Over the past decade, Commissioners, the OSCE, and OSCE PA have responded actively to heightened anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-migrant, and religious and racist violence in the region, including against Roma and People of African Descent in Europe and North America. Commission efforts have also included annual hearings, legislation, and inter-parliamentary initiatives on topics ranging from anti-Semitism and Black Europeans to discrimination against Christians and Muslims in the OSCE region and OSCE Partner States.
Commissioner initiatives, including OSCE PA resolutions, set the stage for the OSCE’s creation in 2004 of three Personal Representatives focused on combating anti-Semitism, xenophobia, and religious and racial discrimination and the creation of the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination (TND) Office within ODIHR. The TND office annually collects hate crimes data and provides training and assistance to police, prosecutors, and civil society to combat prejudice and discrimination. The Commission holds regular hearings with the three Personal Representatives and head of the TND Office. Commissioner initiatives have included joint efforts with European Parliamentarians to advance inclusive governance through regular Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership events in the European Parliament and the State Department and German Marshall Fund to advance diverse and inclusive leaders through the Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network; and the introduction of legislative efforts in the U.S. Congress such as the U.S-EU Joint Action Plan to combat prejudice and discrimination.
