Commitments apply equally to all states, OSCE rights chief tells US Helsinki Commission
WASHINGTON, D.C., 17 September 2008 - The OSCE's far-reaching human rights and democracy commitments apply equally to all participating States, and progress in meeting these standards must be measured with the same yardstick across the entire region, Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, the director of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), told the United States Helsinki Commission today.
"The international human rights and democracy movement will hardly succeed without the determined and credible leadership of the United States," said Lenarcic.
He stressed that the work of the Helsinki Commission is crucial in that it has been a forceful voice for the United States to live up to its human rights commitments.
"In order to show true leadership on human rights one must start at home. There can be no double standards," Lenarcic added.
In his testimony, the ODIHR Director argued that by finally ending the practice of dividing the OSCE region in "East" and "West", a clearer and more honest view can be obtained of the specific challenges individual states face, no matter where they are located on the map.
"We have come to realize that democracy is not a prize or trophy that once won is passed on from one generation to another. Democracy has no finality; it is a process, everywhere," he said.
"Democracy, unlike good bourbon, does not necessarily improve by itself with age. There are reversals and setbacks. It is our collective duty to ensure that the democratic tide does not recede."
Lenarcic pointed out that the new divisions that appear to have resurfaced in recent years among participating States have led to a climate of mistrust and suspicion, which also affected the work of ODIHR. He said that moving away from the stereotypes of the Cold War era is one step towards rebuilding trust and establishing genuine dialogue founded on mutual respect and co-operation.
"The concerns we are preoccupied with have anyway long ago stopped to neatly follow the old dividing lines," he said, referring to terrorism, human trafficking and hate crimes as examples of threats facing societies across the whole region.
The Director made clear that ODIHR, as the principal OSCE institution dealing with democracy and human rights, will continue to alert participating States to shortcomings in the implementation of commitments, wherever they are identified, and offer assistance in addressing them.