Legislationline.org provides direct access to international norms and standards relating to specific human dimension issues (see list of topics on left-hand column) as well as to domestic legislation and other documents of relevance to these issues. These data and other information available from the site are intended for lawmakers across the OSCE region.

Current ODIHR Legislative Assistance Activities

• The ODIHR is pleased to announce the launch of its newly remodelled and improved legal database, Legislationline.org. The database now contains an entire section devoted to lawmaking issues. This section, which is still under construction, aims at providing quick comparative information on issues relating to the legislative systems of OSCE participating States.

• On 5 November, a day before the opening of the Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Democratic Law-making in Vienna, the ODIHR Legislative Support Unit is holding an Experts' Meeting on "Better Legislation in the OSCE region: Improving Lawmaking Processes, Instruments and Techniques". This meeting aims a consolidating the ODIHR methodology for responding to requests for assistance by OSCE participating States in improving the efficiency and transparency of their legislative systems.

• OSCE meeting to discuss ways to ensure democratic lawmaking.

  The process of lawmaking is the focus of an OSCE meeting that starts on Thursday in Vienna. Democratic lawmaking is not just about ensuring that laws are enacted by democratically elected representatives. It is also about ensuring that the public in general is given reasonable opportunities to contribute. The process whereby laws are prepared is as important as their content, because a more open, transparent and participatory process increases the likelihood that new laws will be well received, accepted and properly implemented. The meeting, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Finnish OSCE Chairmanship, will discuss ways to encourage and support initiatives to strengthen the transparency and inclusiveness of lawmaking processes.

• On 19-20 November 2008 the ODIHR in close cooperation with the OSCE Centre in Ashgabad and the National Institute for Democracy and human Rights of Turkmenistan will hold a workshop on "Evaluation and Oversight of Legislation". The workshop will bring together Turkmen governmental officials, high-ranked staff from the presidential administration, parliamentarians and high-level civil servants from the parliamentary administration, Supreme Court and other relevant state bodies