Democratization Participants problem solve during an exercise at an introductory course on the OSCE’s Human Dimension for representatives of government and civil society from the OSCE’s Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation, Warsaw, 15 December 2012. (OSCE/Shiv Sharma) Democratic Institutions and Practices for Democratic Governance society to advocate for democratization policies and contribute to policy debates. Political parties, parliaments, civil society and citizens are vehicles for democratic governance and the building of democratic institutions across participating States. In order to ensure political pluralism, strengthen citizen participation and achieve more equal representation, the practices that link and direct the interaction between citizens and government should be continuously addressed. In some parts of the OSCE area, however, these democratic mechanisms need targeted support. ODIHR’s democratic governance projects and activities are designed and implemented to assist participating States in strengthening laws, democratic institutions and processes, by focusing on parliamentary support, political pluralism and the promotion of civil Gender Equality and Women’s Participation in Politics OSCE participating States have committed themselves to promote the equal participation of women and men in all spheres of public and private life, as a key foundation of a representative, democratic society. Nonetheless, discriminatory legal frameworks and institutional practices continue to hinder women’s full and equal participation in society across the OSCE region. To this end, ODIHR supports participating States in progressing towards gender equality commitments by strengthening legal frameworks, promoting women’s meaningful participation in politics and strengthening national mechanisms for the advancement of women. Migration and Freedom of Movement A variety of factors, such as the impact of the global financial crisis, increased population mobility and world-wide demographic trends, have caused increasing migratory flows in the OSCE region. Economies and societies of host OSCE participating States and migrants can mutually benefit from tapping into migrant skills and knowledge, as well as ensuring their further development. This requires the implementation of effective migrant integration policies, while respecting freedom of movement and cultural and religious diversity, and protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of migrants. Intensified migratory flows within borders of OSCE participating States create challenges for authorities in providing access to state services and the ability for all ODIHR Annual Report 2012 21