ODIHR Director meets Foreign Minister in Kyiv to discuss priorities for 2013 Ukrainian OSCE Chairmanship

KYIV, 5 July 2012 – Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), met Foreign Minister Kostyantyn Gryshchenko today in Kyiv to discuss preparations ahead of Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship in 2013.

The meetings with Gryshchenko and other senior officials focused on possible priority issues in the human dimension, which covers areas such as democratization, human rights, and tolerance and non-discrimination, during the Ukrainian Chairmanship, and opportunities for co-operation with ODIHR.

“It is the responsibility of any country holding the Chairmanship to uphold the OSCE commitments in the areas of human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” Lenarčič said after the meeting. “We are ready to assist the Ukrainian Chairmanship in all its efforts in this regard.”

Lenarčič also met with Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko to sign an agreement for ODIHR to train Ukrainian law enforcement personnel on recognizing and investigating hate crimes, as well as with Valeriya Lutkovska, the country’s recently appointed Human Rights Commissioner.

The visit also included a meeting with members of the Central Election Commission. ODIHR will be sending an election observation mission for Ukraine’s 28 October parliamentary elections.

The 56 OSCE participating States decided by consensus in 2010 that Ukraine would hold next year’s Chairmanship. The 2012 Chairmanship is held by Ireland.