130 PROMOTING AND PROTECTING MINORITY RIGHTS Making submissions to the High Commissioner on National Minorities While the High Commissioner on National Minorities does not act as a complaint mechanism, the office is open to direct approaches and submissions from concerned persons. There is no special format required for reports or information to be transmitted to the office, but any communication should be in writing, provide full names and addresses and be signed. It should contain a factual account of relevant developments and include only information that can be substantiated, to draw attention towards a situation that falls within the mandate of the High Commissioner. Contacts and further information The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Prinsessegracht 22 2515 AP The Hague The Netherlands Tel: 31 70 312 5500 Fax: 31 70 363 5910 E-mail: hcnm@hcnm.org Website: www.osce.org/hcnm Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is the largest OSCE specialized body and is dedicated to building and supporting democracy and a culture that recognizes and respects human rights. Several of the activities of its five departments (Elections, Democratization, Human Rights, Tolerance and Non-discrimination, and the Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues) are highly relevant for minorities (e.g., the observation of elections, review of legislation or monitoring of human rights throughout the OSCE area). ODIHR also conducts training programmes for Government and law enforcement officials, as well as NGOs, on how to uphold, promote and monitor human rights. A number of these activities are aimed at increasing the capacity of NGOs to monitor the human rights situation in their own countries in an objective and professional way. Support is also targeted at NGOs operating outside capital cities, where it is often harder to obtain international assistance. ODIHR is currently implementing a project in four countries in Central Asia, for example, focusing on human rights in pretrial detention, an issue of concern throughout the region. It has conducted training sessions on monitoring human rights in places of detention and has supported subsequent monitoring projects conducted by participants. NGOs interested in receiving human rights training can contact ODIHR directly to discuss the possibilities. ODIHR also plays an important role in facilitating dialogue between States and civil society on human and minority rights, for example, through the two-week Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw. This is Europe’s largest annual human rights and democracy conference, attended by the 56 participating States of OSCE and up to 500 representatives of NGOs. Participation is open to human rights NGOs, minority groups and other civil society actors from all OSCE participating States, who can raise human rights issues with their Governments and the international community.151 The Tolerance and Non-discrimination Programme of ODIHR works to raise awareness and build Government capacity to prevent hate-based crime, monitor discrimination and combat various forms of intolerance. It does this through education programmes, legislative assistance, See www.osce.org/hdim_2012. To register for OSCE/ODIHR conferences, see http://meetings.odihr.pl/ (accessed 4 December 2012). 151