ODIHR Director Janez Lenarcˇicˇ listens to Cheryl A. Thomas, Women’s Programme Director of Advocates for Human Rights, USA delivering the keynote address at a meeting on combating violence against women, Vienna, 5 November. (OSCE/ Sarah Crozier) 37 tims and human rights issues in the return of trafficking victims to countries of origin. Human Rights, Women and Security The different ways in which men and women perceive threats to their security become particularly relevant within the context of conflict, whether in the initial stages or during reconstruction efforts. In order to respond to these different needs, it is important that policies, programmes and action plans be gendermainstreamed. Furthermore, men and women must participate in balanced numbers in order for them to be able to contribute equally to maintaining security. On the international level, such standards have been confirmed through a number of United Nations Security Council Resolutions and OSCE commitments. By adopting OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 14/05, “Women in Conflict Prevention, Crisis Management and Post-Conflict Rehabilitation”, the OSCE underscored UNSCR 1325, and made concrete recommendations to participating States to help with its implementation. Furthermore, the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality reiterates the participating States’ commitments vis-à-vis UNSCR 1325. ODIHR continued to support the national-level implementation of UNSCR 1325. In 2009, it undertook initiatives to support women police officers and to integrate a gender perspective into the armed forces and national security policy. These efforts build on the recommendations made in the Gender and Security ODIHR Annual Report 2009 Sector Reform Toolkit – a joint initiative of ODIHR, DCAF and the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN-INSTRAW). To support the integration of a gender perspective into conflict prevention, ODIHR also published a policy brief on gender and conflict early warning systems. The text presents an overview of how mainstreaming gender in early warning systems can make them more rights-based and equitable and, potentially, improve their efficiency. Enhancing ODIHR’s Field-Monitoring Capacity ODIHR developed a training programme to reinforce its capacity to conduct human rights monitoring and reporting in the field. The programme includes training for ODIHR staff on interviewing techniques and the monitoring of assemblies. Human Rights