UN Human Rights Office signs cooperation agreement with OSCE human rights body

GENEVA (12 June 2014) – UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay and the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Janez Lenarcic, signed a joint declaration today in Geneva to prepare deeper cooperation between the two bodies across the 57 participating states of the OSCE.

OHCHR and the OSCE's ODIHR office will cooperate in assisting governments to implement both the recommendations of international human rights mechanisms*, and the human dimension commitments of the OSCE. This work will focus on human rights, democracy, rule of law, elections, tolerance, non-discrimination and gender equality.

The two bodies have recently stepped up their cooperation as they carry out their human rights monitoring operations in Ukraine.

“The OSCE is a key partner in Europe, North America and Central Asia, and the work of our two organisations is in many ways profoundly complementary,”
Navi Pillay said. “When both international and regional organizations work together in this way, they can amplify the impact on the protection and promotion of human rights.”

“OHCHR and OSCE field presences in South Caucasus, Central Asia, and eastern and southern Europe have established good working relationships across a range of topics,” Pillay said. “These include human rights education, human trafficking, the rights of minorities and Roma, review of national legislation for compliance with international human rights law, and efforts to further tolerance and non-discrimination.”

The two organizations have also worked together in the context of the Geneva International Discussions to resolve the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia. Such partnerships will now feature throughout the field offices and headquarters of the two organisations.

ENDS

*According to the provisions of the Joint Declaration, OHCHR and ODIHR will cooperate in assisting governments to implement recommendations from the human rights treaty monitoring bodies, the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, and the Council’s Universal Periodic Review, as well as related commitments under the OSCE’s “human dimension” norms.

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