Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was established in 1995, succeeding the 1975 signing of the Helsinki Final Act and the creation of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), a mechanism designed to reduce political and military tensions during the Cold War.
Today, the OSCE has 57 member-states, which, in the organization's terminology, are referred to as participating States (countries of Europe, countries of the former Soviet Union, the United States, and Canada), with its headquarters located in Vienna. The OSCE decisions are taken by consensus on a politically, but not legally, binding basis.
The OSCE’s stated goal is to enhance European security through cooperation and dialogue. The work of the organization is structured along three dimensions:
I. A Politico-Military Dimension (encompassing issues of trust-building, conflict prevention, crisis management, arms control, combatting terrorism, crime and human trafficking, cybersecurity)
II. An Economic and Environmental Dimension (addressing environmental protection, the climate crisis, combating organized crime, corruption and money laundering)
III. A Human Dimension (focused on the protection of human rights, media freedom, election observation, combating discrimination and promoting the Rule of Law and tolerance).
OSCE Bodies and Institutions include:
1. The Ministerial Council which takes the major political decisions and convenes annually in the country holding the OSCE Chairmanship.
2. The OSCE Chairmanship which coordinates the work of the Organization and is held by a different participating State on an annual basis. The Chairmanship for the year 2024 is held by Malta.
3. The Permanent Council which consists of the Permanent Representatives of the participating States and meets on a weekly basis to address current affairs.
4. The Forum for Security Cooperation, which also meets on a weekly basis to discuss issues of military cooperation.
5. The Organization's Secretariat, which supports the Chairmanship in its activities and provides operational and administrative support to field operations and other Institutions. The Secretary General is, as of 2020, Ms. Helga Schmid (Germany).
6. The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) which is based in Warsaw and is tasked with election observation and the advancement of the Rule of Law. Since 2020, head of the Office is Mr. Matteo Mecacci (Italy).
7. The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, who is responsible for related issues. As of 2020, Ms. Teresa Ribeiro (Portugal) holds this position.
8. The High Commissioner on National Minorities, with responsibilities concerning minority issues in the OSCE participating States. Since 2020, this position has been held by Mr. Kairat Abdrakhmanov (Kazakhstan).
9. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which consists of parliamentarians from the participating States and meets three times a year.
The OSCE is supported in its work by field missions and offices that have been deployed, upon invitation, in the territories of 14 participating States (mainly in the Western Balkans and Central Asia) to support local authorities on issues of strengthening democratic institutions, the Rule of Law, and the protection of human rights.
Concurrently, the OSCE maintains special relations with Mediterranean (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia) and Asian (Afghanistan, Japan, South Korea, Thailand) partners, as well as Australia. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the OSCE has seen its operations hampered, given Russia's persistence in creating obstacles, invoking the rule of consensus, in decision-making on a series of critical issues, such as the choice of the country that will hold the Presidency in 2024, the approval of the budget, and the appointment of successors or renewal of the terms of the 4 Senior Officials of the Organization (Secretary-General, Director of ODIHR, Representative on Freedom of the Media, High Commissioner on National Minorities).
Greece, a founding member of the OSCE, faithfully fulfills the obligations arising from the Organization's contractual texts and participates in its activities, either autonomously or as a member of the European Union, actively contributing to the shaping of the latter's positions on issues discussed within the OSCE. In 2009, Greece held the Organization’s Chairmanship with great success, as reflected in the adoption of seventeen (17) Decisions during the annual Ministerial Council, the highest number compared to all Councils that preceded or have followed since.
Greece's positions within the OSCE are promoted by its Permanent Representation at the Organization’s headquarters. Visit the Permanent Representation website at: https://www.mfa.gr/missionsabroad/osce.html
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