Ñ “Democracy, with its representative and pluralist character, entails accountability to the electorate, the obligation of public authorities to comply with the law and justice administered impartially” (Paris, 1990); Ñ “The participating States … categorically and irrevocably declare that the commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension of the OSCE are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned” (Moscow, 1991); Ñ Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law is “at the core of the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security”; “States are accountable to their citizens and responsible to each other for their implementation of their OSCE commitments”; all OSCE commitments, without exception, apply “equally to each participating State. Their implementation in good faith is essential for relations between States, between governments and their peoples, as well as between the organizations of which they are members” (Istanbul, 1999). 4. At the Copenhagen Meeting in 1990, States reviewed the implementation of their commitments in the field of the human dimension. Although they considered that the degree of compliance with these commitments had improved in recent times, they also expressed the view that further steps were required. This combination of acknowledgement of past achievements with a realistic appreciation of shortcomings and challenges is as relevant today as it was then. B. Commitment to implement 5. The OSCE community has, from its outset, paid specific attention to implementation of commitments. Already in the Helsinki Final Act, participating States agreed that commitments should be implemented in good faith, bilaterally or through other international forums or instruments. The emphasis on implementation has consistently been a key characteristic of CSCE and later OSCE documents. Time and again, participating States have stressed the importance of implementation and its link with conflict prevention.   Preamble to the Document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE, Copenhagen, 29 June 1990.   See para. 18 of the Document of the Stockholm Conference on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures and Disarmament in Europe (Stockholm, 19 September 1986), in which participating States stressed “their commitment to the Final Act and the need for full implementation of all its provisions…”. Also see para. 25 of the Concluding Document of the Follow-up Meeting of the CSCE (Vienna, 15 January 1989), which specifically refers to the “improvement” of the implementation of CSCE commitments. In Moscow 1991, participating States renewed their commitment to “implement fully all the principles and provisions” of the Helsinki Final Act, of the Charter of Paris, “and of the other CSCE documents relating to the human dimension” (Preamble to the Document of the Moscow Meeting of the Conference on the Human Dimension of the CSCE (Moscow, 3 October 1991)).   In 1993, ministers stressed that implementation of CSCE commitments in the human dimension is essential for the Organization’s conflict-prevention efforts (Section IV, para. 2 of the Fourth Meeting of the Council, CSCE and the New Europe — Our Security is Indivisible, 1 December 1993). It is in this context that the ODIHR understands and defines itself as a conflict-prevention institution, embedded in the OSCE’s comprehensive security concept. In 1994, the OSCE heads of state or government reiterated explicitly that “periodic reviews of implementation of our commitments, fundamental throughout the CSCE, are critical in the Human Dimension” (para. 14 of the OSCE Budapest Declaration Towards a Genuine Partnership in a New Era, DOC.RC/1/95, 21 December 1994). In 1999, they individually confirmed their willingness “to comply fully with our commitments”, as well as their “joint responsibility to uphold OSCE principles” (para. 14 of the Charter for European Security, Istanbul, 19 November 1999).  Common Responsibility: Commitments and Implementation