A/HRC/24/55 tackling the implementation gap; and (c) mainstreaming human rights: a human rightsbased approach for the post-2015 development agenda.6 VIII. Consultations with stakeholders A. Regional human rights mechanisms 40. Mandate holders interacted with the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. 41. The Deputy Director of ODIHR provided an overview of the geographic scope of OSCE which goes beyond Europe with Central Asia and North America fully participating and some States from Asia and the Mediterranean region acting as observers. He also pointed to the three dimensions of OSCE: security, environment and human rights. Noting that it was a consensus-based organization founded on political commitments rather than on legally binding obligations, he stressed that the ODIHR mandate was consistent with that of special procedures in many areas, including freedom of assembly, human rights defenders, trafficking, religion, education, racism and independence of judges and lawyers. The work of ODIHR in elections in transition countries was of particular relevance. Together with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission (European Commission for Democracy through Law), ODIHR often reviewed legislation in order to encourage legal frameworks to be brought into line with international standards. The importance of enhancing informationsharing was emphasized, while it was also noted that ODIHR was ready to broaden cooperation with special procedures, including through joint recommendations, joint visits and joint publications. 42. The Director of Human Rights of the Council of Europe noted that the Council was a standard-setting organization with 47 member States. A key body was the European Court of Human Rights, which issued legally binding judgements. The Council collaborated with United Nations treaty bodies and submitted information to the UPR. He encouraged closer coordination with special procedures in relation to country visits and exchange of information generally. 43. The Head of Communications of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights described the Agency’s mandate as follows: provide assistance on fundamental rights issues to European institutions and member States and to gather and disseminate objective information and data on fundamental rights in the European Union. Specific areas of work were access to justice, assistance to victims of crimes, Roma integration, migrants’ rights and asylum, rights of the child and racism. He also referred to instances of past cooperation with United Nations special procedures, in particular on the right to housing and migrants’ rights. 44. Several mandate holders drew attention to the impact of austerity measures in European countries, which were sometimes in contradiction with international and European human rights norms. They also noted that the economic crisis was associated with the revival of racism. Some commented on the fact that bilateral and free trade agreements were largely driven by corporations, while civil society had little input. Migration was an important issue in Europe and both the Council of Europe and OSCE had important roles to play. A framework for monitoring and accountability was needed. One mandate holder stressed the fact that Europe had experience in addressing transitional 6 See http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Events/OHCHR20/Vienna20_conf_report.pdf. 11