Democratization The strengthening of democratic systems and their institutions requires the support and active participation of governments and relevant professionals, as well as the engagement of civil society. While the Commemorative Declaration adopted at the OSCE Summit in Astana in December 2010 reaffirmed a commitment to democracy that applies equally to all, the OSCE participating States remain in various stages of democratic transition, institution building and the consolidation of democratic culture. In assisting states with the building and consolidation of democratic institutions, ODIHR aims to help governments become more responsive, responsible and representative. The Office’s democratization work is aimed, therefore, at assisting participating States in meeting their OSCE commitments in areas such as democratic governance and lawmaking, the development of pluralistic party systems and political party regulation, strengthening the rule of law, parliamentary strengthening, ensuring freedom of movement and the integration of migrants, and promoting gender equality and women’s political participation. In its democratization activities, ODIHR helps develop the capacities of institutions and civil society in OSCE participating States to enhance the consolidation of democratic culture. Local ownership and learning from the experiences and expertise of others is critical to success. The recommendations provided to participating States by election observation missions provide the basis for much of this work. Based on the commitments participating States have made, ODIHR provides technical expertise to various actors in the process of democratization, either directly or with the support of OSCE field operations. The Office’s democratization programmes work in partnership with civil society organizations, encouraging them to contribute actively to work on and discussion of democratic governance. They also work on the strengthening and empowering of state institutions, to the benefit of men and women in an equal manner, and with a focus on political parties, migrants and other groups to increase democratic participation. MAIN ISSUES Rule of Law and Legal Reform An understanding of the importance of good and effective legislation and the rule of law to the functioning of a democratic state is one foundation of the commitments made by OSCE participating States. As such, ODIHR’s activities in the area of democratization are aimed at supporting and strengthening the rule of law and its core principles in the OSCE area. Special attention is given to improving the independence of the judiciary, fair trial standards, criminal justice reform and monitoring compliance with the law by state institutions and other actors. All democracies undertake legal reforms on a regular basis. Such reforms are undertaken by participating States with a variety of goals, including to ensure the compliance of laws with new or exisiting human rights standards or OSCE 20 ODIHR Annual Report 2011