OSCE, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 32: Rejserapport fra OSCE PAs årlige sommersession virtuelt og i Wien, Østrig den 30. juni

OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2020-21
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 32
Offentligt

REPORT OF SECRETARY GENERAL

ROBERTO MONTELLA

TO THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

STANDING COMMITTEE

5 JULY 2021

OSCE, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 32: Rejserapport fra OSCE PAs årlige sommersession virtuelt og i Wien, Østrig den 30. juni - 6. juli 2021

Report of the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

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2021 Remote Session

For the second year in a row, we approach our most important event of the year

–

the Annual Session

–

without being able to all meet face-to-face. Nevertheless, I am glad that this year we could organize

hybrid session, with the Assembly’s

Standing Committee, Bureau and Special Representatives

meeting in Vienna and with a new electronic system allowing online voting of Assembly Officers.

In February, during the Winter Meeting, I presented a comprehensive report covering one year of

OSCE PA activities adapting to the new pandemic reality

: the 2021 Remote Session, while in hybrid

format and shorter than usual, is another step in this direction.

Its modalities reflect a careful

balance between the crucial need to hold a fully-fledged statutory meeting and the technical

and security constraints of the hybrid format, alongside ongoing restrictions for big in-person

events.

I am proud that, through innovative formats, we continue to keep the political dialogue within

our Assembly well alive, despite not being able to vote on resolutions. I thank our President Peter

Lord Bowness and the entire Bureau for providing us with clear guidance and strong

political

leadership,

as well as the International Secretariat Staff for their dedication and commitment.

–

Activities

Election Observation

During the Spring, our election observation activity has almost returned to normal and, against the

backdrop of many restrictions and constraints, we have deployed full-scale missions to observe the

parliamentary elections in

Bulgaria,

on 4 April, in

Albania,

on 25 April, and in

Armenia,

on 20

June, with a degree of participation that resembled the pre-pandemic numbers

. This has not come

without

increased and innovative efforts,

including new online briefing formats and extensive

COVID countermeasures in place. In May, leaders of the observer mission to the 2020 US elections

also held a meeting with Members from the US Delegation on potential follow-up on

recommendations from that Mission. This is an area of work that could be further explored in the

future also in other countries and provide an additional added value to our efforts. We will now

deploy two missions simultaneously on 11 July, to observe the snap parliamentary elections in

Moldova and in Bulgaria, and we will soon be moving forward with preparations for observing the

important parliamentary elections in the Russian Federation in September. Moreover, I intend to host

a retreat with election observation partners in the Autumn to further enhance our excellent

cooperation.

General Committees, Ad Hoc Committees and Special Representatives

The cycle of thematic

Parliamentary Web Dialogues

which we launched after the outbreak of the

pandemic has underlined the usefulness of this virtual tool, providing an additional platform for

political dialogue on topics of key interest for the work of our Assembly. Under the auspices of each

of our three General Committees, we organized other four web dialogues: on military transparency,

on the interlinks between environmental security and public health (a topic of high priority for the

Committee), on human rights in conflict zones, and on health as a human right (in cooperation

https://www.oscepa.org/en/documents/international-secretariat/secretary-general-s-report/4157-report-of-secretary-

general-roberto-montella-to-the-standing-committee-vienna-20-february-2020-eng/file

See the full list of OSCE PA Activities in the reporting period in Annex I

Registered Members to EOMs: 44 in Bulgaria, 60 in Albania, 73 in Armenia. Total number of OSCE PA Observers

participating in EOMs since the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic: 310 in 8 Missions.

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Report of the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

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2021 Remote Session

with the UHC2030 initiative, under the umbrella of the UN and WHO). These webinars proved

instrumental not only in preparation for the Remote Session - providing inputs for the Reports of the

three General Committee’s rapporteurs –

but also for the work of our members in their national

Parliaments. The leadership of the Committees also engaged with relevant counterparts in the OSCE

executive structures, thereby injecting policy and reinforcing the parliamentary-governmental

exchange.

Ad Hoc Committees also remained very active. The

Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism

(CCT)

held an online hearing with representatives of the Kazakh authorities on their experience on

prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration of foreign terrorist fighters, making full use of our

Assembly as a hub to share best practices. The CCT also co-organized the successful International

Parliamentary Conference on terrorism and violent extremism in the context of COVID-19,

ogether

with PACE, IPA-CIS, PAM and UNOCT, and contributed to the 2021 OSCE-wide Counter-terrorism

Conference on “Reinforcing a Comprehensive Approach in Preventing and Countering Terrorism

and Violent Extremism and Radicalisation that Lead to Terrorism in a Changing Landscape. The

Hoc Committee on Migration

held several online briefings on the worrying situations in Greece,

Spain and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A particular focus was given to the impact of the pandemic

on migrants and refugees. The Committee also contributed to two further web-conferences of the UK

House of Lords, in cooperation with counterparts at PACE, focusing on the protection of vulnerable

refugees and responsibility sharing, and the exchange of strategies and proposals for action. We are

now looking forward to resuming fact-finding visits as soon as health conditions will allow, including

the visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator on

Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, which the Committee was invited to join following our

constructive cooperation.

Several

Special Representatives

also actively engaged on behalf of the Assembly. The Special

Representative on

Gender Issues

co-organized, together with ODIHR and the OSCE Secretariat, a

timely event on law-making to prevent and combat violence against women. Other Special

Representatives placed specific developments in the OSCE region under focus, including on

human

trafficking,

SDGs in

Central Asia,

political developments in

Eastern Europe,

the climate

emergency in the

Arctic,

and the

Mediterranean.

Parliamentary Diplomacy

The Secretariat has continued to

support the Assembly’s efforts to serve as a platform for

dialogue to discuss the most pressing security issues in the region.

Promoting confidence building

through an impartial approach aimed at reconciling the expectations of all Delegations represents the

key guiding principle of our approach. Unfortunately, conflicts and tensions continue to generate

mistrust between States, and we keep witnessing worrying violations of fundamental human rights,

which led to several public statements by our leadership. In the future, we hope to also engage more

actively with the delegations of involved participating States. Parliamentarians - with their

representation, legislation and oversight assets

–

can greatly contribute to foster dialogue and defuse

tensions, and in this regard, we keep coordinating on crisis dossiers with our OSCE counterparts and

external partners. For instance, I joined our President in a useful hearing with the European

Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and I am in regular touch with my counterparts in

other

parliamentary assemblies. We also remain involved on the situation in Belarus, promoting dialogue

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Report of the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

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as well as the other

OSCE’s

values and toolbox. Based on this, I recently addressed an event hosted

by the exiled opposition leader Tsikhanouskaya, and we are planning to co-organize a joint event,

with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and the Russian International Affairs Council,

inviting authorities to present the ongoing important constitutional reform process and to facilitate

constructive and unbiased discussions.

–

The OSCE PA and the OSCE

Cooperation

The appointment of a new Secretary General and of new Heads of Institutions has offered an

opportunity to reset our cooperation with the governmental branch enabling us to finetune the already

excellent and frequent coordination. With growing cooperation, we are slowly but gradually

strengthening the notion of a

collective OSCE-wide corporate responsibility.

It is with this in mind

that I hosted at the end of May at our headquarters in Copenhagen a

visit of the ODIHR Director,

where we discussed cooperation on a wide range of portfolios, including election observation,

democratization, gender and youth. These discussions were already bearing fruit a couple of weeks

later during the EOM to Armenia, and will continue to do so. A few days later, I hosted in Helsingør

a two-day

retreat of OSCE Heads of Institution,

with informal and productive discussions which

enabled a useful exchange of views and ideas on avenues to best support the Organization’s efforts

to maximize its relevance on the international arena while also reconciling the expectations of its

membership. It is with the same logic that I have expanded and reinforced the

Vienna Liaison Office

so as to enable it to best represent us and act as our interface vis-à-vis the governmental branch, not

least the Permanent Council and the OSCE Secretariat.

Call for Action

–

Helsinki +50 Process

The initiative we launched last year with the aim of

mobilizing our parliamentary delegations,

including in their national Parliaments and vis-à-vis their governments,

to bring back the political

attention and thrust that the OSCE needs both east and west of Vienna,

is well running and

receiving growing interest. Under the coordination of Ambassador Zannier, we are now holding a

cycle of targeted thematic meetings on the most crucial issues on the functioning of the OSCE. We

have started with two thought-provoking meetings on the rule of consensus and on revitalizing

dialogue. The workplan for the next 12 months is annexed to this report and will be circulated to all

delegations. Summaries of discussions are being collected in perception and food-for-thought papers

and will help formulate concrete proposals in the coming months. Under the auspices of this

initiative, in May we also held an interesting

meeting with young parliamentarians and

politicians,

as part of a broader effort to promote youth empowerment in international relations.

III

–

Administration

Offices

As we continue to closely monitor the evolution of the COVID-19 epidemiological situation as well

as regulations of the authorities in our host countries, Staff in both offices in Copenhagen and Vienna

https://www.oscepa.org/en/activities/toward-helsinki-50

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remain in

telecommuting

working modality. The offices remain however open, with strict internal

rules, in case of need. I am also very proud to announce that we have finalized the agreement with

Austrian authorities

–

to whom goes our deepest gratitude - on the

new premises for our Vienna

Liaison Office,

which will be fully operative after the summer and officially inaugurated in

conjunction with the President’s address to the OSCE Permanent Council

in Autumn. The new office

provides an adequate, professional environment which also reflects the grown importance of the

office within the OSCE Vienna reality.

ICT

The last few months have been extremely important in terms of digital innovation. After a year of

preparatory work and staff training, our

new tailored-made software for online registration

has

been put to use. This platform will be used for all PA events, including statutory meetings and EOMs,

and it integrates registration capacity with database, voting registration and APP functions, providing

for a modern and user-friendly tool. The Remote Session will also feature the first

electronic voting

in the history of our Assembly. The system has been carefully chosen out of several separate offers

on the basis of cost-efficiency analysis and for combining high-security with accessibility. Moreover,

I am very glad to announce that as of July the OSCE PA

website will be available in two languages

–

English and Russian. This is part of a wider project to ensure that all our media products are at

minimum bilingual.

Budget

The International Secretariat has worked closely with our Treasurer on the

2021/2022 budget

proposal,

which reflects very well the evolving dynamics of our Assembly. Among these, the

increased needs in terms of ICT, the new VLO premises and the expansion of the JPO programme.

Moreover, I wish to thank our delegations for sending their contributions

for this year’s budget

in a

timely fashion, which is enabling us to fulfill our mandate at the best of our abilities. I also wish to

express our continued

gratitude to the Danish Parliament

for hosting our Headquarters and to the

Austrian Government

for its financial support for the VLO premises, as well as to the Ministries of

Foreign Affairs of Italy and Germany for seconding two members of our Staff. I renew my call to

other participating States to consider the

secondments

option.

Staff

I wish to praise, in the strongest of terms, the hard work,

commitment

and passion that all colleagues

have shown during this challenging pandemic period, alongside a greatly appreciated capacity to

adapt, with flexibility and dedication, to new circumstances. I am honored to serve this small yet

talented and dynamic Secretariat. In my report in February, I noted how we were able to reach gender

parity in our staff. I am committed to continuing to improve

gender equality

in the Secretariat,

including at managerial level. In turn, gender parity will also catalyze better gender mainstreaming

in our activities. Even if there will be other occasions for formal farewells, as this is his last Annual

Session before retirement, I wish to pay words of special tribute to Ambassador Nothelle, a bedrock

of our Assembly since its founding. Thank you also to Marc Carillet, who left the PA VLO at the end

of May after many years of dedicated work.

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IV - Upcoming months

In the coming months, we will continue to assess the epidemiological situation in the OSCE area and

plan our activities and their format accordingly. Despite the

unfortunately necessary cancellation

of our in-person Autumn Meeting

originally scheduled in Dublin

–

which will be postponed to

2024

–

I still hope we can gradually go back to more face-to-face activities, in addition to the EOMs,

which we plan in the Russian Federation and in Uzbekistan. We will explore the possibility to hold

a hybrid Autumn Meeting along the same modalities of the July Remote Session and will inform

delegations accordingly in the coming months. I look forward to the engagement in the many other

activities, conferences and events which will, as usual, fill up our schedule and continue to make this

Assembly a dynamic and active body on the main issues of the international security agenda.

There are many challenges in front us and one of the greatest assets of the OSCE PA is its capacity

to move its political focus on the most pressing issues at stake. The international agenda is now asking

us, for instance, for enhanced efforts on two crucial issues:

Environmental protection

has emerged

as a security priority, can catalyze convergence among delegations, and will inevitably require us to

step up our support to our membership, especially the Second Committee. It is with this in mind that

I have supported a project to provide our VLO with a zero-emission

urban transportation option

for

commuting to meetings in Vienna: with the purchase of two electric bicycles and relevant expert

training, our Secretariat is trying

contribute by implementing its fair share of commitments to

address climate change and also concretely support the UN SDGs agenda. The initiative aims

to develop awareness in policy-making circles and among the general public on the interlinkages

between climate change and security, particularly highlighting the nexus between environmental

degradation, air pollution and public health as exposed by the COVID-19 crisis. We also hope to

trigger increased interest among the international community in Vienna by introducing initiatives

that promote and strengthen the image of the Organization with the potential to examine the

development of a corporate social responsibility policy in the post-covid era.

Progressing on

Gender Mainstreaming

will remain high on our agenda and should not be limited

to arithmetical considerations or checklists. While these are very important safeguards, gender

mainstreaming should be an integral and genuine element of our decision-making process, beyond

numbers: a matter of consciousness. With the Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship and with the new

OSCE Secretary General we have a unique opportunity to mark meaningful progress, not least in

engaging women in all elements of the conflict cycle.

In conclusion, I wish to express my

deepest gratitude to the outgoing OSCE PA President and

Bureau.

Together we have navigated through an unprecedented global crisis, and together we are

coming out of it as an even more relevant organization. Thank you for your passion and belief in

politics and in multilateral cooperation, it has been a privilege working with and for you. The

International Secretariat and I personally will continue - with unchanged commitment and dedication

- to work to support the new President, Bureau and the entire Assembly. Finally, allow me for a plea:

the OSCE is all about multilateralism and inclusivity, this Assembly needs to be a body where all

participating States engage on an equal footing

–

from Vancouver to Vladivostok. It is our biggest

added value, and we need to make full use of it. Thank you for believing in multilateralism and

parliamentarism.

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Annex I

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OSCE PA Activities in the reporting period (March

–

June 2021)

This table refers to OSCE PA events (highlighted in blue) and external outreach activities conducted

by the International Secretariat autonomously or in direct support to PA Members. It does not include

routine coordination meetings, daily and office-based work on a number of further projects and

activities, public statements, nor the OSCE meetings regularly attended by the Vienna Liaison Office

Staff.

OSCE PA Winter Meeting (Committees, Plenary, Standing Committee)

Participation in the UK House of Lords conference on humanitarian crises,

resettlements and assisted voluntary returns

2nd Meeting of the OSCE PA Call for Action - Helsinki +50 Process

Informal Bureau Meeting

Web Dialogue initiated by the 3

Committee on Humanitarian protection &

human rights in conflict zones

President's address to the Kalinowski Conference

24-26 Feb.

5 Mar.

10 Mar.

11 Mar.

12 Mar.

22 Mar.

Chair of Migration Committee and OSCE SR CTHB Joint Meetings (online visit) 22-25 Mar.

on Bosnia and Herzegovina

Address of the Chair of the 1

Committee to the OSCE FSC

24 Mar.

Election Observation Mission to Bulgaria

Informal meeting with Members of the European Parliament on Migration

Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration

Address of the Special Rep. on Arctic Issues to 14

Conference of

Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region

Participation of the SG in the OSCE Heads of Institution Meeting

4 April

13 April

14 April

International Parliamentary Conference on “Global Challenges and Threats in the

15 April

Context of the COVID-19

Pandemic: Terrorism and Violent Extremism”

(OSCE

PA, PAM, IPA CIS and UNOCT)

OSCE PA Bureau Meeting

19 April

Address of the Special Rep. on Gender Issues to OSCE Human Dimension

Committee

Keynote address of the CCT Chair to the 2021 OSCE-wide Counter-terrorism

Conference on “Reinforcing a Comprehensive Approach in

Preventing and

Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism and Radicalisation that Lead to

Terrorism (VERLT) in a Changing Landscape”

Presentation of the DSG on the OSCE PA to the Danish Institute Security

SR Eastern Europe Call on Moldova

Election Observation Mission to Albania

President Address to ODIHR SHDM on Democratic Law-Making

Participation in the Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to Armenia

Meeting of the Special Rep. on Arctic Issues with the Sami Council

Briefing with PA Secretaries of Delegation

3rd Meeting of the OSCE PA Call for Action - Helsinki +50 Process

20 April

20-21 April

21 April

22 April

25 April

26 April

28-20 Apr.

3 May

4 May

5 May

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Address of the 2nd Committee Rapporteur to the OSCE Economic and

Environmental Committee meeting on environment, sustainable economic

development and security

SG address to IPA CIS Conference on Election Observation

CCT Hearing on Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Foreign

Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) - the Kazakh Experience

Joint OSCE PA-ODIHR-OSCE Gender Section Webinar on gender violence

Follow-up meeting with the US Delegation on US EOM

Special Rep. on Central Asia meeting with Central Asian ambassadors to OSCE

Special Rep. on Arctic Issues informal meeting with PA Arctic Delegations

12 May

13 May

18 May

19 May

19-20 May

21 May

PA Web Dialogue initiated by the 2nd Committee on Framing the Environmental 25 May

Security

–

Public Health Nexus

President Meeting with Uzbekistan Ambassador to OSCE

25 May

Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration Meeting with Spanish Delegation

26 May

President Address to the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee - AFET 26 May

PA Meeting with young political leaders (in the framework of the Call for Action) 27 May

Visit of ODIHR Director and Head of Elections to the International Secretariat

Informal Retreat of OSCE Heads of Institution hosted by the PA SG

Visit of the Special Rep. on Mediterranean Affairs to Vienna/OSCE

Participation in the Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to the Russian Fed.

28 May

31 May - 1

June

2-3 June

2-5 June

Address of the 2nd Committee Rapporteur to the Regional Growth Conference in 3 June

Patras (Greece)

Participation in Meeting of the OSCE Group of Friends of Youth and Security

4 June

Web Dialogue initiated by the 3

Committee on Health as Human Right

Migration Committee follow-up meeting on Lesbos

Meeting of the OSCE PA Bureau

4 June

7 June

10 June

PA Web Dialogue initiated by the 1

Committee on Transparency and

14 June

Predictability in Military Affairs

Address of the Special Rep. on Human Trafficking to the OSCE Alliance against 14-15 June

Trafficking Meeting

Address of the Chair of the 3

Committee to the OSCE HDC

15 June

Address of the CCT Chair at the Inauguration ceremony of the UNOCT

Programme Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering

Terrorism in Doha, Qatar

Participation in the UK House of Lords Conference on the occasion of the 70th

anniversary of Refugee Convention and World Refugee Day 2021

Election Observation Mission to Armenia

Address of the PA President and the Special Rep. on Central Asia to

Interparliamentary Forum on UN SDGs in Uzbekistan

16 June

18 June

20 June

23 June

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Annex II

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Work Plan of the Call for Action

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Helsinki +50 Initiative

A Parliamentary Contribution to Restoring OSCE Effectiveness

a. Background

In July 2020, after participating States failed to reach consensus on the reappointment of OSCE Heads of

Institution, it was acknowledged that, while some of the challenges facing the Organization are of a political

nature and due to the broader crisis of multilateralism, others are specific to the OSCE: different visions on

the purpose and function of the Organization and its executive structures, increasing mistrust between

participating States, a loss of focus as a result of the ever increasing expansion of the agenda, lack of

investment and resources and consequent micromanagement and, more broadly, an overarching lack of

strategic political interest by governments.

In a process triggered by former President George Tsereteli, the OSCE PA offered its contribution - especially

by leveraging its added value and its ability to promote dialogue and generate public awareness - to revive the

work of the OSCE and bring back high-level political attention. One important way to achieve this is to

mobilize national parliamentary delegations, encouraging them, in their interaction within national

Parliaments and vis-à-vis governments, to foster a more central role for the OSCE in the current international

security environment. In the perspective of the 50th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act in 2025 (H+50),

this would help increase political interest in the OSCE by participating States, enhancing the effectiveness of

the Organization by bringing the parliamentary and governmental sides closer to each other for added value.

Parliamentarians can play an instrumental role in helping to place a number of complex political and security

issues on the agenda of the Organization. These can be addressed using the toolbox of the OSCE,

simultaneously encouraging the necessary modernization of this toolbox, and stressing the need to ensure full

respect of commitments by all or questioning, wherever appropriate, the level of engagement of respective

governments in the OSCE or the reasons behind specific decisions. The Call for Action initiative is based on

a principle of complementarity of all OSCE components and aims at providing the Organization with the

required parliamentary support. In this way, the OSCE can truly “deliver as a whole”, in the words of OSCE

Secretary General Helga Schmid.

OSCE PA Secretary General Montella appointed Ambassador Lamberto Zannier as High-Level Expert to

coordinate these efforts within the International Secretariat, under the leadership of the PA President, the

Bureau and the Standing Committee.

b. Key documents

Call for Action document

The

Call for Action (CfA) document

was initially illustrated during a parliamentary event marking the 30th

Anniversary of the Charter of Paris and formally launched at an event in the margins of the Tirana OSCE

Ministerial Council. Signed by 52 current and former OSCE leaders, the document points to the need to

strengthen the role of the OSCE in addressing contemporary challenges and to enhance its effectiveness,

including through the promotion of genuine political dialogue. Its aim is to serve as a basis for further work,

focusing on the role of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

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“OSCE

Call for Action: Reaffirming a Common Purpose” Non-Paper

On the basis of the Call for Action document, a

Non-Paper

laying out in more detail the main challenges the

OSCE is facing was developed by the Secretariat and circulated to all PA delegations, all signatories of the

Call for Action and other participants of the targeted meetings.

c. Activities

1. Targeted General Meetings

After a first general meeting to discuss the key objectives of the process, held on 27 January 2021, on the basis

of the Secretariat non-paper, a number of targeted meetings were held to address each of the points raised by

the participants and to discuss how the PA can contribute more specifically. Such events have initially been

held online, but there is the intention to organize some in selected capitals when conditions allow. Issues

identified as a priority in the discussions among Parliamentary delegations include the following: managing

consensus; enhancing dialogue; strengthening implementation review mechanisms; promoting better gender

mainstreaming; ensuring timely and sufficient resources for the Organization; improving interaction with the

civil society; streamlining and reprioritizing the OSCE agenda.

General meetings

27 January 2021 First CfA Meeting

Current challenges facing the OSCE, in particular the lack of recognition at the highest levels and the poor

level of implementation of commitments, were highlighted as factors of concern. Having observed the failure

to improve the functioning of the Organization as repeatedly recommended by groups of eminent experts, the

CfA initiative should help clarify some of the complexities and mobilize the political will to undertake possible

initiatives to make the Organization stronger, more relevant and more visible. Parliamentarians, with their

connection with ministers and other policymakers and their ability to engage with civil society, could play a

critical role in advocating on behalf of the OSCE commitments and values and in increasing attention to the

Organization. Promoting the OSCE’s field work and focusing

on its comparative advantage were highlighted

as essential.

10 March 2021 Second CfA Meeting on Consensus rule

Participants noted that the consensus rule, although essential for the sake of legitimacy of decisions and

equality between all participating States, can be abused to obstruct key meetings and used as a bargaining

chip. This problem not only complicates decision-making on issues of importance to the broader OSCE

community but

also threatens the Organization’s ability to fulfil its mandate. Against

this backdrop,

participants suggested a number of reforms of the consensus rule, identifying the areas where consensus may

not be necessary, encouraging Chair/Troika to take decisions directly in relation to

organizational/administrative matters not requiring additional financial resources, and promoting the

establishment of an accountability mechanism compelling the vetoing party/ies to provide reasonable

justifications. It was also agreed that MPs could play a crucial role in raising interest in the OSCE agenda in

their national governments and could potentially hold the governments to account with regard to the decisions

adopted or objected to.

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5 May 2021 Third CfA Meeting on Revitalizing Dialogue

Participants and speakers alike stressed the need

for parliamentarians to promote the Organization’s work in

capitals, in order to improve the level of awareness and accountability. The respect of common values was

deemed essential in developing meaningful dialogue, which is obviously affected by the overall, difficult

political climate. Key topics raised included: a stronger connection with the civil society, including

encouraging the establishment of national “Helsinki Committees” focusing on all aspects of the OSCE agenda

and providing their inputs to Parliaments and governments; ensuring the ability of the Organization to deploy

its toolkit wherever necessary; upholding key principles of a rules-based order.

2. Involving youth

Considering the importance of the role young people play in building lasting peace and security, youth

perspectives should be a key component of the initiative. To that end, a first youth event took place on 27 May

2021, to provide young parliamentarians and other young political leaders with a space to exchange views on

their vision of the OSCE, set forth their priorities for such a regional cooperation mechanism and reflect on

the added value they bring to the table as current and future legislators. A follow-up meeting is foreseen after

the summer, also with a view to exploring possible future youth contributions to the CfA process.

3. Focused meetings with individual Parliaments

In addition to the targeted general meetings, focused parliamentary meetings will be organized in individual

participating States with the aim of discussing how to raise the profile of the Organization in each respective

country in light of national perceptions. This activity will start in Vienna, with a first meeting in July 2021,

back-to-back with the OSCE PA Summer Session.

d. Calendar of events

b. in 2020

Date

2 Sept 2020

Event Description

Initial OSCE PA internal Brainstorming with the PA President

and the Secretariat.

Development and presentation of the initiative to the OSCE PA

Bureau and Standing Committee and discussion. Consultations

with prospective CfA signatories on the possible contents.

Event marking the 30th Anniversary of the Charter of Paris

–

Initial presentation of a detailed concept for the “Call for

Action”

OSCE PA side event introducing “OSCE Call for Action:

Reaffirming a Common Purpose” document at the margins of

the OSCE Tirana Ministerial Council

Venue

Helsingor

October-

December

2020

20 November

Online

Paris/online

3 Dec 2020

Online

OSCE, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 32: Rejserapport fra OSCE PAs årlige sommersession virtuelt og i Wien, Østrig den 30. juni - 6. juli 2021

Report of the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

–

2021 Remote Session

c. in 2021/22

Date

27 Jan 2021

10 Mar 2021

5 May 2021

27 May 2021

7 Jul 2021

Sep 2021

Event Description

First meeting to launch of the CfA/H+50 Process

Second meeting of the CfA/H+50 Process (consensus)

Third meeting of the CfA/H+50 Process (revitalizing dialogue)

OSCE PA meeting with Young Political Leaders

Focused bilateral meetings with individual countries: AUSTRIA

Thematic meeting on the role of women in Parliament in

promoting peace and security

Follow-up Youth event

Thematic Meeting focusing on the Human dimension in the

OSCE

Venue

Online

Vienna

Online

Sept/Oct 2021

Oct 2021

Online

Hybrid

Vienna/onli

TBC

Online

TBC

Nov. 2021

Focused meeting with an OSCE PA member state Parliament

Thematic Meeting on PA contribution to improving the

effectiveness of the Organization: i.a., financial and human

resources, legal personality.

Report to the MC by the OSCE PA President and possible side-

event

Reviewing interaction between the governmental and the

parliamentary side of the OSCE

Focused meeting with an OSCE PA member state Parliament

Streamlining and prioritizing the agenda of the OSCE: separate

meetings of the 3 OSCE PA Committees in a CfA/H+50 mode.

Interaction of parliaments with civil society and the role of civil

society in the OSCE.

Focused meeting with an OSCE PA member state Parliament

Presentation of a report to the Summer Session for a discussion

on the way forward towards the 50th Anniversary (OSCE

Summit?)

Dec. 2021

OSCE MC

January 2022

Online

TBC

February 2022

Winter/Spring

2022

Spring 2022

Online

TBC

OSCE PA

Summer

Session

May 2022

July 2022