already spelled out in the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, that respect for human rights and the principles of democracy is a precondition for security and stability in Europe. The ODIHR was tasked to help participating States with building structures and in-country capacities necessary for an open and democratic society. The ODIHR celebrates its 10th anniversary When the Office for Free Elections (OFE) opened in 1991, few people could have foreseen what the Office, renamed Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in 1992, would have evolved into a decade later. “The ODIHR today is the lead agency in Europe in the field of election observation, and a highly respected partner in international efforts to help transition countries in the OSCE region with building sustainable democracies in which human rights and the rule of law are fully respected”, says Ambassador Gérard Stoudmann, Director of the ODIHR since 1997. During the following years, the ODIHR’s main activities consisted of observing elections and organizing conferences on various democratization and human rights issues, in Warsaw as well as in the transition countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus. From 1994 to 1997 the Office was headed by Ambassador Audrey Glover. New democratization and election programmes In 1997 the Office was completely restructured and its scope of activities significantly broadened. New democratization programmes were developed to focus on small but highly effective training and public awareness programmes targeting certain key groups such as the legal community or young people. The overall objective of these programmes, which continue to expand, is to strengthen democratic institutions, promote respect for human rights and the rule of law, and support the development of civil society. The Office also further improved its unique election observation methodology which combines long-term election observation missions with assistance projects aimed at improving the framework for elections in OSCE countries. Since 1991, the ODIHR has observed more than 100 elections in the OSCE area. From OFE to ODIHR The beginnings of the Office were modest. Established under the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the Office opened in Warsaw in May 1991 with only two international staff (the first Director Ambassador Luchino Cortese and one Officer), a small budget and the narrow mandate to “facilitate contacts and the exchange of information on elections within participating States”. Against the background of the violence that accompanied the disintegration of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, the Office’s mandate was subsequently broadened to include human rights and democratization issues. This decision reflected the conviction, 16 17