Our Collective Conscience •  restrictive laws and policies and that negatively affect the working environment of human right defenders; 18. Commends the OSCE/ODIHR for its continued assistance to participating States in this respect, particularly by reviewing legislation linked to human rights and fundamental freedoms, as they affect activities of human rights defenders, but also the development and recent publication of Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly; 19. Recognizes the role that parliamentarians play in their respective States in this regard and reaffirms the commitment to honour and promote the implementation of existing commitments within their national assemblies; 20. Recommends that the Parliamentary Delegations to the OSCE enhance their engagement with human rights defenders and national human rights institutions in their respective States, thereby making use of the assistance and resources developed by the OSCE/ODIHR; 21. Welcomes the establishment of a Focal Point for Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions within the OSCE/ODIHR and its enhanced focus on monitoring the situation of these important actors, following the recommendations made at the 2006 SHDM; 22. Emphasizes the importance of providing adequate funding to the OSCE/ODIHR, in particular its Focal Point for Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions, as needed, to support their activities; 23. Underlines the crucial role of the OSCE field operations in assisting human rights defenders and national human rights institutions and encourages the field operations to further undertake projects aimed at capacity building and training for human rights defenders and promoting dialogue among and between human rights defenders, national human rights institutions and governments, in particular in the legislative process; 24. Urges the OSCE participating States to increase participation of human rights defenders and representatives of national human rights institutions in the Organization’s institutional structures, including involvement in the activities of the Permanent Council and Ministerial Council.