Human dimension activities
The OSCE Office in Minsk promotes, monitors and reports on the fulfilment of OSCE human dimension commitments in Belarus. It co-ordinates with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the relevant OSCE Secretariat units, and it facilitates the participation of Belarusian governmental and non-governmental experts in seminars and meetings.
Anti-trafficking
The Office in Minsk promotes and supports the work of ODIHR, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the non-governmental organization (NGO) "La Strada" in assessing the identification and referral of trafficking victims in Belarus. The aim is to assist the country in establishing a national referral mechanism for victims as set out in the 2003 OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.
The Office supports the regular participation of officials and NGOs at international forums. It also assists the Government in assessing labour exploitation and liaises with the International Training Centre on Migration and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in Minsk.
The project "Direct Assistance to Victims of Trafficking" was implemented in the second half of 2009 in co-operation with the International Organization for Migration, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and local NGOs.
Gender equality
The Office supports the Government and civil society in promoting gender equality mechanisms and raising awareness on gender issues. In particular, it helps to promote the National Plan on Gender Equality adopted in September 2008 and to support measures aimed at combating violence against women.
Civil society
One of the Office's priorities is to promote dialogue between the Government and representatives of civil society, in particular by advocating for support for independent NGOs. It seeks support for NGO efforts to engage with government officials and closely follows NGO registration procedures.
Trial monitoring
The Office monitors trials in cases where it is believed there may have been violations of freedom of expression, association, assembly or belief, and allegations of arbitrary detention. It has also monitored some cases of youth activists charged with administrative arrests as well as public demonstrations throughout 2009.
Individual complaints
The Office assists with individual complaints on alleged human rights violations, most of which pertain to the work of the judiciary and alleged violations by law enforcement agencies. The Office has defined a procedure for receiving, recording and addressing complaints with the relevant Belarusian authorities.
Recent activities
Working closely with the Government and civil society, the Office has increased its efforts to enhance the rule of law and strengthen democratic institutions. For example, it has provided members of public commissions that monitor penitentiary institutions with opportunities for training and sharing international practices. Two EU study trips for groups of professionals on developing E-Government models to improve communication between citizens and authorities took place.
In 2009, the Office implemented a joint project with ODIHR and the Ministry of Justice on public monitoring of the penitentiary system in Belarus. During the project, a seminar and two study visits (to Armenia and Austria) were organized for members of various Belarusian public commissions for penitentiary monitoring.
Throughout the year, the Office assisted the Government in reforming the election legislation. It organized working group expert consultations in Austria, Germany and Poland, which provided members of the working group with an excellent opportunity for an in-depth study of the election process, electoral legislation and best practices abroad. Together with the German Centre for Peacekeeping Operations, the Office organized in December a one-week training session on election observation. The project addressed primarily Belarusian officials and aimed at enhancing both knowledge and practical expertise of the participants in election legislation, monitoring of elections and other election-related matters.
An on-site research project in Western European countries was conducted for Belarusian journalists from independent and state-run media in November and December. The journalists took part in a research visit, during which they had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with values that are promoted by both the OSCE and the EU, such as freedom of the media and free elections. As a result, a comprehensive series of articles on relevant topics was published in Belarusian mass-media.
The implementation of the project "Interaction between State and Non-governmental Organizations" aiming at developing civil society in Belarus, for which the Office is providing assistance, began in September 2009 and will last for 12 months. In the course of the project, conditions of civil society in Belarus will be analysed and assessed, and suggestions for its future development will be proposed on the basis of the international methodology "Civil Society Development Index", developed by the international organization CIVICUS and used in more than 100 countries.