Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

Since the United States was attacked on 11 September 2001, countries throughout the OSCE region have instituted new anti-terrorism measures. This security environment puts at risk a number of fundamental rights and freedoms, including the rights to a fair trial, privacy, freedom of association, and freedom of religion or belief.

A comprehensive approach to combating terrorism requires preventive action. The ODIHR has initiated programmes intended to promote human rights, build democratic institutions, and strengthen the rule of law as key components that enable states to address the various social, economic, political, and other factors that engender conditions in which terrorist and extremist organizations may recruit or win support.

In 2004, the ODIHR collected and compiled anti-terrorism legislation from all OSCE participating States. This information can be found on the Legislationline website at www.legislationline.org.

Organized by subject and country, the online compilation is intended as a resource for lawmakers in the OSCE region, while also guiding the ODIHR's work in providing technical assistance to participating States with respect to their implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373 and the 12 international conventions and protocols on anti-terrorism.

OSCE commitments on terrorism

The main OSCE documents outlining commitments to prevent and combat terrorism are the Bucharest Plan of Action (2001) and the OSCE Charter on Preventing and Combating Terrorism (2002).

The Bucharest Plan of Action established a framework for comprehensive OSCE action fully respecting international law, and in particular international human-rights law. It tasks the ODIHR to address factors that engender conditions in which terrorist organizations are able to recruit and win support and further states that the ODIHR will be active in the strengthening of democratic institutions and respect for human rights,tolerance, and multiculturalism.