Strengthening democratic institutions and practices the most effective way to prevent conflict and promote security, OSCE/ODIHR Director says on International Day of Democracy
WARSAW, 15 September 2017 – Strengthening democratic institutions, values and practices is the most effective way of preventing conflict both within and between societies, so as to promote security for all, Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said today on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy.
“Only strong democratic institutions and practices, based on principles of pluralism, inclusion and the rule of law, can provide the foundation for societies in which the rights and interests of all can be promoted and protected,” the ODIHR Director said. “Societies based on these values are also the best equipped to find peaceful solutions when these rights and interests collide.”
Gísladóttir highlighted the fact that the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security focuses not only on traditional political and military concerns, or economic and environmental aspects, but also on the human dimension of security.
“This is very much in line with the theme of this year’s International Day of Democracy, ‘Democracy and Conflict Prevention’,” she said. “From the very beginning, the understanding of the vital role of democratic institutions and elections, of defending human rights and fundamental freedoms, and of promoting tolerance and non-discrimination in preventing conflict has been hard-wired into the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security.”
Gísladóttir’s statement came half-way through the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, a two-week conference organized by ODIHR in Warsaw bringing together governments and civil society from across the OSCE region to discuss and assess the state of democratic institutions and human rights in their countries.