26 Partners in Implementation PART I 2.3.3 Individuals, Human Rights Defenders, and Non-Governmental Organizations Helsinki 1975 (Questions Relating to Security in Europe: 1.(a) Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations between Participating States – Principle VII) The participating States recognize the universal significance of human rights and fundamental freedoms (…) They confirm the right of the individual to know and act upon his rights and duties in this field. (…) They confirm that (…) organizations and persons have a relevant and positive role to play in contributing toward the achievement of these aims of their cooperation. Madrid 1983 (Questions Relating to Security in Europe: Principles) [The participating States] recall the right of the individual to know and act upon his rights and duties in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as embodied in the Final Act, and will take the necessary action in their respective countries to effectively ensure this right. Vienna 1989 (Questions Relating to Security in Europe: Principles) (12) [The participating States] express their determination to guarantee the effective exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms (…) (13) In this context they will (…) (13.3) - publish and disseminate the text of the Final Act, of the Madrid Concluding Document and of the present Document as well as those of any relevant international instruments in the field of human rights, in order to ensure the availability of these documents in their entirety, to make them known as widely as possible and to render them accessible to all individuals in their countries, in particular through public library systems; (13.4) - effectively ensure the right of the individual to know and act upon his rights and duties in this field, and to that end publish and make accessible all laws, regulations and procedures relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms; (13.5) - respect the right of their citizens to contribute actively, individually or in association with others, to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms; (13.6) - encourage in schools and other educational institutions consideration of the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms; (…) (13.8) - ensure that no individual exercising, expressing the intention to exercise or seeking to exercise these rights and freedoms or any member of his family, will as a consequence be discriminated against in any manner; (13.9) - ensure that effective remedies as well as full information about them are available to those who claim that their human rights and fundamental freedoms have been violated; they will, inter alia, effectively apply the following remedies: • the right of the individual to appeal to executive, legislative, judicial or administrative organs; • the right to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time before an independent and impartial tribunal, including the right to present legal arguments and to be represented by legal counsel of one’s choice;