In 2003, the ODIHR worked on overcoming the legacy of re- To focus the international community’s attention on issues strictions on internal movements in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, concerning Internally Displaced Persons in the three coun- and Ukraine. In the first two cases, new laws were passed to tries of the South Caucasus - Armenia, Azerbaijan, and enable the creation of civil-registration systems whereby the Georgia - where the displacements were especially dramatic state would no longer restrict individuals’ freedom to choose and sizable, the ODIHR assisted the Representative of the UN their place of residence and yet would be able to provide Secretary General on Internally Displaced Persons by con- services. This process of legal development benefited from ducting a study on the legal status of IDPs in the region, in support and expertise provided by the ODIHR. co-operation with the Brookings Institution, the Georgian Young Lawyers Association, and local NGO representatives. In Ukraine, the ODIHR was involved in reform efforts on both The study highlighted the legal obstacles to freedom of the technical and political levels. In particular, government of- movement and choice of place of residence of IDPs that re- ficials directly involved in the reform process benefited from a sult in discrimination against IDPs in a number of areas; it number of technical workshops as well as training visits to also made concrete recommendations as to how the legal countries where reform efforts have already progressed much framework can be improved to overcome these obstacles. further, e.g., Lithuania. On the political level, ODIHR staff gave expert presentations at hearings organized by the Human Rights Committee of the Ukrainian parliament. 2. Protection framework for migrants crossing international borders The previous year also marked the beginning of the ODIHR’s involvement in propiska reform in Belarus. This issue had been on the policy agenda of the Belarusian authorities for some time, and the ODIHR was requested to assist in intro- Promoting interstate co-operation on migration-relat- ducing Belarusian partners to international experience in this ed information and the human rights of migrants area in order to develop a conceptual basis for a transition to While much of the Migration Unit’s work focuses on internal a population-registration system that does not prevent peo- movements, protecting the rights of those who cross inter- ple from moving freely within their own country. national frontiers has not been ignored. In co-operation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the ODIHR organized a series of international and regional sem- Combating discrimination against the most-vulnera- inars to enhance the exchange of information and share ble groups of migrants best practices in the field of migration management. The ODIHR and the IOM encourage the countries of Eurasia to Through its work on developing legislation on migration and build confidence and to prevent tensions by promoting a civil registration, the Unit has also contributed to the ODIHR's common understanding of migration processes, policies, work on anti-discrimination, particularly as this relates to In- and legislation that need to be developed to simultaneously ternally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Because of internal restric- meet human rights standards and address security concerns tions on freedom of movement in a number of countries, in- in the OSCE region. dividuals who move without state permission are denied a number of fundamental rights, including the right to vote, as These regional exchanges have also led to a better under- well as a range of social and economic rights. Particularly hard standing of new practices. For example, the simplification of hit by these restrictions are those who moved involuntarily, rules for the registration of foreigners entering Ukraine for i.e., IDPs, who, unlike refugees who cross internationally rec- short-term stays has become better known thanks to the ognized borders, are not granted international protection. ODIHR-IOM series of seminars; now, some Eurasian coun- 40