Rights, published in Russian in 2009, was a key resource for all relevant ODIHR events. Following the launch, in 2008, of the Handbook on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Armed Forces Personnel, published jointly with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), ODIHR and DCAF continued to organize events to publicize and discuss the Handbook and its recommendations. In April, a discussion was organized by ODIHR and the OSCE Office in Yerevan with senior representatives of the Armenian Ministry of Defence and the parliament, the ombudsman and civil society. Among its other pledges, the Government agreed to revitalize NGO oversight over the security sector and to set up a training programme on human rights for Armenian armed forces personnel. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, an open and wide-ranging discussion was organized by ODIHR, DCAF, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee. Participants agreed to increase efforts to ensure gender equality in the armed forces and on the need to look again at existing legislation on freedom of association, which is currently restricted for armed forces personnel. With support from the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, local-language versions of the Handbook were produced for this event. Similar events are to be held in other participating States in 2010. In July, ODIHR helped the Georgian chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-operation organize the presentation “Women and the Armed Forces: Recruitment, Retention and Promotion”. Speakers from the Swedish armed forces and the Spanish Ministry of Defence highlighted the utility of opening up all positions in the armed forces to women and actively promoting their participation. ODIHR Annual Report 2009 35 Anti-Trafficking ODIHR continued to focus on improving the identification of and assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings, with special attention being paid to victims of labour exploitation. In particular, the Office’s activities were designed to support trafficked persons in accessing justice and their rights, including the right to compensation. In 2009, ODIHR worked to raise awareness of the need for human rights safeguards in the return of trafficking victims to countries of origin, an issue of growing concern in the OSCE region. As a follow-up to research it conducted on National Referral Mechanisms in Turkey and the United Kingdom, ODIHR organized national workshops for government and civil society representatives in London, in January, and in Ankara, in May, to present the findings of its assessments and discuss the continuing challenges in supporting rights-based approaches to trafficking and assisting victims of trafficking. Human Rights