Four college students take part in an ODIHR training session on women's rights and participation in decision-making that was held in the Armavir Marz region of Armenia in April. Gender Equality Full and true equality between women and men is recog- This has been felt most acutely in so-called transition coun- nized as essential to achieve security, prosperity, and sustain- tries, where the overall decline in the status of women is able democracy in the OSCE area and as an integral part of compounded by conditions in which political participation the OSCE’s comprehensive security concept. In this respect, by women is decreasing, economic conditions are deterio- the ODIHR treats the promotion of gender equality as not rating, unemployment is growing, and an increasingly larger just an instrument to combat discrimination but also as proportion of the population is living below the poverty line. means for ensuring democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights. The ODIHR Gender Unit, in line with OSCE Effectively tackling these issues remains a challenge for the commitments, works to promote equality between women OSCE; the ODIHR’s role is to assist participating States in and men, to advance the human rights of women, and to their efforts to diminish this gap and ensure that gender further the active participation of women in society, as well equality is achieved in law and in reality. as the equal status and contribution of women to democratic processes in the OSCE region. The main issues Over the past decade, the world has seen much progress in setting standards and passing laws regarding equality be-
Women's rights: Because many people throughout the tween the sexes. While the importance of these advances OSCE region are not aware of their rights, they do not claim should not be overlooked, the de facto status of women those rights. This is especially the case with women, who throughout the OSCE region has not sufficiently improved to often do not have the same access to education as men do. the point of achieving parity with men. In fact, the gap be- Moreover, many government structures are not effective in tween legal equality and actual equality is widening. protecting and promoting citizens' rights. 28