Washington, DC - The Honorable David J. Kramer will lead the U.S. delegation to the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), to be held in Warsaw, Poland, September 21 through October 2. This annual meeting is an opportunity for civil society and the governments of the OSCE’s 57 participating States to collaborate to advance human rights and fundamental freedoms across the OSCE region from Vancouver to Vladivostok.

The U.S. delegation will engage with human rights defenders, representatives of civil society organizations, and international experts from across North America, Europe, and Eurasia who will participate in the meetings and other events highlighting human rights and democracy concerns.

The HDIM is a forum to review the implementation of human rights-related OSCE commitments across the OSCE region. The OSCE’s comprehensive security framework – encompassing the politico-military, economic and environmental, and human rights dimensions of security – is as relevant today as it was when the Helsinki process was launched forty years ago. Today’s major challenges – such as the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine including the occupation of Crimea; large-scale refugee and migrant flows into the OSCE region; ongoing discrimination, intolerance and hate crimes; and setbacks for civil society and democratic institutions – demonstrate that respect for human rights within states is essential to lasting security, cooperation and peaceful relations among states.

Mr. Kramer served eight years in the U.S. Department of State, including as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2008-2009) and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (2005-2008). Following his work at the Department of State, he joined the German Marshall Fund of the United States as a Senior Transatlantic Fellow, and later served as President of Freedom House. Mr. Kramer joined the McCain Institute for International Leadership as Senior Director for Human Rights and Democracy in November 2014.

Members of the U.S. delegation to the 2014 HDIM include:

• The Honorable David J. Kramer, McCain Institute for International Leadership, Head of Delegation
• Ambassador Daniel Baer, U.S. Permanent Representative to the OSCE
• Ira Forman, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism
• Judith Heumann, Special Advisor for International Disability Rights
• Robert Berschinski, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
• Ambassador David Killion, Senior Senate Staff Representative, Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission)