II. The OSCE/ODIHR Focal Point for Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions Systematic work with civil society is a key element of all programmes conducted by the ODIHR. One of the ODIHR’s core activities involves monitoring the implementation of human dimension commitments, as well as lending assistance to participating States, where needed. This involves monitoring the capacity of human rights defenders and national human rights institutions to operate, especially in challenging circumstances. The ODIHR also helps build the capacity of human rights defenders through human rights education and training. Independent national human rights institutions can play a crucial role in advancing and securing human rights. Working with human rights defenders, they foster a national culture of human rights and serve as a respected independent voice. There is a need to promote the establishment of independent national human rights institutions where they do not exist and to support them where they do. In its 2006 report Common Responsibility: Commitments and Implementation, the ODIHR identified the situation of human rights defenders as an issue of major concern. In a number of OSCE states, human rights defenders work under constant pressure from authorities and face restrictions on the exercise of their freedoms of expression, association, and assembly. There are still too many cases where human rights defenders are subjected to unnecessary bureaucratic burdens, arbitrary detentions, assaults, ill-treatment, or defamation campaigns. Building on ongoing work across all of its programmes, and following a recommendation from the 2006 Supplementary Human Dimension Implementation Meeting on Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions, in 2007 the ODIHR established a Focal Point for Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions and a related support programme. This followed consultations with other international organizations, in particular the Council of 50