Europe's Largest OSCE Human Rights Conference in Warsaw
Choose Dialogue, Strengthen Democracy: Under this theme, this year’s Warsaw Human Dimension Conference (WHDC) opened on October 5, 2026, at the Sofitel Victoria Hotel in Warsaw. More than 1,800 participants from 57 OSCE participating States gathered to discuss fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, and the implementation of existing commitments.
More than 1,800 participants are attending the 2026 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference (WHDC), the largest annual human rights conference in Europe. / Picture: © OSCE / ID: 665535, (CC BY-ND 4.0)
The conference, which will take place from October 5 to 15, 2026, is being organized by the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship with the support of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). In light of an increasingly volatile security environment in Europe, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis emphasized the fundamental importance of dialogue. The event offers an irreplaceable forum for maintaining dialogue, even when diplomatic positions have hardened. The stated primary goal of this year’s Swiss Chairmanship is to finally translate existing commitments into concrete actions.
OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu also emphasized in his opening remarks that the foundations in the field of human rights, built up over decades, are more important than ever for comprehensive security in the region. ODIHR Director Maria Telalian added that the ongoing exchange between states and civil society has an impact far beyond the two and a half weeks of the conference.
Key Topics and New Formats
Through a total of ten plenary sessions and approximately 90 accompanying side events, the conference covers a broad spectrum of topics. As an innovation, the Swiss Chairmanship has introduced structured roundtables, which facilitate closer interaction between OSCE institutions, field missions, and participants.
Rule of Law and Institutions: The focus is on the independence of the judiciary, democratic elections, and the prevention of torture.
Fundamental Freedoms and Tolerance: Freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, the rights of national minorities, and measures against discrimination and intolerance.
Civil Society Participation: More than half of the registered participants represent civil society, including human rights defenders and journalists, who can contribute their experiences directly.
Focus on Switzerland’s Roadmap Against Torture
A key milestone on the sidelines of the conference was the presentation of the official “Roadmap on the Prevention and Eradication of Torture” by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on October 6, 2026. State Secretary Alexandre Fasel emphasized that torture prevention was already a priority during Switzerland’s 2014 OSCE Chairmanship, and that the country now intends to build on that work. The action plan comprises 18 concrete points—ranging from improving conditions in detention facilities and banning secret detentions to consistently combating impunity and supporting victims.
In addition to the daily plenary sessions, which are broadcast publicly via live stream, the main focus was on in-depth discussions of thematic challenges such as the protection of human rights in the age of new technologies, combating hate crimes, and promoting gender equality.