As a foundation, we participated for the second time in the Human Dimension Conference organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). This year’s conference carried particular significance as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act.
But what are the OSCE, the Helsinki Final Act, and the Human Dimension Conference?
Signed in 1975 in the tense atmosphere of the Cold War, the Helsinki Final Act represents one of the key milestones in shaping Europe’s approach to security, co-operation, and human rights.
The OSCE, which today includes 57 participating States from within and beyond Europe, is the world’s largest regional security organization. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, based in Warsaw, is the OSCE institution responsible for advancing democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Each year, in September or October, ODIHR convenes the region’s largest human rights conference, bringing together representatives of participating States, international organizations, and civil society.
This year, under Finland’s Chairpersonship, the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act was commemorated with renewed emphasis on the principle that confidence-building among States cannot be achieved solely through military or political measures, but must also rest upon respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
In her opening remarks, the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Elina Valtonen, highlighted that the building of trust between States cannot be ensured by governments alone, underlining the crucial role of civil society and the importance of not fearing its engagement. She noted that, compared to fifty years ago, we now face new challenges such as hybrid and cyber threats, while older threats have not entirely disappeared. She also underlined that the record participation of nearly two thousand attendees this year reflects the continuing relevance of human rights issues across the OSCE region.
During the main sessions of the conference, experts addressed a wide range of topics under the broader framework of human rights — including international human rights law, democracy and democratic elections, freedom of expression and media, and the prevention of torture.
In the side events, participants heard directly from those personally affected by human rights violations — such as exiled journalists and political prisoners — while discussions also focused on the democratic backsliding observed in countries like Georgia and Belarus. Naturally, Russia was the country most frequently mentioned throughout the conference. The devastating impact of the war and the suffering of the Ukrainian people were addressed in nearly every session from various perspectives.
It was inspiring to witness the unanimous expressions of solidarity with Ukraine by both participating States and civil society organizations. Needless to say, representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus were not present at the conference.
So why did we, as a foundation, take part in this conference, and what did we do there?
As a relatively young foundation, our participation represents one of our first steps toward greater international engagement and network-building. We chose to focus on one of the most distressing human rights concerns we have been closely following in Türkiye — the situation of women and children in detention. We presented our briefing document on this issue to the participants we met, both to establish contacts and to raise awareness about the deeply troubling and unlawful practices taking place in Türkiye.
During the opening reception hosted by the Finnish Chairpersonship, a young Norwegian diplomat I met said to me: “I know that some politicians in Türkiye have been imprisoned, but I’m not very familiar with what else is happening. Could you explain?”
That moment was both encouraging and disheartening for me — encouraging because he was curious and willing to learn, but disheartening because it showed that there are still places our message has not reached — and this was Norway, after all. Of course, it is unrealistic to expect everyone, even diplomats, to be informed about every human rights violation. Yet I cannot help but feel that the unlawful and inhumane practices that have persisted in Türkiye for years should have attracted far more attention internationally. This realization reinforces for me the importance of our foundation’s work and the need for continued and intensified effort.
If you ask whether the human rights situation in Türkiye came up during the sessions,I will address that topic and the other discussions in a separate article.
Ömer
