implement commitments to ensure the enjoyment of these rights. On the margins of the meeting, ODIHR released a report describing both challenges and good practices identified through the monitoring of 27 assemblies and demonstrations in 11 participating States from May 2011 to June 2012. The report also includes recommendations to help countries meet their commitments in this area. Also in co-operation with the Irish Chairmanship, the Office organized a Human Dimension Seminar, in Warsaw in May, on the Rule of Law Framework in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, at which more than 150 participants examined and shared expertise on the role of legal systems in confronting this persisting problem. The year also saw the Office release two sets of guidelines on human rights education, one for law enforcement officials and the other for secondary school systems, in recognition of the important roles police and educators play in guaranteeing and helping increase understanding of these fundamental rights. ODIHR’s annual hate crimes report, released in November, stressed that, despite increased efforts by some participating States to combat these crimes, a lack of reliable data on the scope of the problem and on targeted victim groups and perpetrators continues to hinder progress in this domain. At a Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting organized in Vienna in April, participants shared expertise and good practice in the area of combating racism, intolerance and discrimination in society through sport. Among the recommendations made at the meeting as to promote the use of well-known athletes, in their capacity as role models, in public campaigns to promote understanding, fairness and equality. As part of its activities to address anti-Semitism, the Office published the third edition of Holocaust Remembrance Days in the OSCE Region, providing an overview of governmental practices and examples to help public officials and others promote Holocaust remembrance, as part of broader efforts to foster mutual respect and tolerance. A field visit to the Czech Republic, organized in May in co-operation with the Irish Chairmanship and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, was aimed at assessing progress made in integrating Roma children into quality, mainstream education. The resulting report, released in October, highlighted good practices and offered recommendations to support inclusive education for Roma students. This same theme of inclusion was behind the introduction in 2012 of the 3.3-million euro Best ­Practices for Roma Integration project, funded by the European Union, supported by OSCE participating States and implemented by ODIHR. The project is aimed at increasing Roma participation in political and public life and decision-making, promoting the legalization of housing, and combating discrimination against and raising the visibility of Roma communities in the Western ­Balkans, and will continue in 2013. In 2012, ODIHR continued with a broad range of activities in the area of democratization. In co-operation with OSCE field operations in Central Asia, the Office organized the fourth Expert Forum on Criminal Justice in October in Almaty, bringing together around 100 experts from the region to examine and share lessons learned in the latest reforms of the criminal justice sector across the region. The annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, hosted by the Office in Warsaw over two weeks at the end of ­September and beginning of October, saw the presentation of two important new tools for the development and implementation of trial-monitoring programmes: Trial Monitoring: a Reference Manual for Practitioners and the Legal Digest of International Fair Trial Rights. Election observation, as has been the case since its establishment in 1991 as the Office for Free Elections, had a high profile among ODIHR’s activities. The Office carried out election-observation activities in 15 participating States in 2012, with the participation of nearly 2,000 observers from 48 of those states, and produced 60 election-related reports, including final reports providing recommendations on how electoral processes could be improved in relation to OSCE commitments and other international standards. The Office also published two new resources for the observation of specific aspects of election processes: The Handbook on Media Monitoring for Election Observation Missions and the Handbook for the Observation of Voter Registration. In circumstances where many OSCE participating States are grappling with extensive reductions in expenditures, ODIHR is aware of the need to adapt to working with limited resources. Doing more with less, we remain committed to assisting governments and civil society in enhancing the security of every individual, of every participating State and of the entire OSCE community through upholding commitments on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Ambassador Janez Lenarcˇicˇ Director, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) ODIHR Annual Report 2012 5