Elections A polling station near Karakol in eastern Kyrgyzstan just a few days before a constitutional referendum scheduled for 27 June. (OSCE/Barbara Smith) that their seconded observers are equipped with the proper knowledge and background to perform their tasks as observers. The aim of training these individuals is to broaden the pool of observers from participating States eligible under the “Fund for Diversification”: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. In 2010, extra-budgetary funding allowed ODIHR to continue to conduct training programmes for short-term election observers. Two such events were held in Sarajevo in April and October, respectively, with significant cooperation from the Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities. Six such events been held over the preceding four years. With generous extra-budgetary funding, ODIHR was also able to offer its first training event for long-term observers from diversification fund countries. The training was also conducted in Sarajevo, in November. Overall, 79 individuals participated in the 2010 training events: Forty of these were representatives of their respective governments, while 39 came from the NGO sector. The participants comprised 40 men and 39 women. 16 ODIHR Annual Report 2010 Issues dealt with during the course of the training events included an introduction to ODIHR’s election observation methodology, OSCE commitments and other international standards for election observation, principles of working together as a multi-national team, the daily life of an observer, and election-day procedures and reporting mechanisms. Trainees also practiced their new observation skills in a mock polling station and in various interactive scenarios. In another observer-training capacity, ODIHR continued its co-operation with a number of long-standing partners. These include the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Kingdom’s Electoral Reform International Services, the European Commission’s Network of Europeans for Electoral and Democracy Support, the German Centre for International Peace Operations, and Memo-98 of Slovakia. To better inform participants of ODIHR’s methodology and its role in election observation, the Office sent international staff to participate in training events held by these organizations. In 2010, the Office also extended its co-operation with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which wanted to further