OSCE, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 47: Rapport fra OSCE PAs 25. Årlige Session i Tbilisi, Georgien den 1.-5. juli 2016

OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2015-16
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 47
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OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s

REPORT

25th Annual Session

Tbilisi, Georgia

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REPORT ON THE

25th ANNUAL SESSION OF THE OSCE

PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

CONTENTS

Summary ................................................................................................

Tbilisi Declaration .........................................................................

Inaugural Plenary Session ...........................................................

Standing Committee ........................................................................

General Committee on Political Affairs and Security ...

General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science,

Technology and Environment ................................................

General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and

Humanitarian Questions ............................................................

Second Plenary Session ..................................................................

Closing Plenary Session .................................................................

Officers of the Assembly ................................................................

General Committee Officers ........................................................

Prepared by the OSCE PA International Secretariat

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Summary

Hosted by the Georgian Parliament, the OSCE PA’s 25h Annual Session took place 1-5 July 2016.

ringing together some 250 members of

parliament from 53 OSCE participating

States and two Partners for Co-operation, the

25th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary

Assembly took place 1-5 July 2016 in Tbilisi.

The Session was held under the theme “25

Years of Parliamentary Co-operation: Building

Trust Through Dialogue,” commemorating the

quarter-century anniversary of the Assembly’s

work.

Featuring several days of parliamentary

debate in committee and plenary meetings,

the Session culminated in the adoption by

majority vote of the 2016 Tbilisi Declaration,

which contains the Assembly’s wide-ranging

pronouncements and policy recommendations

for the OSCE and its participating States in

the fields of political affairs, economics, the

environment and human rights.

The Session featured speeches by Georgian

officials including Speaker of Parliament David

Usupashvili, President Giorgi Margvelashvili,

and Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, as

well as OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva

(Finland) and OSCE Chairman-in-Office

and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter

Steinmeier.

In addition to adopting the Tbilisi

Declaration, the Assembly elected its new

leadership, with Austrian parliamentarian

Christine Muttonen elected President, and

Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene (Lithuania),

Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan), Isabel Santos

(Portugal) and Victor Dobre (Romania) elected

Vice-Presidents.

The General Committee on Political Affairs

and Security elected Roger Wicker (United

States) as Chair, Guglielmo Picchi (Italy) as

Vice-Chair, and Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden)

as Rapporteur.

The General Committee on Economic

Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment

elected Nilza Sena (Portugal) as Chair, Artur

Gerasymov (Ukraine) as Vice-Chair, and

Marietta Tidei (Italy) as Rapporteur.

The General Committee on Democracy,

Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions

elected Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain) as Chair,

Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) as Vice-

Chair, and Kyriakos Kyriakou-Hadjiyanni

(Cyprus) as Rapporteur.

The Standing Committee met on 1 July to

allocate supplementary items to the general

committees, and heard reports from the

Treasurer, German parliamentarian Doris

Barnett, who focused on the OSCE PA’s

present financial situation, and Secretary

General Roberto Montella, who described his

priorities of strengthening the International

Secretariat and enhancing co-operation with

partners. Special Representatives, leaders

of election observation missions, and chairs

of ad hoc committees also reported to the

Standing Committee on their ongoing work

and upcoming activities.

Several meetings were held on the margins

of the Annual Session, including events

focused on the progress of reforms in Georgia,

gender equality, nuclear disarmament, human

trafficking, mediation, and migration.

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Tbilisi Declaration

t the close of each Annual Session, the

Assembly adopts a Declaration with

recommendations in the fields of political

affairs, security, economics, environment and

human rights. Representing the collective

voice of the OSCE parliamentarians, the

Declaration helps shape OSCE and national

policy. It is complemented by a number

of supplementary items relating to OSCE

commitments and values.

Voting on the Tbilisi Declaration.

he Assembly adopted the 2016 Tbilisi Declaration urges all parties to fully implement

Declaration on 5 July, addressing key issues the Package of Measures for the Implementation

in the fields of political affairs and security,

of the Minsk Agreements, and “underlines

economics, the environment, human rights, and respect for the principles of the inviolability

humanitarian concerns. Following its adoption, of frontiers and territorial integrity, peaceful

the Declaration was sent to parliaments and settlement of disputes, equal rights, and self-

to the foreign ministers of OSCE countries, determination of peoples as stated in the

serving as policy guidance to governments and Helsinki Final Act.”

the international community.

Regarding climate change, the Declaration

Among the issues covered in the Declaration calls upon parliamentarians to promote political

are

terrorism,

the

dialogue in order to

crisis in and around

achieve the goals set

“The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

Ukraine,

protracted

reaffirms the undiminished validity and

by the Paris Climate

conflicts in Georgia,

adopted

historic role of the guiding principles

Agreement

countering corruption,

in 2015, and to ensure

and common values of the Helsinki

energy, climate change,

that the Agreement’s

Final Act signed in 1975.”

migration, and the

targets are met “with the

rights of refugees.

greatest sense of urgency

2016 OSCE PA Tbilisi Declaration

Stressing the theme

by implementing robust

of trust-building, the

policies and regulations

Declaration “reaffirms the undiminished

on greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating

validity and historic role of the guiding the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

principles and common values of the Helsinki

On migration, the Declaration stresses the

Final Act signed in 1975, including the importance of prioritizing the rights of those

commitments on politico-military, economic,

displaced by conflicts, and urges governments

environmental, human rights, and humanitarian to stop imposing legal and physical barriers to

issues.” It regrets however the trend of gridlock

the movement of people fleeing violence, as

in the OSCE and urges OSCE countries to well as to actively work toward an inclusive

enhance the level of co-operation in addressing approach to migrants and refugees.

common challenges.

The Assembly also approved 15 resolutions

On terrorism, the Declaration calls upon to supplement the Declaration, addressing

governments to strengthen co-operation and issues such as fundamental freedoms in the

develop measures aimed at blocking the funding Crimean peninsula, prevention of child sexual

of terrorist organizations. It further urges the

exploitation, confidence-building measures

OSCE to help governments counter violent in the Baltic Sea region, and ensuring that

extremism through pragmatic assistance and members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

promotion of best practices.

affected by international travel bans are able to

On the crisis in and around Ukraine, the attend OSCE events.

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Inaugural Plenary Session

President Ilkka Kanerva chairs the 25th Annual Session’s opening plenary on 1 July.

eorgian officials including President

Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister

Giorgi Kvirikashvili, and Speaker of Parlia-

ment David Usupashvili addressed the open-

ing plenary of the Annual Session on 1 July.

Also speaking during the plenary were OSCE

PA President Ilkka Kanerva, and OSCE Chair-

person-in-Office and German Foreign Minis-

ter Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Parliamentarians

in the opening plenary session considered a

supplementary item, “Strengthening Relations

Between the OSCE PA and the OSCE,” which

was agreed to unanimously.

David Usupashvili, President of

the Parliament of Georgia

President of the Parliament of Georgia David

Usupashvili opened the Session by noting that

2016 is a landmark year for both the OSCE

Parliamentary Assembly and the nation of

Georgia, as it marks the 25th anniversary of the

PA’s establishment and the 25th anniversary

of Georgia’s independence. Emphasizing that

recent problems in the OSCE area have largely

been due to a lack of trust and co-operation,

he insisted on the need to promote dialogue to

restore confidence and resolve conflicts.

He also called for transformation of the

OSCE to “effectively handle the growing defi-

cit of security and co-operation of the modern

world.” He further stressed the need to consol-

idate efforts and “deal with all types of threats

together; all other paths will lead us to defeat.”

well as for the wider region.

“Sovereignty of certain countries are vio-

lated,” he said. The lack of respect for terri-

torial integrity, he said, further complicates

various problems that require international co-

operation, including terrorism and drug traf-

ficking.

He also expressed his country’s readiness

for negotiations in resolving conflicts, for

contributing to the enhancement of global

peace and security, and for acting as a facilita-

tor of co-operation across Eurasia, especially

through opening new co-operative relation-

ships between European and Asian regions.

President Margvelashvili concluded by

noting the key role of the OSCE in consolidat-

ing the country’s democratic progress.

Giorgi Kvirikashvili,

Prime Minister of Georgia

Prime Minister Kvirikashvili discussed the

challenges the OSCE is facing, especially in

regards to the situation in the Caucasus region.

“Today,” he said, “as we are witnessing the

worst security crisis on our continent, the role

that the OSCE has to play in addressing stabil-

ity and security issues is ever more important.”

In this regard, he called for the establishment

of a new perspective for the OSCE in order

to implement peaceful resolution of conflicts,

and to restore collaborative relationships.

He further emphasized the importance of

European and Euro-Atlantic integration for

Georgia, and highlighted reforms that Georgia

has implemented, while also noting the chal-

Giorgi Margvelashvili,

lenges the country continues to face.

President of Georgia

Finally he called for the restoration of a full-

The President of Georgia highlighted secu-

fledged and comprehensive OSCE Mission in

rity as the biggest challenge for Georgia, as Georgia.

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Inaugural Plenary Session

Ilkka Kanerva,

President of the OSCE PA

President Kanerva, recalling that the previ-

ous year’s Annual Session had been held at the

birthplace of the Helsinki Final Act in Finlan-

dia Hall, insisted on the undiminished validity

of the Helsinki Principles, despite recent set-

backs in promoting security and stability.

“The security environment has largely dete-

riorated across the OSCE area due to ongoing

crises and unresolved conflicts, as well as envi-

ronmental and humanitarian concerns that are

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

undermining human security in many of our

countries,” he said. Nevertheless, he expressed

He described the steps taken by the German

a firm belief in the importance of dialogue Chairmanship to address these conflicts “with

and co-operation, and reaffirmed the need to

a two-pronged approach: On the one hand,

respect fundamental principles such as territo- with a policy of small steps in order to create

rial integrity. He also emphasized the role the a minimum of trust between the parties and

PA can play as a unique forum that engages in to improve the everyday lives of people in

open and direct dia-

the region. … On

logue to build trust.

“We

should utilize the OSCE’s comprehen-

the other hand, we

“As we see the

sive security framework and work together

intend to revive

interrelated effects

and intensify nego-

towards building bridges, not walls.”

that various crises

tiation formats and

are having on our

channels of commu-

OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva

mutual

security,

nication.”

we cannot afford to

Steinmeier con-

retreat into an isola-

cluded by evoking

tionist mindset. Instead we should utilize the the key role MPs could play in strengthening

OSCE’s comprehensive security framework societies’ capacity for peace, and welcoming

and work together towards building bridges,

“the manifold efforts by the members of the

not walls,” said President Kanerva.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to ... support

the process of mediation.”

Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chairper-

son in office of the OSCE, German

Supplementary Items

Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs

Following the opening addresses, parlia-

The German Foreign Minister and OSCE mentarians took up the supplementary item

CiO recalled the priority of the German Chair- “Strengthening Relations Between the OSCE

manship to find ways to resolve intractable

PA and the OSCE,” principally sponsored by

conflicts in the OSCE area, as “managing the

Gudmundur Steingrimsson (Iceland). The

status quo is not acceptable,” and to strengthen item was adopted by unanimous vote with no

dialogue and co-operation.

amendments.

Georgia in focus on Session’s opening day

A working lunch on 1 July organized by the OSCE PA’s Georgian Delegation featured discus-

sions on the rule of law, democracy and transparency in Georgia. Featuring keynote speeches

by Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Professor S. Neil MacFarlane, the event was moder-

ated by Tedo Japaridze, Acting Head of the Georgian Delegation to the OSCE PA and Chairman

of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Parliament of Georgia.

Speakers focused in particular on the state of reform efforts in the country.

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Standing Committee

he Standing Committee consists of the

57 Heads of National Delegations and

Members of the Bureau. Meeting three

times a year – at the Winter Meeting, the

Autumn Meeting and the Annual Session

– the Standing Committee guides the work

of the Assembly, approves its budget, and

elects the OSCE PA Secretary General.

resident Ilkka Kanerva opened the OSCE plementary items for general debate, allocat-

PA’s Standing Committee meeting on 1 July

ing five to the First Committee, two to the

with a report on his activities since the previous Second Committee and six to the Third Com-

Annual Session in Helsinki, noting a number mittee. Two supplementary items, “Strengthen-

of high-level meetings he has held, as well as ing Relations Between the OSCE PA and the

discussing political issues in the OSCE region OSCE” and the Compromise Supplementary

and highlighting the Assembly’s achievements Item on “Unrestricted Access of Members of

the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Attending

of the past 25 years.

“Earlier this year our Assembly celebrated our

Official OSCE Events and Other Activities,”

25th anniversary, and 25 years of leading open were allocated to the plenary.

Thanking the Georgian hosts for their excel-

and inclusive inter-parliamentary dialogue on

lent organization of

the most challeng-

“Maintaining the flexibility to engage in

the Annual Session,

ing issues and trying

to find solutions that

the most relevant political issues has been a

OSCE PA Secretary

Roberto

truly deliver for our

hallmark of the Assembly’s first 25 years; we

General

people in the OSCE

should continue to capitalize on this strength

Montella presented

his report, which

area,” Kanerva said.

and use it to full effect.”

focused largely on

He highlighted the

his priorities of

special report he

President Kanerva’s report, “Our common

strengthening

the

had prepared and

vision for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly”

International Secre-

distributed

ahead

tariat and enhancing

of the Annual Ses-

co-operation

with

sion, “Our common

vision for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: partners, as well as a summary of ongoing and

Supporting OSCE principles and facilitating upcoming activities. He said that his guiding

parliamentary dialogue,” which outlines the principles for managing the Secretariat over the

Assembly’s strengths and areas that could be past six months are what he referred to as the

“triple A’s” – assess, adapt, advance.

further developed.

Leaders of recent election observation mis-

The Standing Committee also heard a report

of the Treasurer, German parliamentarian

sions also reported their findings to the Stand-

Doris Barnett, focused on the OSCE PA’s pre- ing Committee, followed by a number of reports

sent financial situation. She warmly thanked

from Special Representatives and chairs of ad

the Parliament of Georgia for hosting the 25th hoc committees.

Information was further provided by Heads

Annual Session, noting that the Assembly

needs the constant support of national delega- of Delegations on upcoming meetings of the

tions, including by hosting meetings. Barnett OSCE PA, including the Autumn Meeting to be

reported that despite an increase in activities, held in Skopje from 29 September to 2 October

the Assembly remains within its approved 2016, the Winter Meeting in Vienna on 23-24

budget. Following a brief debate, the budget February 2017, and the 26th Annual Session,

for the 2016/2017 financial year was unani-

which will be held in Minsk on 5-9 July 2017.

mously approved.

Kyrgyzstan also announced its intentions to

The Standing Committee approved 15 sup- host the 2018 Autumn Meeting.

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General Committee on

Political Affairs and Security

Roger Wicker (center) chairs the First Committee meeting on 2 July.

eginning its work on 2 July, the General

Committee on Political Affairs and Secu-

rity held a total of four sessions, with Chair

Roger Wicker (United States), Vice-Chair

Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan) and Rapporteur

Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) serving as offic-

ers. The committee debated and approved five

supplementary items, covering issues includ-

ing protracted conflicts, the possible contribu-

tions of the OSCE PA to developing effective

responses to crises and conflicts, reconsolidat-

ing European security as a common project,

and enhanced co-operation and confidence

building measures in the Baltic Sea region.

Report and Resolution

Rapporteur Margareta Cederfelt presented

her report with a focus on rebuilding trust and

stability in the OSCE region, with other key

points including the fight against transnational

terrorism, the crisis in and around Ukraine,

protracted conflicts, women in armed conflict

and the link between security and democracy.

Cederfelt’s resolution urges participating

States to strengthen co-operation on anti-ter-

rorism and develop measures aimed at block-

ing the funding of terrorist organizations. The

resolution further calls on the OSCE to help

Side events on mediation, nuclear disarmament

A side event was held

during the Annual Session

on nuclear non-prolifer-

ation and disarmament.

Co-sponsored by Parliamen-

tarians for Nuclear Non-Pro-

liferation and Disarmament

PA Vice-President Christine Muttonen (right) speaks at the nuclear disarmament

side event on 4 July.

(PNND) and the Austrian,

Canadian and Swiss delega-

tions to the OSCE PA, the working lunch was chaired by Hedy Fry (Canada) and featured remarks

by OSCE PA Vice-President Christine Muttonen (Austria). Also speaking were Co-President of

PNND Paul Dewar, Deputy Head of the Swiss OSCE PA Delegation Margaret Kiener Nellen, and

PNND French Director Jean-Marie Collin. The event focused on prospects for global nuclear

non-proliferation and disarmament within the context of an increasingly fragile security envi-

ronment in the OSCE area.

In an event on 3 July focused on mediation, OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland)

and Finnish Ambassador to the OSCE Katja Pehrman spoke about parliamentary contributions

to conflict resolution and prevention.

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General Committee on

Political Affairs and Security

governments counter terrorism through

pragmatic assistance and promotion of

best practices, and urges a comprehensive

settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh con-

flict within the framework of the Minsk

Group. Regarding the crisis in and around

Ukraine, the resolution urges all parties

to fully implement the Package of Meas-

ures for the Implementation of the Minsk

Agreements.

The committee debated a number of

issues related to the security situation in

Rapporteur Margareta Cederfelt confers with Deputy Secretary

General Gustavo Pallares on 2 July.

the OSCE area, with a particular focus on

resolving the crisis in and around Ukraine

(Switzerland), with four amendments. The res-

and protracted conflicts in the South Caucasus.

olution calls upon the current and upcoming

Parliamentarians stressed that constructive OSCE Chairmanships, in close co-operation

dialogue will help rebuild trust among par- with the OSCE Troika and the OSCE Secre-

ticipating States and thereby facilitate the full tariat, to prepare concrete proposals on how

implementation of key documents and agree- political discussions on European security can

ments aimed at stabilizing the situation on the be further developed within the OSCE, with a

ground and exerting more pressure for achiev- view to restoring co-operative security in the

ing peace.

OSCE area.

There were 87 proposed amendments to the

Authored by Arta Dade (Albania), the reso-

resolution, with 47 adopted.

lution “The Republic of Moldova” passed with

five amendments. The resolution proposes

Supplementary Items

to facilitate parliamentary dialogue between

members of the Moldovan Parliament and

The First Committee discussed five supple-

representatives of the Transnistrian legislative

mentary items. The resolution “The Possible body under the auspices of the Parliamentary

Contributions of the OSCE PA to Developing Team on Moldova and with the support of the

Effective Response to Crisis and Conflicts,”

OSCE Mission to Moldova.

principally sponsored by Doris Barnett (Ger-

Jürgen Klimke (Germany)’s resolution

many), was adopted by a large margin with

“Enhanced Co-operation and Confidence

four amendments. The resolution recommends Building Measures in the Baltic Sea Region”

the development of a rapid reaction capability was approved with two amendments. The

for deployment in times of crisis to support the resolution calls, inter alia, for a discussion

work of OSCE field operations and to make

within the OSCE PA with the aim of forming a

policy recommendations on future action to Baltic Sea working group in order to foster and

the OSCE executive bodies.

strengthen security, co-operation and dialogue

Principally sponsored by David Usupash- in the region.

vili (Georgia), the resolution “The Conflict

The Committee wrapped up its work on 4

in Georgia,” was approved with three amend-

July with the election of committee officers.

ments. The resolution reiterates the PA’s sup-

Election of Officers

port for the sovereignty and territorial integrity

of Georgia within its internationally recog-

nized borders. The committee also debated

Chair: Roger Wicker (United States)

and adopted the resolution “Reconsolidating

Vice-Chair: Guglielmo Picchi (Italy)

European Security as a Common Project,”

Rapporteur: Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden)

principally sponsored by Filippo Lombardi

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General Committee on Economic Affairs,

Science, Technology and Environment

Rapporteur Marietta Tidei presents her report and draft resolution, 2 July.

he three sessions of the General Commit-

tee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technol-

ogy and Environment on 2-3 July were chaired

by Committee Vice-Chair Nilza Sena, Head

of Portugal’s OSCE PA Delegation. Members

considered the draft resolution proposed by

Rapporteur Marietta Tidei (Italy) and two sup-

plementary items which dealt with combatting

corruption and commemorating the 30th anni-

versary of the Chernobyl disaster.

Report and Resolution

Tidei presented her report and draft resolu-

tion, calling for tackling the underlying causes

of common security challenges, which today,

she said, clearly have a component rooted in the

economic and environmental dimension.

The Rapporteur paid particular attention to

the cascading and interrelated effects of cor-

ruption, energy, climate change, food security,

and migration as contributing to destabilization

in many parts of the OSCE area. Tidei stressed

that food security should not be viewed from a

purely humanitarian standpoint, but also as cen-

tral to a comprehensive approach to security.

Tidei also emphasized the role migrants play in

economic growth, and called for more focus on

improving the management of migration flows,

as well as to “increase economic opportunities

for migrants in destination countries and coun-

tries of origin.”

Tidei called for creating a platform of dia-

logue to better address cross-sectoral issues in

the economy and environment, and to build

upon dialogue in the OSCE area. “In the Hel-

Ad Hoc Committee on Migration outlines work plan

The Ad Hoc Committee on

Migration, chaired by Filippo

Lombardi (Switzerland), met

on the margins of the Annual

Session to discuss its plan of

action for the coming year.

The Chair recalled the three

Members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration meet on 3 July.

main activities the committee

is focusing on, including field

visits to learn about the situation of migrants, interaction with stakeholders dealing with migra-

tion, and developing ideas and policy recommendations.

During the meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee heard from Swiss Ambassador Claude Wild,

Chair of the OSCE’s Informal Working Group (IWG) on Migration, who presented the OSCE’s

complementary role to UNHCR and IOM in tackling the issue of migration and refugees flow, as

well as the challenges and opportunities this issue encompasses for the OSCE.

To best complement the work of the OSCE’s governmental side, the Ad Hoc Committee

agreed to focus on the same five dimensions that the IWG is working on, namely protection,

combatting crimes, responsible border management, successful integration, solidarity and

partnership. In addition, the Committee will focus on prevention.

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General Committee on Economic Affairs,

Science, Technology and Environment

itize the fight against corruption, point-

ing out that national legislation should

ensure a maximum degree of transpar-

ency in political, administrative, and

economic life.

The item also encourages OSCE

participating States to bear in mind the

gender dimension of corruption and to

mainstream gender equality into anti-

corruption monitoring activities. It also

encourages the strengthening of the

parliamentary dimension of the fight

against corruption among national parliaments

by taking stock of national anti-corruption ini-

tiatives and sharing good practices on working

methods and approaches to tackling corruption

effectively. Two amendments were discussed,

one of which was adopted, and the item was

adopted unanimously.

The supplementary item “The 30th Anniver-

sary of the Chernobyl Disaster,” sponsored by

Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine), commemorates

the anniversary of the disaster, pays tribute to

the victims, and underlines that current as well

as past efforts to minimize the negative effects

of the Chernobyl disaster have fallen short. It

also calls for additional assistance by the inter-

national community to maintain and operate

structures built within the closed “exclusion

zone” and unconditional resettlement zone.

The item welcomes the OSCE’s work to con-

tribute within its mandate to the international

efforts aimed at alleviating and minimizing the

consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, in par-

ticular through an assessment of environmen-

tal risks in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and

strengthening capacities in the sphere of envi-

ronmental control, also reaffirming the critical

importance of observing International Atomic

Energy Agency nuclear safety standards and the

requirements of the 1991 Espoo Convention on

Environmental Impact Assessment in a Trans-

boundary Context. With 13 amendments dis-

cussed and 12 agreed to, the item was adopted

unanimously.

Nilza Sena chairs the committee

Voting in the Second Committee on 3 July.

sinki Final Act of 1975, participating States rec-

ognized that ‘efforts to develop co-operation in

the fields of trade, industry, science and tech-

nology, the environment and other areas of eco-

nomic activity contribute to the reinforcement

of peace and security in Europe and in the world

as a whole’,” she said. “More than four decades

later, in the midst of crises and challenges on

multiple fronts, we are reminded of how presci-

ent these words were.”

In this regard, Tidei’s resolution calls for

participating States to “further develop their

early warning capacity in an effort to counteract

potential threats from climate change,” and for

the OSCE to co-ordinate its work in the second

dimension with that of other international

organizations.

Seventeen parliamentarians took the floor,

presenting their views on a range of issues

related to the report. These included the risk

of water as a possible source of conflict, the

need to develop economic infrastructure and

transportation, instability of financial markets,

energy security, combatting corruption, and

strengthening the OSCE’s economic-environ-

mental dimension and the potential of economic

co-operation to reinforce peace and security.

The committee considered 35 amendments to

the draft resolution, with 19 ultimately adopted.

Following the debate and consideration of

amendments, the document was adopted unani-

mously.

Supplementary Items

Sponsored by Margareta Cederfeldt (Sweden),

the supplementary item “Acting Against Cor-

ruption in the OSCE Region to Strengthen the

Rule of Law” calls upon participating States

to update their legislative frameworks to prior-

Election of Officers

Chair: Nilza Sena (Portugal)

Vice-Chair: Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine)

Rapporteur: Marietta Tidei (Italy)

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2 5t h A n n u al S es si o n

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General Committee on Democracy,

Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions

Isabel Santos chairs the Third Committee on 3 July.

hair Isabel Santos (Portugal) presided over

four meetings of the General Committee

on Democracy, Human Rights and Humani-

tarian Questions on 2-4 July, with Vice-Chair

Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) filling in as

Chair while Santos presented the report and

draft resolution in the absence of Rapporteur

Gordana Comic (Serbia). Six supplementary

items were also considered by the committee.

Report and Resolution

Raising concerns over the deprioritizing

of human rights across the OSCE region, the

report and resolution urges a revitalization of

the OSCE’s commitment to the human dimen-

sion of security at a time when a “crisis of

leadership and ideas” is coinciding with a

humanitarian emergency related to Europe’s

refugee and migrant crisis. The report argues

that respect for human rights, democracy and

rule of law is fundamental to lasting security.

The resolution further provides guidance on

ways to improve the comprehensive and mul-

tidimensional approach to security, including

by refraining from the imposition of legal and

physical barriers to the movement of people

fleeing violence. It advocates an inclusive

approach to migrants and refugees, including

by opening up labour markets at the earliest

possible stage.

Santos noted that the report and draft resolu-

tion do not present a “magic solution” to the

challenges of human rights in the OSCE area,

Parliamentarians consider gender issues at working lunch

Opened by Special Representative on

Gender Issues Hedy Fry (Canada), 2

July’s Gender Lunch featured keynote

addresses by Manana Kobakhidze,

the First Vice-Speaker of the Georgian

Parliament, and OSCE PA President Ilkka

Hedy Fry addresses the Gender Lunch.

Kanerva (Finland). The working lunch,

held under the theme “Transforming

Gender Equality Goals into Concrete Action,” was also addressed by Elene Rusetskaia,

Director of the Women’s Information Center, and Sophia Japaridze, Assistant to the Prime

Minister of Georgia on Human Rights and Gender Equality Issues. Key themes discussed

by the speakers included how to increase opportunities for women and how to improve

social, political and economic conditions for women through the improvement of national

legislation.

Following the keynote addresses, participants discussed how to move from commitment

to action, proposing a number of concrete actions for success in achieving gender equality

on the local, national, and international levels.

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25 t h An n u a l S ess i o n

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General Committee on Democracy,

Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions

but provide a basis for further co-operation.

“Together, we can achieve more, and one day

we will achieve the solutions,” she said.

Twenty-three parliamentarians took the

floor to debate the report and draft resolution,

with views expressed on the ongoing chal-

lenges of the refugee and migrant crisis, the

crisis in and around Ukraine, and protracted

conflicts in Georgia. Other issues highlighted

were the vulnerabilities of women and girls in

the context of the migration crisis and the state

of LGBT rights.

Following the discussion, the committee

debated the proposed amendments to Com-

ic’s resolution. The committee considered 40

amendments to the draft resolution, as well as

several oral amendments proposed during the

meeting, with 27 adopted in total. After the

consideration of amendments, the document

was adopted overwhelmingly.

the U.S. Delegation. The resolution expresses

alarm over heightened incidents of violence

and discrimination and increased prejudice in

the OSCE region, and calls on participating

States to develop an anti-discrimination action

plan. There were six proposed amendments

with one agreed to, and the resolution was sub-

sequently adopted.

The resolution “The Rights of Refugees”,

sponsored and presented by Michel Voisin

(France), enjoyed overwhelming support and

was adopted with one oral amendment. The

item calls on governments to protect the fami-

lies of refugees and ensure that their status as

refugees is protected. The debate included an

exchange of views on how best to deal with the

refugee and migrant crisis.

The item “The Security Challenges of

Migration”, sponsored by Third Committee

Vice-Chair Ivana Dobesova (Czech Repub-

lic) urges greater consideration of the secu-

rity issues raised by the refugee and migrant

crisis, and invites OSCE participating States

to co-operate more closely with countries of

origin and transit in order to address potential

security issues arising from irregular migra-

tion. Ten amendments were proposed to the

resolution, with five adopted. Following the

discussion of amendments the resolution was

adopted by a large margin.

The final supplementary item, “Integrating

Gender-Based Analysis and Gender Main-

streaming in the Response to the Migrant

and Refugee Crisis”, authored by Hedy Fry

(Canada), was adopted unanimously with one

amendment. The resolution calls on the OSCE

and its participating States to, inter alia, collect

sex-disaggregated data and conduct gender-

based analysis of all plans and programmes in

response to the migrant and refugee crisis, and

to ensure that female migrants and refugees

are protected from exploitation and discrimi-

nation.

Supplementary Items

The Third Committee discussed six sup-

plementary items. The item “Violations of

Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in

the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the

City of Sevastopol”, sponsored by Natalia

Ahafonova of Ukraine, reaffirms the territo-

rial integrity of Ukraine within its internation-

ally recognized borders and condemns human

rights abuses on the Crimean peninsula,

including those directed against the Crimean

Tatar minority. Following a vigorous debate,

the item was ultimately approved overwhelm-

ingly with three amendments.

The item “Law Enforcement Co-ordination

to Prevent Child Sexual Exploitation and Traf-

ficking by Known Sex Offenders”, sponsored

by Christopher Smith (United States), passed

overwhelmingly with one amendment. The

resolution expresses alarm at the scale of the

problem of the victimization of children by

commercial sexual exploitation, and calls on

OSCE participating States to improve their law

enforcement co-ordination on matters relating

to child sexual exploitation.

The supplementary item “A Call for OSCE

Action to Address Violence and Discrimina-

tion” was proposed by Randy Hultgren on

behalf of sponsor Ben Cardin, both members of

Election of Officers

Chair: Ignacio Sanchez-Amor (Spain)

Vice-Chair: Ivana Dobesova (Czech

Republic)

Rapporteur: Kyriakos Kyriakou-

Hadjiyanni (Cyprus)

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2 5t h A n n u al S es si o n

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Second Plenary Session

Events and Other Activi-

ties,” principally spon-

sored by Filippo Lombardi

(Switzerland), and “The

Need to Equip Passenger

Aircraft with Additional

Technical Means for Moni-

toring Conditions on Board

in Real Time,” principally

sponsored by Nikolay

Kovalev (Russian Federa-

tion), were adopted in ple-

nary session on 4 July.

Lombardi’s resolution states that travel

restrictions resulting from sanctions regimes

have a negative impact on parliamentary diplo-

macy and calls on OSCE participating States

to refrain from applying these restrictive meas-

ures on members of parliament. In the debate,

Members stressed that the freedom to attend

parliamentary events is essential for promot-

ing dialogue, and is at the core of parliamen-

tary diplomacy. The supplementary item was

adopted by a vote of 94-44, with four absten-

tions.

Members also adopted Kovalev’s resolu-

tion, which emphasizes the vulnerability of

passenger aircraft to terrorist attack and urges

the adoption of on-board photographic and

audio-visual monitoring equipment to prevent

such attacks.

President Ilkka Kanerva chairs the plenary session.

resident Ilkka Kanerva chaired two plenary

sessions on 4-5 July, in which the Tbilisi

Declaration was adopted and election results

announced. Hedy Fry (Canada) and Doris Bar-

nett (Germany) presented reports on gender

issues and the OSCE PA’s finances, respec-

tively, and Members also heard addresses by

OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella

and President Kanerva.

Hedy Fry, OSCE PA Special

Representative on Gender Issues

Presenting her report, “A Gender Sensitive

Response to the Migrant and Refugee Influx in

Europe is Needed,” Hedy Fry declared that no

country is moving fast enough when it comes

to gender issues. Despite the fact that the struc-

tures are in place for making progress, imple-

mentation is lacking, she said, highlighting in

particular a need for gender mainstreaming in

the response to the refugee and migrant crisis.

Fry pointed out that women and children

make up a disproportionate number of refu-

gees, and when migrating they are particularly

vulnerable to sexual exploitation or forced

labour. She urged the development of gender-

sensitive strategies in dealing with the migra-

tion crisis, noting that there is a pressing need

to improve gender data collection and analysis

in order to determine how migration policies

impact women and girls.

Open Debate

The floor was then opened up for general

debate, with Members addressing a number

of issues including terrorism, radical religious

movements, the role of the OSCE in conflict

resolution, the migration crisis, new technolo-

gies, and the need for improving dialogue in

the OSCE PA.

Ola Elvestuen (Norway), OSCE PA Special

Representative for Arctic Issues, also gave a

brief presentation of challenges for the Arctic

area, including rising temperatures, melting

glaciers, and ongoing security concerns. He

Supplementary Items

reminded the Assembly that Arctic issues cross

The supplementary items “Unrestricted the three dimensions of security and require

Access of Members of the OSCE Parlia- co-operation to reduce greenhouse emissions

mentary Assembly Attending Official OSCE

and implement climate change adaptation.

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25 t h An n u a l S ess i o n

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Closing Plenary Session

The Assembly meeting in plenary session.

Open Debate (continued)

A total of 17 Members took the floor during

the open debate on 5 July, with migration fea-

turing prominently in discussions. Filippo

Lombardi, Head of the Swiss Delegation and

Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration,

noted that the OSCE should play an important

role in migration crisis resolution, stressing

that parliamentarians can help promote the

exchange of best practices on this issue. He

pointed out that as the world’s largest regional

security organization, the OSCE is well-suited

to meet the challenges of migration due to its

geographic and thematic focuses.

Doris Barnett, OSCE PA Treasurer

Treasurer Doris Barnett (Germany) started

her report thanking her predecessor, Rob-

erto Battelli, for his work in ensuring that the

Assembly’s finances were in good order, as

recently confirmed by the OSCE PA’s external

auditors. Noting that Members of the Assem-

bly are ultimately accountable to their constit-

uents, she welcomed the fact that the budget

had remained at a relatively constant level for

a number of years.

The OSCE PA’s fiscal year 2016/2017

would see a small rise, she said, to ensure that

the Secretariat was sufficiently supported to

organize its statutory meetings and the increas-

ing level of PA activities. Barnett concluded by

thanking the Georgian Delegation for hosting

the 2016 Annual Session, as well as her col-

leagues for their contributions, and the Inter-

national Secretariat for its work.

Roberto Montella,

Secretary General of the OSCE PA

Secretary General Roberto Montella began

by expressing his thanks to the Georgian hosts

for an exceptional event, and to all Members for

their contributions to the discussions. Montella

stressed that since taking up his post as Secre-

tary General in January, his two main priori-

ties had been internal reform of the Secretariat

and external relations with partners. He noted

that it was important to focus on the values that

the OSCE PA defends and the important assets

that Assembly Members represent.

Montella expressed gratitude to President

Kanerva for his two years of service lead-

ing the Assembly, noting that this period had

been a challenging one due to the crisis in

and around Ukraine, the migration crisis and

terrorist attacks across the region. He urged

continued diligence in addressing these chal-

lenges, and noted that the International Secre-

tariat is as committed as ever to working with

OSCE PA Members – including the incoming

President – in addressing common concerns

together.

Ilkka Kanerva,

President of the OSCE PA

President Kanerva addressed the Assembly,

noting that in times of increased tension in

the OSCE area, it is all the more important to

enhance constructive parliamentary dialogue

and promote mutual understanding. “We must

find solutions to our challenges through politi-

cal not military means,” he said, pointing to the

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2 5t h A n n u al S es si o n

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Closing Plenary Session

Voting in plenary session.

The newly elected President started her

paper that he had distributed in Tbilisi entitled

“Our common vision for the OSCE Parliamen- speech by thanking all colleagues, noting that

tary Assembly,” which promotes a common she would not take her responsibilities lightly.

She expressed her belief that the dialogue

approach to comprehensive security.

“Our Assembly has a distinct identity based and debate of the Assembly can further the

interests of all citizens.

on its values that unite

“Parliamentarians

can play a very

“Parliamentarians can

us,” he said. “Each and

important role in securing peace and

play a very important

every one of us should

stability. It will be my duty to make sure

role in securing peace

promote our common

they have the possibility to do so.”

and stability,” she said.

values.” He pointed to

“It will be my duty to

the various ways that

Newly elected OSCE PA President

make sure they have the

Assembly Members can

Christine Muttonen

possibility to do so.”

help ensure that OSCE

She thanked her com-

commitments

are

implemented in all OSCE countries, includ- peting candidates for a well-fought campaign,

ing through the valuable work of the OSCE and looked forward to continuing discus-

PA’s Special Representatives and the political sions with them and all other Members of the

Assembly. Muttonen expressed special thanks

weight of its Declarations.

to President Emeritus Ilkka Kanerva for his

leadership, emphasizing that she would con-

Adoption of the Tbilisi Declaration

tinue his work.

and Election Results

The Session ended with the adoption of the

Tbilisi Declaration and the announcement of

election results for new Assembly officers.

Acting Deputy Head of the PA’s Austrian Del-

egation Christine Muttonen, an OSCE Parlia-

mentary Assembly Vice-President and Special

Representative for Central and Eastern Asia,

was elected Assembly President, along with

three Vice-Presidents: Vilija Aleknaite Abra-

mikiene (Lithuania), Azay Guliyev (Azerbai-

jan), Isabel Santos (Portugal), and Victor Paul

Dobre (Romania).

Christine Muttonen

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25 t h An n u a l S ess i o n

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2 5t h A n n u al S es si o n

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Officers of the Assembly

he Officers of the Assembly, also

known as the Bureau, include the

President, Vice-Presidents, the Treas-

urer, General Committee Officers and

the President Emeritus. The Bureau is

responsible for ensuring that the deci-

sions of the Standing Committee are

carried out, as well as for the efficient

operation of the Assembly between

meetings of the Standing Committee.

The Bureau takes decisions by a two-

thirds majority vote.

OSCE PA Bureau Members meeting on the

fourth day of the 17th Annual Session

OSCE PA Bureau meeting on 8 July 2015.

Christine Muttonen (Austria)

was elected President

at the 2016 Annual

Session in Tbilisi.

Muttonen has previ-

ously served as OSCE

PA Vice-President and

Special Representa-

tive for Central and

Eastern Asia, and is

Deputy Head of the

Austrian Delegation

to the PA. She has been a Member of the Aus-

trian Parliament since 1999 and also serves

as area spokesperson for the Austrian Social

Democratic Parliamentary Group for Foreign

Politics. She is also a member of her national

delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of

the Council of Europe. Muttonen was a teacher

before her career in politics.

Deputy Prime Minister, and Deputy Speaker of

Parliament. In the PA, he has served as Vice-

President and as Co-Chair of the OSCE PA’s

Helsinki +40 Project. He is currently the PA’s

Special Representative on Mediation.

Doris Barnett (Germany)

was elected Treasurer in

2015, after serving since

2013 as Vice-President.

She has been a member

of the German Bunde-

stag since 1994, where

she currently serves on

the Committee on Eco-

nomics and Technology

and the Committee on

European Union Affairs. She is the Head of

the German Delegation to the OSCE PA and is

also a member of the Council of Europe and the

European Security and Defence Assembly.

Ilkka Kanerva (Finland)

is the Assembly’s

President Emeritus.

Elected President at

the 2014 Annual Ses-

sion and re-elected in

2015, Kanerva is a

former OSCE Chair-

person-in-Office, and

has been a member

of the Finnish Parlia-

ment since 1975. He

has held a variety of posts in his government

and national legislature, including service

as Foreign Minister, Minister of Transport,

Robert Aderholt (United States)

was elected OSCE PA

Vice-President at the

Monaco Annual Ses-

sion in 2012 and re-

elected in 2015. In the

U.S. Congress, he is a

member of the House

Committee on Appro-

priations, which has

jurisdiction

over

funding the operation

of the federal government. As Chairman of the

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25 t h An n u a l S ess i o n

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Officers of the Assembly

Subcommittee on Agriculture and a member

of the Commerce, Justice and Science as well

as the Defense Subcommittees, he supports

greater transparency, accountability and over-

sight of the appropriations process. Aderholt is

also an active member of the U.S. Commission

on Security and Cooperation in Europe (also

known as the Helsinki Commission).

is a member of the parliamentary expert group

that was responsible for drafting the country’s

constitution.

Peter Bowness (United Kingdom)

was elected Vice-Pres-

ident of the OSCE PA

at the Helsinki Annual

Session in 2015. As a

member of the House

of Lords, he serves on

the European Union

Energy and Environ-

ment Sub-Committee

and has been a member

of the European Union

Select Committee, among other assignments.

He has been a member of the British Delega-

tion to the OSCE PA since 2007 and serves as

Chair of the OSCE PA’s Sub-Committee on the

Rules of Procedure.

Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene

(Lithuania)

was first elected Vice-

President at the 2013

OSCE PA Annual Ses-

sion in Istanbul after

serving two terms as

Rapporteur of the Com-

mittee on Political

Affairs and Security,

and re-elected in Tbi-

lisi. She also served as

Head of Delegation of Lithuania to the OSCE

PA from 2008 to 2012 and is a member the

Victor Paul Dobre (Romania)

was elected to a one-

Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus. Aleknaite

year term as Vice-Pres-

Abramikiene has been a member of the

Seimas

ident at the OSCE PA’s

(Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania since

25th Annual Session in

1992 and is a member of the Committees on

Tbilisi, Georgia, on 5

European Affairs and Legal Affairs.

July 2016. A member

the

Romanian

Roberto Battelli (Slovenia)

Chamber of Deputies

was elected Vice-

since 2000, Dobre has

President

the

served on the Roma-

OSCE Parliamentary

nian Delegation to the

Assembly at the 2015

OSCE PA since 2009. In his national parlia-

Annual Session in

ment, Dobre serves as Chairman of the Com-

Helsinki after serv-

mittee on Public Administration and Territorial

ing for three terms as

Planning.

the Assembly’s Treas-

urer. He is also the

Azay Guliyev (Azer-

OSCE PA’s Special

baijan)

Representative

South East Europe, a position he has held since was elected Vice-Presi-

2006. Since becoming a member of the OSCE dent in Tbilisi. He pre-

PA in 1992, Battelli has been particularly active viously served for three

in election observation, observing some two years as Vice-Chair of

dozen elections across the OSCE area. Battelli the General Committee

has been a member of the National Assembly of

on Political Affairs and

the Republic of Slovenia since 1990, where he Security. A member

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2 5t h A n n u al S es si o n

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Officers of the Assembly

of his national parliament since 2005, Guli-

yev currently serves on the Permanent Com-

mittee on State Building and is a member of

several working groups promoting Azerbai-

jan’s bilateral relations with various countries.

Since 2008, he has also served as Chair of the

Council on State Support to NGOs. Guliyev

has been a member of Azerbaijan’s OSCE PA

Delegation since 2005.

tee on Agriculture and the Sea. As Chair of the

Third Committee she was particularly active,

leading delegations and fact-finding missions to

Kazakhstan and Guantanamo Bay, as well as to

refugee camps in Rome, Lampedusa, Catania,

Czech Republic, and Serbia.

George Tsereteli (Georgia)

was elected Vice-Pres-

ident of the OSCE Par-

liamentary Assembly

at the 2012 Annual

Session in Monaco and

re-elected at the 2015

Annual Session in

Helsinki. Following a

career in business and

as a practicing neurol-

ogist, Tsereteli came to

politics in 1995, serving in the Tbilisi munici-

pality and as Minister of Labour, Health and

Social Affairs. He has been a Member of Par-

liament since 1999, and has served as Deputy

Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Vice

Prime Minister, Chairman of the Committee

on Regional Policy, Chairman of the Com-

mittee on Healthcare and Social Issues and as

Acting Chairman of Parliament.

Kent Harstedt (Sweden)

was elected Vice-Pres-

ident of the Assembly

at the 2014 Annual Ses-

sion in Baku. A member

of the Swedish Parlia-

ment since 1998, he

has served on the Com-

mittee on Defence, the

Committee on Health

and Welfare, the Joint

Committee on Foreign

Affairs and Defence and the Standing Com-

mittee on Foreign Affairs. In the OSCE PA,

Harstedt is a member of the General Com-

mittee on Political Affairs and Security and

has been particularly active in election obser-

vation activities, having participated in mis-

sions to Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tunisia,

Turkmenistan, the United States and Ukraine.

He is also active in the Swedish Delegation to

the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of

Europe.

Isabel Santos (Portugal)

was elected Vice-Pres-

ident in Tbilisi, after

having

previously

served three terms as

Chair of the Committee

on Democracy, Human

Rights and Humanitar-

ian Questions. Santos

has been a member of

Portuguese Parliament

from 2005 to 2009 and

resumed her service in the Parliament in 2011.

She serves on the Committee on Budget, Finance

and Public Administration and the Commit-

The Bureau meets every spring in the Danish Par-

liament (Folketing).

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General Committee Officers

First General Committee on Political Affairs and Security

The General Committee on Political Affairs and

Security (First Committee)

General Committee on Political Affairs and Security

First General Committee on Political Affairs and Security

ollowing the 1991 Madrid Declara-

tion, three committees were established

along the lines of the three main “baskets”

or sections of the Helsinki Final Act: The

First General Committee on Political

Affairs and Security; the Second General

Committee on Economic Affairs, Science,

Technology and Environment; and the

Third General Committee on Democracy,

Human Rights and Humanitarian Ques-

tions. Following debate and discussion, a

draft resolution is adopted by each commit-

tee for presentation to the Annual Plenary

Session of the Assembly, which is then

included in the Final Declaration.

Guglielmo Picchi (Italy)

was elected Vice-Chair

of the General Commit-

tee on Political Affairs

and Security at the 25th

Annual Session in Tbi-

lisi. He has served in

the Italian Parliament

since 2006 and has been

on the Italian Delega-

tion to the OSCE Par-

liamentary Assembly

since 2008. He previously has worked in invest-

ment banking and served on the City Council of

Florence from 1995 to 1999. He also serves as

Vice-Chair of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Commit-

tee on Migration.

First General Committee

Roger Wicker (United States)

has served as the Chair

of the OSCE Parlia-

mentary Assembly’s

Committee on Politi-

cal Affairs and Secu-

rity since November

2014. He has been

re-elected at the 2015

and 2016 Annual Ses-

sions. Wicker currently

serves as the Co-Chair of the Commission on

Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Hel-

sinki Commission). Within the U.S. Senate he

is a member of the Armed Services Commit-

tee; the Budget Committee; the Commerce,

Science, and Transportation Committee; the

Environment and Public Works Committee;

and the Rules Committee.

Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden)

has served as the Rap-

porteur for the General

Committee on Politi-

cal Affairs and Security

since 2015. First enter-

ing the Swedish parlia-

ment (Riksdag) in 1999,

Cederfelt served as an

Alternate Member of

the Swedish Delegation

to the OSCE PA from

2010 to 2014 and since 2014 as Deputy Head

of the Delegation. In her national parliament,

Cederfelt has served as a member of the Com-

mittee on Foreign Affairs since 2014. She has

also served as Chair of the National Board of

Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and

Treasurer of the PGA Executive Board since

2011.

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General Committee Officers

General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment

Second General Committee

Nilza Sena (Portugal)

was elected Chair of the

General Committee on

Economic Affairs, Sci-

ence, Technology and

Environment at the 2016

Annual Session, after

serving three terms as

Vice-Chair. A Member

Marietta Tidei (Italy)

was elected Rapporteur

of the Portuguese Del-

of the Second Commit-

egation to the OSCE PA

tee at the 2014 Annual

since 2011, Sena is also

Session in Baku and re-

a founder and member of the Board of the Por-

elected at the 2015 and

tuguese Platform for Sustainable Development

2016 Annual Sessions

and Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee

in Helsinki and Tbilisi.

on Education, Science and Culture. She is Vice-

Elected to her national

President of the Social Democratic Party and a

parliament in 2013,

Professor at the Technical University of Lisbon.

Tidei is active in the

She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science

Parliamentary Com-

and a PhD in Social Sciences in the specialty

of sociology and has published numerous aca- mittee for the Procedures of Charge and the

Committee on Economic Activities, Trade and

demic articles.

Tourism. She is from Rome and is a member of

the Democratic Party.

Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine)

was elected Vice-Chair

of the General Commit-

tee on Economic Affairs,

Science,

Technology

and Environment at the

25th Annual Session

in Tbilisi. Head of the

Ukrainian Delegation to

the OSCE PA, Gerasy-

mov has a background

Marietta Tidei and Nilza Sena

in the private sector, serving as Deputy Direc-

tor, Director and General Director of Ukrainian

Marketing Group. In 2014, he was elected to

the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Parliament),

where he serves as a member of the Committee

on National Security and Defence, Chairperson

of the Sub-Committee on Military-Industrial

and Military-Technical Co-operation of the

Verkhovna Rada Committee for Security and

Defence Affairs.

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General Committee Officers

General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions

Third General Committee

Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain)

was elected Chair of

the General Committee

on Democracy, Human

Rights and Humanitar-

ian Questions at the

25th Annual Session

in Tbilisi in July 2016.

Sanchez Amor is a

member of the Spanish

Parliament’s Foreign

Affairs Committee and

serves as Head of the Spanish Delegation to

Kyriakos Kyriakou-Hadjiyanni (Cyprus)

was elected Rapporteur

the OSCE PA. Since 2012, he has also been the

of the Third Commit-

OSCE PA’s Special Representative on OSCE

tee at the 2016 Annual

Border Issues. Sanchez Amor was previously

Session in Tbilisi. He

vice president of the Association of European

has been a Member of

Border Regions. He also held a seat in the

the House of Repre-

regional Assembly of Extremadura and served

sentatives of Cyprus

as Deputy President of the government of the

since 2006, where he

region, which is on the Spain-Portugal border.

serves as Chairman of

the Parliamentary Com-

Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic)

mittee on Educational Affairs and Culture. He is

was elected Vice-Chair

also a Member of the Committee on Refugees-

of the General Com-

Enclaved-Missing-Adversely Affected Persons.

mittee on Democracy,

He has previously served on his parliament’s

Human Rights and

Committee on the Environment; the Commit-

Humanitarian

Ques-

tee on Energy, Trade, Industry, and Tourism; the

tions at the 2015 Annual

Committee on Foreign and European Affairs; the

Session in Helsinki and

Committee on Internal Affairs, and the Commit-

re-elected in Tbilisi.

tee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. He

Dobesova serves as

was also a member of the Economic and Social

Head of the Delegation

Committee of the European Union from 2003 to

of the Czech Repub-

lic to the OSCE PA and has been a member of 2004.

her national parliament since 2013. Within the

Czech Chamber of Deputies she is Vice-Chair of

the Committee on Science, Education, Culture,

Youth and Sports and a member of the Com-

mittee on Petitions and the Sub-Committee on

Migration. Dobesova also serves as a substitute

member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the

Council of Europe. She has been an active partic-

ipant in OSCE PA election observation activities

since joining the Assembly, participating in mis-

sions to Hungary, the former Yugoslav Repub-

lic of Macedonia, Ukraine, the United States of

America, the United Kingdom and Turkey.

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Philippe Nobile

Secretary General

Roberto Montella

he OSCE PA International Secretariat provides administrative support

for the Assembly in its various activities. The Secretariat organizes the

meetings of the Assembly and provides support for election observation

projects, special missions and Presidential activities. Its work is carried out

in co-operation with other OSCE Institutions and international parliamentary

organizations. The Secretariat, which is hosted by the Danish Parliament, is

headed by Secretary General Roberto Montella, and has a permanent staff of 16,

including three staff members at the Liaison Office in Vienna.

Deputy Secretary

General

Gustavo Pallares

Deputy Secretary

General

Semyon Dzakhaev

Special

Representative

Andreas Nothelle

Chief of the

Executive Office

Andreas Baker

Head of Document

Services

Dana Bjerregaard

Deputy Director of the

Vienna Liaison Office

Marc Carillet

Presidential Advisor

Maria Chepurina

Programme Officer

Farimah Daftary

Head of Confer-

ence Services

Odile LeLarge

Director of Adminis-

tration, Finance and

Human Resources

Kurt Lerras

General Services

Manager

Bo Hjorth Nielsen

Chief Political

Advisor

Francesco Pagani

Head of Communi-

cations and Press

Chief ICT

Stephen Paul

Programme Officer

Loic Poulain

Head of Administration

for Election Observation

Nat Parry

Iryna Sabashuk

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Vancouver

Vladivostok

ringing together 323 parliamentarians from across the 57-nation OSCE

region, including Europe, Asia and North America, the OSCE PA pro-

vides a forum for parliamentary dialogue, leads election observation

missions, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on

political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

Recognized as a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter, the

OSCE is a primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and

post-conflict rehabilitation in its area. The Parliamentary Assembly, originally established by

the 1990 Paris Summit to promote greater involvement in the OSCE by national parliaments,

is the oldest continuing OSCE Institution.

The basic objectives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly are:

•

To assess the implementation of OSCE objectives by participating States;

To discuss subjects addressed during meetings of the Ministerial Council and the summits of

Heads of State or Government;

To develop and promote mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflicts;

To support the strengthening and consolidation of democratic institutions in OSCE partici-

pating States;

To contribute to the development of OSCE institutional structures and of relations between

existing OSCE Institutions.

•

To pursue these objectives, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly employs a variety of means:

•

A Final Declaration and a number of resolutions and recommendations are adopted each year at

the Annual Session in July;

Committee work addresses important contemporary international issues;

Programmes and Seminars designed to develop and strengthen democracy including an

extensive election observation programme;

Special parliamentary missions to areas of latent or active crisis.

•

OSCE, Alm.del - 2015-16 - Bilag 47: Rapport fra OSCE PAs 25. Årlige Session i Tbilisi, Georgien den 1.-5. juli 2016

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

International Secretariat

Tordenskjoldsgade 1

1055 Copenhagen K

Denmark

Telephone: +45 33 37 80 40

Telefax: +45 33 37 80 30

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.oscepa.org