Conclusions and Outlook In more than a decade of activities, the ODIHR has proven that the OSCE needs institutions that can operate autonomously and that are accountable to the Permanent Council in terms of how they implement their mandate. This is confirmed by the visibility the OSCE has received through the work of my Office. Within the past decade, the ODIHR has demonstrated its ability to work cross-dimensionally and to bring new approaches to emerging challenges. Its conceptual capacity and operational flexibility to work across boundaries puts it at the forefront when multidisciplinary and complex issues need to be addressed. In short, the ODIHR is a nexus at which commitments in the OSCE’s human dimension can be translated into reality and where real progress on the ground is achieved. I. As discussed in Chapter I of this report, the OSCE has adopted a wide range of commitments on democracy, the rule of law, and human rights that set sufficiently clear standards for the participating States. This report stresses that the OSCE community has paid attention to their implementation and collective review. It does so with the help of specific mechanisms and institutions, several of which could be further strengthened and developed. This cannot, however, gloss over the fact that the political will of individual States to implement commitments at home and to use their influence to bring about implementation in other States remains the cornerstone of an effective OSCE. It is incumbent upon States to fill these commitments with life and to implement them for the benefit of their citizens, and for enhanced relations between them. As pointed out, the ODIHR stands ready to strengthen its own assistance to participating States to implement commitments and to help develop ideas on enhancing implementation mechanisms, from reviewing how action plans work and creating special mechanisms to ensuring more effective NGO participation in OSCE debates and more effective OSCE field operations. Common Responsibility: Commitments and Implementation 77