Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights is led by Ambassador Christian Strohal of Austria.

Strohal took over as director in March 2003, bringing with him many years of experience in international affairs, especially in the field of human rights.

He has served as Austrian representative to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, as a delegate to the UN General Assembly, and as a representative to the European Union Working Group on Human Rights.

From 1994 to 2000, he was director for Human Rights, International Humanitarian Law, and Minority and Gender Issues at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Immediately before joining the ODIHR, he headed the Austrian Embassy in Luxembourg.

Under his direction, the ODIHR has moved towards longer-term and more-inclusive planning, responding to several new challenges and demands on the office's capacity. This period has also seen the creation of a new Human Rights Department, expanding what was primarily a monitoring role to include more research, analysis, and training.

"Strengthening our capacity to assist states and other OSCE bodies emphasizes the importance of human rights for the organization," Ambassador Strohal says. "We have, and will continue, to drive forward work on our traditional core tasks: fostering democracy and the rule of law, promoting and protecting human rights, addressing shortcomings, and reminding participating States of their commitments in this respect."

When taking up his post as ODIHR director, Ambassador Strohal stressed that he saw the ODIHR as a centre of expertise for the whole organization, its participating States, and field missions, focusing on human rights, elections, and furthering democracy.

"The protection of human rights has been brought from the conference room to the field. It is there, on the ground, where we have to live up to people's expectations and where we have to make a difference."

Previous ODIHR Directors

1997-2002: Gerard Stoudmann (Switzerland)
1994-1997: Audrey Glover (United Kingdom)
1991-1994: Luchino Cortese (Italy)