trials, torture, trafficking in human beings, tolerance and non-discrimination, discrimination against Roma and Sinti, and gender equality. Participating States have thus chosen to highlight a number of important areas in the human dimension for which they have agreed to specific provisions for enhanced transparency on implementation of commitments. Serving the participating States at the early stages as a clearing-house, the ODIHR later developed specific expertise and methodologies in these areas in order to increase its effectiveness. Election observation has become the most visible activity;100 trial monitoring is another area in which the ODIHR, in conjunction with work done in field operations, has developed a considerable body of experience and practice. 166. In recent years, the OSCE has focused increasingly on the need to address manifestations of intolerance and discrimination, in particular the rise of hate crime, and has developed an Organization-wide response for countering these phenomena, which occur across the entire OSCE region.101 The ODIHR was chosen by OSCE States to play a central role in this context, and it has developed a targeted programme on tolerance and non-discrimination.102 167. The question of how the ODIHR could work in a concrete way and on a comparative level to ensure the implementation of commitments in the field of tolerance and non-discrimination has been put forward by a number of States. When first conceptualizing its new tasks in this area, the ODIHR commissioned a study on the activities of international organizations in this field; it concluded that one of the ODIHR’s main comparative advantages is its ability to provide technical assistance and support to OSCE States in implementing not only OSCE commitments but also other international standards and recommendations of other international organizations.103 The ODIHR has subsequently designed tools to support States through expert-to-expert technical-assistance programmes.104 168. Violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms and various manifestations of hate continue to pose a challenge to human dignity and thus the OSCE’s understanding of collective security. The ODIHR’s programme activities to help combat discrimination and manifestations of aggressive nationalism, racism, chauvinism, and xenophobia cut across the areas of education, legislative assistance, law enforcement training, and civil society capacity-building. At the same time, many of the programmes have been developed in such a way that they address the specificities of different forms of intolerance and discrimination. In light of the increasing number of hate-motivated murders and violent attacks against people perceived to belong to certain groups, there is a clear need for participating States to strengthen their responses. 100  Statistical data of hits on the OSCE website provides a clear picture of where the media and public interest in the OSCE’s activities is strongest. A summary of the statistics for the OSCE public website for the first quarter of 2006 shows strong interest in the ODIHR’s election observation activities. Visits to the OSCE website peaked on two occasions during the first three months of the year: the number of visits per day topped 9,000 on 20 March (the release of the EOM preliminary statement on the Belarus presidential election), and 7,400 on 27 March (the release of the EOM preliminary statement on the Ukraine parliamentary elections). 101  See note 40 of this report. 102  Cf. the task contained in Decision No. 4/03 of the 2003 Maastricht Ministerial Council (para. 7). 103  International Action against Racism, Xenophobia, Anti-Semitism and Intolerance in the OSCE Region: A Comparative Study (September 2004). The study is available on the ODIHR’s website at www.osce.org/odihr. 104  Cf. Annex to the 2005 ODIHR report Combating Hate Crimes in the OSCE Region: An Overview of Statistics, Legislation and National Initiatives, available on the ODIHR’s website. 60 Common Responsibility: Commitments and Implementation