civil society throughout the process; and to consolidate draft interim, preliminary, and final reports. 123. With regard to the appointment of qualified core-team staff, the ODIHR follows clear procedures.76 For this purpose, the ODIHR maintains a database to which interested experts can submit résumés; it selects core staff on the basis of applicants’ professional background, past experience, and availability for deployment, often on short notice.77 Core-team members are hired on expert contracts (Special Service Agreements) ranging on average from two- to twelve-week periods, depending on the modality for observation (full observation mission, limited observation mission, assessment mission, election expert support team). For every single EOM, and exceeding the normal transparency requirements for short-term assignments, the ODIHR posts the names, functions, and nationalities of core-team members on its website. 124. The entire core team undertakes assignments within the framework of the ODIHR’s mandate and its methodology. It discharges its duties under the oversight of the ODIHR and the management of its Elections Department. This implies that members of an EOM, whether its head or individual observers, are not independent satellites but represent a direct outgrowth of the Office’s mandated activities. EOM staff must strictly endeavour not to be perceived as representatives of any country or of any political group. There are no “national delegations” within the ODIHR’s observation and assessment activities. Over the past decade, OSCE States have invested in a structured methodology in order to arrive at a collective and comprehensive assessment of an election process. The ODIHR underscores that this is an integrated activity supported by participating States; an undue focus on citizenship issues is therefore unwarranted. E. ‘Geographical’ composition of EOMs, working language and training initiatives 125. The ODIHR has made special efforts to further enhance the geographic diversity of its observation missions. With regard to core teams, in 2000, members originated from 11 participating States. This number has trebled in 2006. Long- and short-term observers, on the other hand, are seconded by participating States, which thus determine the overall composition of each mission; all their costs (travel, accommodation, daily allowances, interpreters, vehicles, and drivers) have to be covered by their seconding government. The ODIHR alone cannot address the issue of the “geographic composition” of its missions, however this term may be defined. It is incumbent on the participating States to second qualified individuals to support the broad range of OSCE activities, including election observation. This is a re76  For each observation mission, the following positions are contracted: head, deputy head, election analyst, political analyst, legal analyst, media analyst, statistical analyst, co-ordinator of long-term observers, logistician, parliamentary liaison officer, and finance officer. In addition, the posts of gender analyst, national minorities’ analyst, and security officer may be contracted on a case-by-case basis. If no core-team member is specifically recruited for this purpose, these areas are covered by other members of the team. Gender issues are reflected in the reports as a rule, following the specific task outlined in the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality: “The ODIHR will continue to assist participating States in promoting women’s political participation. It will continue, as a part of its Election Observation Mission, to monitor and report on women’s participation in electoral processes. When possible … the ODIHR will commission and publish reports specifically analysing the situation of women in electoral processes” (MC.DEC/14/04, Annex, para. 44(d)). 77  Recruitment criteria for individual missions include relevant expertise and comparative experience. In addition, the head of an EOM needs to have good leadership and communication skills, and a demonstrated familiarity with the principles of the OSCE human dimension. Diplomatic and language skills are regularly emphasized. Common Responsibility: Commitments and Implementation 41