OSCE, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 35: Report: Call for Action - Helsinki +50 meeting on future challenges for the OSCE, 31 May 2023

OSCEs Parlamentariske Forsamling 2022-23 (2. samling)
OSCE Alm.del Bilag 35
Offentligt

REPORT

Call for Action - Helsinki + 50 Meeting

“Future Challenges for the OSCE”

31 May 2023, 14:00-16:00, via Zoom

“The Call for Action - Helsinki +50 Meeting: Future Challenges for the OSCE”

brought together

OSCE PA members and experts to discuss the current challenges facing the OSCE, including the

2024 Chairmanship, the renewal of appointments of key officials, and the budget. At the

“Informal

Call for Action -Helsinki + 50”

meeting held in Vienna on 22 February 2023, it was noted that the

war in Ukraine severely impacted many OSCE processes and operations and that OSCE PA

members could raise these issues with their respective parliaments. The

“Future Challenges for

the OSCE”

meeting specifically focused on the lack of clear vision in the OSCE and the

importance of raising OSCE visibility within parliaments to tackle current challenges facing

OSCE.

Speakers and Panellists

Ms. Margareta Cederfelt,

OSCE PA President

Mr. Roberto Montella,

OSCE PA Secretary General

Mr. Matteo Mecacci,

Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

(ODIHR)

Ms. Allison Hart,

Senior Advisor/Chief of Staff to the OSCE Secretary General

Mr. Doug Wake,

Independent expert, former US diplomat, and senior OSCE official

In her opening remarks,

President Cederfelt

reminded participants of the origins of the

“Call for

Action-Helsinki +50 Initiative”,

specifically its launch in 2020 in light of the lack of consensus

and the leadership vacuum on the governmental side of the OSCE. Russia’s war of aggression in

Ukraine has further exacerbated underlying problems with the process and operations of the

OSCE, such as the absence of an incoming Chair for 2024 and an agreed-upon budget. She

highlighted that in times of political polarization, organizations like OSCE, which are tasked with

dialogue, are often blamed for ineffectiveness. President Cederfelt emphasized that the current

challenges of the OSCE are collateral damage from the war in Ukraine and that while mutual trust

and respect, two of the core underlying principles of the OSCE, do not exist in the current moment,

OSCE is still a vital organization that can have a substantial impact on the security structure of the

region. She also encouraged a discussion on decision-making procedures.

OSCE, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 35: Report: Call for Action - Helsinki +50 meeting on future challenges for the OSCE, 31 May 2023

OSCE PA SG Montella,

in his opening remarks, emphasised that the OSCE costs 132 million

Euros to its 57 members and provides a high-level of delivery for the OSCE region. SG Montella

highlighted that to let the organization continue its vital work, it needs to separate the two issues

of organizational survival and the continuance of dialogue. For its survival, the organization needs

a budget and appointments of key officials. The issue of continued dialogue is complicated;

however, there is no use in destroying the OSCE over the lack of dialogue, as it has worked as a

tool for regional security in the past.

In his introduction of the panellists, the moderator, Amb. Zannier highlighted that the main

overarching issue facing the OSCE is a lack of agreement on a shared vision of the OSCE.

Mr. Matteo Mecacci,

ODIHR Director, presented three reflections to inform the conversation.

Director Mecacci’s first reflection related to the budget. He explained how the lack of budget

constraints ODIHR’s work, specifically in election observation. He commented that despite all

efforts, ODIHR will soon run out of money for election observation and must ask states for

additional funding. Secondly, Director Mecacci highlighted the impact of the lack of appointment

of the future Chair on ODIHR’s work as without a Chairperson human dimension meetings and

supplementary meetings cannot continue. Director Mecacci ended on a more positive note,

reflecting on the relevance of ODIHR’s work despite the current challenges. He highlighted that

ODIHR is still the leading human rights organization in the OSCE region and ODIHR’s work in

Ukraine, monitoring the status of human rights during the ongoing war. Director Mecacci asserted

that preserving the human dimension is the best and most effective contribution to promoting peace

and security.

Ms. Allison Hart, Senior Advisor/Chief of Staff to the OSCE Secretary General,

explained the

implications of the lack of decision-making on the OSCE and its work. She focused on the impact

of the lack of budgetary consensus and possible absence of leadership. First, she explained that the

OSCE is working on monthly allotments that are based on the budget of 2021, which had many

years of zero nominal growth. This means that the OSCE is working on a budget baseline that does

not meet its needs, and the monthly allotments pose severe issues to the OSCE because even if the

amount is known, the money cannot be spent until it is received, which creates inefficiency within

the organization. While this creates problems with the organization’s functioning, it also affects

morale. Ms. Hart emphasized that everything OSCE does is “for the people” and that while the

OSCE staff is an incredibly committed group of individuals, without leadership and a budget many

individuals question their ability to continue to work for the organization. Finally, she emphasized

the broad reach of the OSCE, and that the organization does work that no other organization does.

Finally, she reminded attendees that security will continue to be an issue for Europe, and therefore

the challenges facing the OSCE are worth solving.

Mr. Doug Wake, former US diplomat and senior OSCE official,

focused his statement on the

“four Ps” of the OSCE which are the platform, program, principles, and people of the OSCE. He

noted that while the platform for dialogue might be more difficult to use currently, it will be useful

in the future. Furthermore, the continuing program activities and field operations are relevant and

important for the OSCE region. Mr. Wake also underscored that while the principles of the OSCE

do overlap with other international organizations, and they have been violated by many states

recently, these principles are something special that must be preserved. Like other panellists, he

OSCE, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 35: Report: Call for Action - Helsinki +50 meeting on future challenges for the OSCE, 31 May 2023

highlighted the people that work for the organization and the OSCE’s work that benefits people.

At the end of his remarks, Mr. Wake emphasized the inexpensive nature of the OSCE, calculating

that the OSCE only costs ten cents for every person in the OSCE region.

Amb. Zannier commented that the strength of the OSCE is that it is seen as being more inclusive

and neutral than other international organizations and, therefore, can operate in divisive and

complex environments. In light of the war in Ukraine, and specifically, the aftermath of the war,

the European security landscape will be fundamentally altered. Amb. Zannier suggested that OSCE

would provide an excellent platform to work on rebuilding after the war. SG Montella furthermore

emphasized that the issues within the governmental side of the OSCE should not hamper the

organization’s other work.

During the open debate,

participants stressed that the OSCE is best suited for collective and

inclusive security in Europe and again highlighted the potential use of the OSCE to rebuild

European Security Architecture after the war in Ukraine. Participants mentioned that the

organization’s inclusivity is a unique strength to help restore security, trust and dialogue. No other

organization can bring together opposing states like the OSCE. Participants also mentioned that

other global issues, such as global warming, do not respect state boundaries and, therefore, must

be solved on the regional level in an organization that promotes dialogue.

While support for the OSCE and belief in its ability to provide security for the region underscored

every participant’s comment, it was also pointed out that one of the ways to solve the challenges

the OSCE is facing is to increase visibility within parliaments. Some mentioned that the actions of

the OSCE are not visible enough to their governments and asked for tools to help them advocate

for the OSCE to their foreign ministers.

In concluding, all panellists emphasized the importance of increasing the visibility of the OSCE in

parliaments. They highlighted the importance of the work of the OSCE across all three dimensions

of security, including the OSCE’s election observation activities.