Overview by the ODIHR Director During 2010, two important OSCE events served to underscore the importance of human rights and democracy for the promotion of sustainable security in the region. In June, ODIHR and the OSCE’s Kazakh chairmanship organized a conference in the Danish capital to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the landmark 1990 Copenhagen Document. The Document has become one of the fundamental texts of the Organization when it comes to human rights and democracy, and continues to be the basis for many of ODIHR’s activities in assisting participating States with implementing their human dimension commitments. Then, in December, the OSCE Summit in Astana adopted a declaration reaffirming in clear and strong terms the existing acquis in the human dimension. Participating States reaffirmed the relevance of OSCE principles and acknowledged that more must be done to ensure the implementation of commitments, including in the field of the human dimension. Throughout the year, ODIHR continued to support participating States in this endeavor. The emphasis placed by participating States in Astana on “the important role played by civil society and free media in helping … to ensure full respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy, including free and fair elections, and the rule of law” reinforced the significance the OSCE attaches to engaging the non-governmental sector. This approach has been reflected in the numerous activities ODIHR conducted in co-operation with civil society actors across the region. In the autumn, ODIHR and the Kazakh chairmanship organized the human dimension component of the OSCE Review Conference, in Warsaw and Astana. The Review Conference, the largest human rights event in Europe in 2010, provided a forum for governments and civil society to review the progress states have made in putting their commitments into practice and identifying ways to close existing implementation gaps. This contributed significantly to the preparations for the Summit. Throughout 2010, the Office reacted to emerging human rights crises in accordance with its 4 ODIHR Annual Report 2010 mandate. For example, in the aftermath of the violent events of April and June in Kyrgyzstan, ODIHR provided advice to the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, monitored the trial of a prominent human rights defender, supported the process of constitutional reform, and observed the constitutional referendum in June and the parliamentary elections in October. In the field of elections, ODIHR observed or assessed a total of 21 elections in 2010. This included elections in two countries assessed for the first time, bringing the total number of participating States in which ODIHR has conducted some form of observation activity to 52. More than 3,700 observers from 52 participating States and two OSCE Partners for Co-operation were deployed during the year. Increased attention was paid to follow-up on recommendations included in the Office’s election reports. ODIHR also increased its capacity to assess and advise on new voting technologies by hiring a senior advisor on the issue. The publication in June of the 6th edition of ODIHR’s Election Observation Handbook marked another milestone in the continued development of the Office’s comprehensive methodology for election monitoring. Promoting tolerance and non-discrimination remained high on ODIHR’s agenda in 2010. The Office supported the organization of the High Level Conference on Tolerance in Astana in June. The conference, attended by over 400 participants from across the region, served to review and asses progress in the sphere of tolerance and non-discrimination and a chance to discuss problems and how they might be addressed. In implementing OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 9/09, ODIHR convened a series of expert meetings to develop recommendations on how to address manifestations of hatred on the Internet. The year 2010 also saw the launch of a major project aimed at strengthening the capacity of national judiciaries in dealing with war crimes, ahead of the approaching closure of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The four-million-euro War Crimes Justice Project is carried out jointly with the ICTY, the UN Interregional Crime and