WHDC 2024 – Difficult human rights situation in the OSCE region
Press releases,
16.10.2024
The third Warsaw Human Dimension Conference (WHDC) took place from 30 September to 11 October with around 1,500 participants. The conference provided an opportunity for OSCE member states to engage in lively exchanges with representatives of international human rights organisations.
The conference was organised by the Maltese OSCE Chairmanship and provided an important platform for the exchange and critical examination of the implementation of OSCE commitments. The conference was opened by the President of Malta, Myriam Spiteri Debono (via video message) for the OSCE Chair-in-Office, the Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, as representative of the host country, and the Finnish Deputy Foreign Minister Outi Holopainen, on behalf of the 2025 OSCE Chairmanship. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Tim Enderlin, head of the FDFA's Directorate of Political Affairs, emphasised the importance of accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and human rights, and expressed concern about the decline of democracy and the restriction of fundamental freedoms in the OSCE region. Switzerland also addressed the topics of freedom of expression, torture prevention and democratic institutions, and organised a side event together with the Danish delegation on the prevention of torture in detention centres.
As in previous years, delegations and civil society representatives expressed their concerns in the plenary sessions about the human rights situations in Russia and Belarus, as well as the impact of the war against Ukraine. In addition, the spread of restrictive laws that limit the work of NGOs and media professionals, as well as the restriction of minority rights (especially LGBTIQ+ rights), was increasingly focussed on as an early warning sign of anti-democratic steps.
Press releases,
30.04.2024
The Swiss delegation to the OSCE has been organising a torture prevention conference in Vienna together with the Danish delegation for several years. Last year, the half-day event focused on the application of a victim-centred approach in dealing with victims of torture and ensuring the right to rehabilitation and reparation.
The conference, which was attended by more than 80 people, provided a platform for OSCE participating States, international organisations and civil society to exchange best practices in the field of rehabilitation and redress for torture and other ill-treatment, both in times of peace and war. The event was co-sponsored by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), as well as the 2023 OSCE Chairmanship of North Macedonia, and politically supported by 42 participating States.
As in previous years, an online publication was created in an attempt to collect and structure recommendations from the speakers and participants of the conference. The aim of the document is to continue the dialogue on the prevention of torture.
