WARSAW, 24 September 2012 – Addressing the OSCE Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights' annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) today, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Riccardo Migliori called for a renewed focus on human rights in the organization.

"In 1975," he said, "the Helsinki Process ensured that human rights were forever linked to comprehensive security. We called it the 'third dimension' or 'third basket,' but for so many of us it remains the first priority. Now, 37 years later, amid a time of frozen conflicts and failed states, climate change and economic crisis, I fear the OSCE has relegated human rights to a back seat."

Human dimension activities at the OSCE headquarters in Vienna have insignificant media visibility, Migliori lamented, and scarce follow-up. "The main focus on this dimension is these couple weeks in Warsaw," he said, referring to the two-week HDIM. "That's not enough."

In order to prioritize the human dimension of the organization, Migliori urged formalizing the role of civil society within the OSCE, as called for in the OSCE PA's Monaco Declaration, by establishing an advisory board comprised of representatives from leading NGOs working on OSCE issues.

"At the Parliamentary Assembly we lead by example," Migliori said. "We hold these kinds of meetings regularly. Some of our members went from exile to election in just the last two decades."

The HDIM is organized every year by the ODIHR as a platform for OSCE participating States, Partners for Co-operation, civil society, international organizations and OSCE structures to take stock of the implementation of OSCE human dimension commitments, discuss associated challenges, share good practices and make recommendations for further improvements.

Today was President Migliori's first time addressing the annual meeting.