Democratic law making in focus at OSCE workshop in Kyrgyzstan

Justice Ministry officials and civil society representatives discussed the main principles of democratic law-making at a workshop organized on 10 December 2011 by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in co-operation with the Justice Ministry of Kyrgyzstan.

Some twenty participants discussed issues such as policy formation, law drafting and the co-ordination mechanisms between government and legislature with an emphasis on the importance of consultation to ensure democratic law making. The participants received guidance on the tools and mechanisms available to ensure that process of the adoption of legislation is transparent.

Yevgenia Avetisova, Co-ordination Officer at the ODIHR’s Legislative support unit, said that the workshop provided public servants and civil society with an opportunity to challenge their perceptions of each other. “This is especially important because they have to work together on achieving a shared ultimate goal – the adoption of effective and efficient legislation,” she added.

As part of its work in legislative support, ODIHR provides assistance upon requests of OSCE participating States on individual pieces of their legislation. Since 2006, the Office has conducted nine reviews for Kyrgyzstan. Assisting participating States with their legislative processes, in ensuring their transparency, openness and efficiency is another increasingly important part of ODIHR’s work.