Publications

The purpose of these Guidelines is to ensure that those involved in drafting and applying legislation in the area of the freedom of religion or belief, including civil society representatives, have at their disposal a benchmark document containing minimum international standards in the area of recognition of religious or belief communities. The document does not seek to challenge established agreements between states and religious or belief communities but, rather, to delineate the legal framework that would ensure that communities wishing to do so have a fair opportunity to be granted legal personality, and that the criteria established are applied in a non-discriminatory manner. This document elaborates on the issues of registration and recognition of religious and belief organizations, and supplements section II.F on “Laws governing registration of religious/belief organizations” of the 2004 Guidelines. The 2004 Guidelines do, however, remain valid in their entirety.

Recommendations to assist national minority participation in the electoral process, elaborating on the Lund Recommendations

Intolerance against Muslims in any form — be it violence, discrimination, harassment or online abuse — has a detrimental effect on the lives of Muslim individuals and communities. This Guide is designed to aid governments in their actions on preventing and combating hate crimes including by an analysis of security risks and the necessary actions required, with the aim of improving the capacity of the police and other institutions to meet the security needs of Muslim communities and individuals. It also touches on select topics, such as the underreporting and under-recording of hate crimes against Muslims. In addition, the Guide sets out practical steps that governments can take to address issues of security for Muslim communities, which work in tandem with the efforts within these same communities.

Aimed at both legislators and schools, this handbook offers guidance on preparing curricula for teaching about religions and beliefs, preferred procedures for assuring fairness in the development of curricula, and standards for how they could be implemented.

This guide, developed jointly by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Omega Research Foundation, seeks to share some of the technical knowledge monitors need to accurately and independently document the presence and manner of the use of law enforcement equipment during public assemblies.

Part of the Gender and Security Toolkit, this Tool:- sets out in more detail why it is important to integrate a gender perspective into policies and practices concerning places of deprivation of liberty, covering key definitions related to the topic, including a discussion on non-binary

Dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the OSCE Asian Partnership, a new publication provides an in-depth overview of the co-operation between the OSCE and its Asian Partners. It includes all relevant historical documents, details of current and past projects, as well as activities implemented in the context of the OSCE Asian Partnership. The publication is intended to serve as a reference document for policy-makers, officials and practitioners dealing with security co-operation between the OSCE region and the Asian Partners (Afghanistan, Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea and Thailand).

Coalition building is about individual organizations amplifying their voices by working together. Anti-Semitism, intolerance and discrimination are deeply embedded across the OSCE region and addressing them requires the combined efforts of many communities and organizations. It cannot be accomplished in any large measure by just one group acting on its own.

This publication is designed to clarify the interrelationship between freedom of religion and security in light of the OSCE’s comprehensive framework for peace and security. It further explains the nature, status and scope of freedom of religion or belief as enshrined in OSCE commitments and international and regional standards. Finally, it provides guiding principles, practical guidance and recommendations to address a number of issues of note at the intersection of freedom of religion or belief and security in the OSCE region.

This handbook is designed to provide basic guidance on how to observe the use of new voting technologies (NVT) in electoral processes. Several OSCE participating States have implemented or tested NVT during their elections, making use of electronic voting machines, ballot scanners, Internet voting or other electronic means. This handbook is designed to assist election observers in identifying and assessing the various elements of NVT that may impact the conduct of democratic elections.