24  •  Democratization “ By drawing on ODIHR’s expertise on identity management and population registration, Ukraine developed a secure identity management system, as well as the procedures to enable its citizens visa-free travel to the Schengen Area.” Meri Akopyan, Head of the International Department of the Ministry of Interior Affairs of Ukraine live abroad are often pre-requisites for the exercise of many fundamental rights, such as the right to education, the right to work and the right to family life. Freedom of Movement ODIHR provides support to OSCE participating States in conducting reforms that would simplify visa requirements for their citizens when traveling abroad. Support is also provided to ensure protection of the right to freedom of movement, including access to civil rights and services by reforming residency and civil registration systems. In 2015, ODIHR helped strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian authorities to implement reform of identity management processes in the issuance of travel and identification documents, in support of the agreement between Ukraine and the European Commission. ODIHR worked closely with the State Migration Service within Ukraine’s Interior Ministry to align the issuance of Ukrainian travel documents with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization and required by the European Union for visa liberalization. On 10 and 11 June, to promote freer and broader cross-border mobility, ODIHR assisted visa policy experts from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, ­Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan in addressing legal and practical requirements for the introduction of electronic entry visas, as well as the use of online technologies for visa facilitation. ODIHR also supported civil registration authorities from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan to improve their citizens’ access to civil and political rights by implementing relevant United Nations standards on civil registration. These standards were presented and discussed at a regional conference organized by the UN Statistical Division, ODIHR, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific, the World Health Organization and TurkStat, in Istanbul from 15 to 18 September. Andrey Butsman, National Programme Officer at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek (l), and Shorena Zakariadze, Specialist at the NATO Integration Division of International Relations and Euro-Atlantic Integration Department, discuss effective political reporting and briefing at ODIHR’s policy advisers’ training event in Budapest on 12 November 2015. (OSCE/Jacopo Leone)