The Commission engages directly with governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the media, and has held hearings and other events on refugees and migration, including a 2015 hearing on the refugee crisis in Europe, a 2013 hearing on Syrian refugees fleeing to the OSCE region, and a 1993 hearing on migrant farmworkers in the United States that preceded the 1994 CSCE Human Dimension Seminar on Migrant Workers.
Commission efforts have also focused on combating prejudice and bias-motivated crimes against refugees and migrants and ensuring that OSCE participating States keep their OSCE commitments regarding these populations. The Commission has consistently supported a strong role for the OSCE’s Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in assisting participating States in this regard.
Staff Contact: Janice Helwig, senior policy advisor