Foreword to the Third Edition As the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, I am pleased to present the third edition of OSCE Human Dimension Commitments. This publication, a compilation of the OSCE’s human rights and democracy commitments, has become an indispensable resource for OSCE staff, government officials, civil society and the broader human rights community. It provides easy access to the ever-growing body of commitments in what is known as the “human dimension” of the OSCE’s comprehensive security concept. More than five years have passed since the publication of the previous edition in 2005. New challenges have emerged in the sphere of human rights and democracy during this time, and our understanding of existing challenges has evolved. The participating States have responded to these developments with the adoption of a number of important new documents at the Ministerial Council meetings in Ljubljana, Brussels, Madrid, Helsinki and Athens, further enhancing the Organization’s normative framework and charting new ground in areas such as strengthening the rule of law and combating hate crimes. In 2010, for the first time in over a decade, the OSCE’s 56 participating States gathered for a Summit meeting at the Heads of State or Government level. The 2010 Astana Summit adopted a declaration reaffirming in clear and strong terms the existing acquis in the human dimension. This document is included in the third edition. The commitments that form the basis of the work of the Organization were developed jointly and adopted unanimously by all participating States. This is why they are such a powerful tool for change. States entered into their obligation to implement the commitments on a purely voluntary basis. Within the OSCE, there is no imposition of values by a state or a group of states on others. The commitments give ODIHR the mandate to assist governments in their efforts to comply with their international obligations, and provide concrete guidance for our work together. They establish, in the words of the Astana document, “clear standards for the participating States in their treatment of each other and of all individuals within their territories.” As such, the commitments also provide detailed benchmarks that can be used by political parties, civil society groups and individuals to hold their governments accountable. The Astana vii