Newsroom
OSCE human rights conference closes
WARASAW 27 October 2000
WARASAW, 27 October 2000 - Government representatives from OSCE participating States today reaffirmed their commitment to implement human rights standards at the closing session of the OSCE Human Dimension Meeting, the OSCE's annual human rights conference. The conference, which convened on 17 October 2000, has reviewed the OSCE participating States' record in putting into practice the commitments they have undertaken in the fields of human rights and democracy.
"This year's Implementation Meeting has made clear that human rights violations remain a cause for serious concern in many OSCE countries", said Peter Eicher, the Deputy Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), which organized the conference in co-ordination with the Austrian Chairmanship of the OSCE. "The conference has given us a better picture of which problems are considered most pressing by participating States and non-governmental organizations, and has provided some constructive recommendations on how to address these problems. This will help the OSCE to set its agenda for the future."
With 600 representatives from governments, non-governmental and international organizations, this year's Implementation Meeting was one of the largest ever. Almost 150 NGOs from throughout the OSCE area participated actively in the conference.
Among the key issues debated during the meeting of the 2000 Implementation Meeting were the problem of trafficking in human beings and the situation of children in armed conflicts, both of which were included in the agenda for the first time. Another focus was the controversial issue of Roma refugees and asylum seekers, which was discussed at a side meeting of the conference.
The recommendations made during the working sessions will be made available to the OSCE decision-making bodies to ensure proper follow-up. A summary of the Implementation Meeting will be available on the ODIHR website at /odihr.
For further information contact Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer, OSCE/ODIHR Public Affairs Officer, tel.: +48-22-520 06 00 or +48-603 683 122 (mobile).
"This year's Implementation Meeting has made clear that human rights violations remain a cause for serious concern in many OSCE countries", said Peter Eicher, the Deputy Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), which organized the conference in co-ordination with the Austrian Chairmanship of the OSCE. "The conference has given us a better picture of which problems are considered most pressing by participating States and non-governmental organizations, and has provided some constructive recommendations on how to address these problems. This will help the OSCE to set its agenda for the future."
With 600 representatives from governments, non-governmental and international organizations, this year's Implementation Meeting was one of the largest ever. Almost 150 NGOs from throughout the OSCE area participated actively in the conference.
Among the key issues debated during the meeting of the 2000 Implementation Meeting were the problem of trafficking in human beings and the situation of children in armed conflicts, both of which were included in the agenda for the first time. Another focus was the controversial issue of Roma refugees and asylum seekers, which was discussed at a side meeting of the conference.
The recommendations made during the working sessions will be made available to the OSCE decision-making bodies to ensure proper follow-up. A summary of the Implementation Meeting will be available on the ODIHR website at /odihr.
For further information contact Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer, OSCE/ODIHR Public Affairs Officer, tel.: +48-22-520 06 00 or +48-603 683 122 (mobile).