Our mandate on the rule of law

The central tenets of the OSCE’s activities regarding the rule of law are laid out in the 1990 Copenhagen Document and the 1991 Moscow Document. In the Copenhagen Document, the participating States recognized that “pluralistic democracy and the rule of law are essential for ensuring respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms” and welcomed the commitment expressed by all OSCE States “to the ideals of democracy and political pluralism as well as their common determination to build democratic societies based on free elections and the rule of law.”

The Moscow Document further emphasized this stance by stating that “issues relating to human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law are of international concern, as respect for these rights and freedoms constitutes one of the foundations of the international order“. In the Document, the States also “categorically and irrevocably declare that the commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension of the CSCE are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned.”