Name	Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Linking name	the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Symbol type	Logo
Image symbol	OSCE logo.svg|symbol_width200px
Map caption
Membership	56 participating States12 Partners for Co-operation
Admin center type	Secretariat
Admin center	Vienna, Austria
Leader title1	Secretary General
Leader name1	Lamberto Zannier
Leader title2	Chairperson-in-Office
Leader name2	Audronius Ažubalis
Leader title3	Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Leader name3
Leader title4	Representative on Freedom of the Media
Leader name4
Leader title5	High Commissioner on National Minorities
Leader name5
Established event1	as the CSCE
Established date1	July 1973
Established event2	Helsinki Accords
Established date2	30 July – 1 August 1975
Established event3	Paris Charter
Established date3	21 November 1990
Established event4	renamed as the OSCE
Established date4	1 January 1995
Area km2	50119801
Population estimate	1,229,503,230
Population estimate year	2010
Population estimate rank	2nd
Population density km2	24.53
Official website	www.osce.org
Footnote1	Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe }}

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections. Most of its 3,500-plus staff are engaged in field operations, with only around 10% in its headquarters.

The OSCE is an ''ad hoc'' organization under the United Nations Charter (Chap. VIII), and is concerned with early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. Its 56 participating states are in Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America and cover most of the northern hemisphere. It was created during the Cold War era as an East-West forum.

Structure and institutions

Political direction to the Organization is given by heads of state or government during summits. Summits are not regular or scheduled but held as needed. The last summit took place in Astana (Kazakhstan), the 1st and 2 December 2010. The high-level decision-making body of the Organization is the Ministerial Council, which meets at the end of every year. At ambassadorial level the Permanent Council convenes weekly in Vienna and serves as the regular negotiating and decision-making body. The post of Chairperson-in-Office is held by the minister for foreign affairs of the participating State which holds the chairmanship. The chairperson of the Permanent Council is the ambassador to Austria of the participating State which holds the chairmanship. From 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 the Chairperson-in-Office is Greece's Minister for Foreign Affairs, George Papandreou. Bakoyannis succeeded Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb.

In addition to the Ministerial Council and Permanent Council, the Forum for Security Co-operation is also an OSCE decision-making body. It deals predominantly with matters of military co-operation, such as modalities for inspections according to the Vienna Document of 1999.

The OSCE's Secretariat is located in Vienna, Austria. The current Secretary General is Lamberto Zannier of Italy, who took over from Marc Perrin de Brichambaut of France. The Organization also has offices in Copenhagen, Geneva, The Hague, Prague and Warsaw.

The OSCE employs close to 440 persons in its various institutions. In the field, the Organization has about 750 international and 2,370 national staff.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe passes resolutions on matters such as political and security affairs, economic and environmental issues, and democracy and human rights. Representing the collective voice of OSCE parliamentarians, these resolutions and recommendations are meant to ensure that all participating States live up to their OSCE commitments. The OSCE PA also engages in parliamentary diplomacy, and has an extensive election observation program.

The oldest OSCE institution is the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), established in 1991 following a decision made at the 1990 Summit of Paris. It is based in Warsaw, Poland, and is active throughout the OSCE area in the fields of election observation, democratic development, human rights, tolerance and non-discrimination, rule of law, and Roma and Sinti issues. The ODIHR has observed over 150 elections and referendums since 1995, sending some 35,000 observers. It has operated outside its own area twice, sending a team that offered technical support to the 9 October 2004 presidential elections in Afghanistan, an OSCE Partner for Co-operation, and an election support team to assist with parliamentary and provincial council elections on 18 September 2005. ODIHR is headed by Janez Lenarčič.

The Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, established in December 1997, acts as a watchdog to provide early warning on violations of freedom of expression in OSCE participating States. The Representative also assists participating States by advocating and promoting full compliance with OSCE norms, principles and commitments regarding freedom of expression and free media. The current Representative is former Hungarian parliamentarian Miklós Haraszti.

Chairmanship

The responsibilities of the Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) include

co-ordination of the work of OSCE institutions;

representing the Organization;

supervising activities related to conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.

The Chairmanship rotates annually, and the post of the Chairperson-in-Office is held by the foreign minister of the participating State which holds the Chairmanship. The CiO is assisted by the previous and incoming Chairperson-in-Office; the three of them together constitute the Troika. The origin of the institution lies with the Charter of Paris for a New Europe (1990), the Helsinki Document 1992 formally institutionalized this function.

The 2009 Troika consisted of Greek Foreign Minister, Dora Bakoyannis (replaced in late-2009 by George Papandreou, Jr., Greek Prime Minister and Foreign Minister); Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb (CiO in 2008); and Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev.

The 2010 Troika consisted of Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister, Kanat Saudabayev; the former CiO, the Greek Foreign Minister, George Papandreou, Jr.; and the later CiO from Lithuania.

The 2011 Troika consists of the OSCE's current CiO and Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Audronius Ažubalis; the former CiO, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister, Kanat Saudabayev; and the incoming CiO from Ireland.

United Nations

The OSCE considers itself a regional organization in the sense of Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter and is an observer in the United Nations General Assembly. The Chairperson-in-Office gives routine briefings to the United Nations Security Council.

Politico-military dimension (first dimension)

The OSCE takes a comprehensive approach to the politico-military dimension of security, which includes a number of commitments by participating States and mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution. The Organization also seeks to enhance military security by promoting greater openness, transparency and co-operation.

Arms control

The end of the Cold War resulted in a huge amount of surplus weapons becoming available in what is known as the international grey market for weapons. The OSCE helps to stop the - often illegal - spread of such weapons and offers assistance with their destruction.

Border management

The actions taken by the OSCE in border monitoring range from conflict prevention to post-conflict management, capacity building and institutional support.

Combating terrorism

With its expertise in conflict prevention, crisis management and early warning, the OSCE contributes to worldwide efforts in combating terrorism.

Conflict prevention

The OSCE works to prevent conflicts from arising and to facilitate lasting comprehensive political settlements for existing conflicts. It also helps with the process of rehabilitation in post-conflict areas.

Military reform

The OSCE's Forum for Security Co-operation provides a framework for political dialogue on military reform, while practical activities are conducted by field operations, as well as the Conflict Prevention Centre.

Policing

OSCE police operations are an integral part of the Organization's efforts in conflict prevention and post-conflict rehabilitation.

Implementation

The OSCE was a rather small organization until selection by the international community to provide electoral organization to post war Bosnia and Herzegovina in early 1996. Ambassador Frowick was the first OSCE representative to initiate national election in September 1996, human rights issues and rule of law specifically designed to provide a foundation for judicial organization within Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The OSCE had regional offices and field offices, to include the office in Brcko in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina which remained in limbo until the Brcko Arbitration Agreement could be decided, finalized and implemented.

Brcko become a "special district" and remains so today.

The OSCE essentially took the place of the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in part because the Bosnian leadership felt deep contempt for the UN efforts to stop the war which began in 1991 and ended in 1995. During the time the United Nations were attempting a political solution, thousands of UN troops were posted in and around Bosnia and Herzegovina with special emphasis on Sarajevo. Between the inclusive dates of 1991 through 1995, over 200,000 Bosnians were killed and over one million displaced and another million as refugees.

The OSCE continues to have a presence and a number of initiatives to bring a sustained peace to the region.

Economic and environmental dimension (second dimension)

Activities in the economic and environmental dimension include the monitoring of developments related to economic and environmental security in OSCE participating States, with the aim of alerting them to any threat of conflict; assisting States in the creation of economic and environmental policies, legislation and institutions to promote security in the OSCE region.

Economic activities

Among the economic activities of the OSCE feature activities related to migration management, transport and energy security. Most activities are implemented in co-operation with partner organisations.

Environmental activities

The OSCE has developed a range of activities in the environmental sphere aimed at addressing ecologic threats to security in its participating States. Among the activities feature projects in the area of hazardous waste, water management and access to information under the Aarhus Convention.

Human dimension (third dimension)

The commitments made by OSCE participating States in the human dimension aim to ensure full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; to abide by the rule of law; to promote the principles of democracy by building, strengthening and protecting democratic institutions; and to promote tolerance throughout the OSCE region.

Human Trafficking

Since 2003 the OSCE has had an established mechanism for combating Human Trafficking, as defined by Article 3 of the Palermo Protocol, which is aimed at raising public awareness of the problem and building the political will within member states to tackle it effectively.

The OSCE actions against human trafficking are coordinated by the Office of the Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. Since 2006 this office has been held by Eva Biaudet, a former Finnish Member of Parliament and Minister of Health and Social Services.

The activities around Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in the OSCE Region of the Office of the Special Representative include

Co-operation with governments, helping them to accept and act on their responsibilities for curbing human trafficking;

Providing governments with decision and policy-making aids and offering guidance on anti-trafficking management, with the aim of arriving at solutions tailored to the needs of the individual countries and in line with international standards;

Assisting governments to develop the national anti-trafficking structures required for efficient internal and transnational co-operation;

Raising awareness to draw attention to the complexity of the problem and to the need for comprehensive solutions;

Considering all dimensions of human trafficking, namely trafficking for sexual exploitation, trafficking for forced and bonded labour, including domestic servitude, trafficking into forced marriages, trafficking in organs and trafficking in children;

Ensuring the effective interaction of all agents and stake holders involved in the fight against human trafficking, ranging from governmental authorities, law enforcement officials to NGOs, and - last but not least - international organizations, as the agencies providing support thorough expertise and know-how;

Guaranteeing the highest possible visibility of the OSCE’s fight against human trafficking to focus attention on the issue.

Democratization

The OSCE claims to promote democracy and assist the participating States in building democratic institutions. In practice, however, few states have more power in decision-making than others (see Criticisms).

Education

Education programmes are an integral part of the Organization's efforts in conflict prevention and post-conflict rehabilitation.

Elections

As part of its democratization activities, the OSCE carries out election assistance projects in the run-up to, during, and following elections. However, the effectiveness of such assistance is arguable- Kazakhstan, for example, despite being the current chair of the OSCE, is considered by many to be one of the least democratic countries in the world. Moreover, the recent democratic advances made in other Central Asian republics, notably Kyrgystan, have led to rumours of Soviet-style disruption of the Kyrgyz democratic process by, in particular, Kazakhstan and Russia. This may be in large part due to fears over the long-term stability of these countries' own quasi-dictatorships.

Gender equality

The equality of men and women is an integral part of sustainable democracy. The OSCE aims to provide equal opportunities for men and women and to integrate gender equality in policies and practices. Examples of such opportunities include but are not limited to casual Friday's.

Human rights

The OSCE's human rights activities focus on such priorities as freedom of movement and religion, preventing torture and trafficking in persons.

National and international NGOs

OSCE could grant Consultative Status to NGOs and INGOs in the form of "Researcher-in-residence programme" (run by the Prague Office of the OSCE Secretariat): accredited representatives of national and international NGOs are granted access to all records and to numerous topical compilations related to OSCE field activities.

Media freedom

The OSCE observes relevant media developments in its participating States with a view to addressing and providing early warning on violations of freedom of expression.

Minority rights

Ethnic conflict is one of the main sources of large-scale violence in Europe today. The OSCE's approach is to identify and to seek early resolution of ethnic tensions, and to set standards for the rights of persons belonging to minority groups.

Criticism

Following an unprecedented period of activity in the 1990s and early 2000s, the OSCE has in the past few years faced accusations from the CIS states (primarily Russia) of being a tool for the Western states to advance their own interests. For instance, the events in Ukraine in 2004 (the "Orange Revolution") led to allegations by Russia of OSCE involvement on behalf of the pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko. At the 2007 Munich Conference on Security Policy, Vladimir Putin made this position very clear: ::“They [unnamed Western States] are trying to transform the OSCE into a vulgar instrument designed to promote the foreign policy interests of one or a group of countries. And this task is also being accomplished by the OSCE's bureaucratic apparatus, which is absolutely not connected with the state founders in any way. Decision-making procedures and the involvement of so-called non-governmental organizations are tailored for this task. These organizations are formally independent but they are purposefully financed and therefore under control." 

Also, following the Belorussian Presidential election of 2001, the OSCE denounced the election, claiming it to be neither 'free nor fair'; however, the OSCE had actually refused to observe the vote, and still made the aforementioned claim, despite Gerard Stoudmann of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE acknowledging that there was "no evidence of manipulation or fraud of the results".

Russia and its allies are advancing the concept of a comprehensive OSCE reform, which would make the Secretariat, institutions and field presences more centralized and accountable to collective consensus-based bodies and focus the work of the Organization on topical security issues (human trafficking, terrorism, non-proliferation, arms control, etc.), at the expense of the "Human Dimension", or human rights issues. The move to reduce the autonomy of the theoretically independent OSCE institutions, such as ODIHR, would effectively grant a Russian veto over any OSCE activity. Western participating States are opposing this process, which they see as an attempt to prevent the OSCE from carrying out its democratization agenda in post-Soviet countries.

Following the 2008 U.S. presidential election, OSCE's ODIHR was accused of double standards by Russia's lawmaker Slutsky. The point was made that while numerous violations of the voting process were registered, its criticism came only from within the U.S. (media, human rights organizations, McCain's election staff), while the OSCE known for its bashing criticism of elections on the post-Soviet space remained silent.

History

The Organization has its roots in the 1973 Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). Talks had been mooted about a European security grouping since the 1950s but the Cold War prevented any substantial progress until the talks at Dipoli in Helsinki began in November 1972. These talks were held at the suggestion of the Soviet Union which wished to use the talks to maintain its control over the communist countries in Eastern Europe. Western Europe, however, saw these talks as a way to reduce the tension in the region, furthering economic cooperation and obtaining humanitarian improvements for the populations of the Communist bloc.

The recommendations of the talks, "The Blue Book", gave the practical foundations for a three-stage conference, the Helsinki process. The CSCE opened in Helsinki on July 3, 1973 with 35 states sending representatives. Stage I only took five days to agree to follow the Blue Book. Stage II was the main working phase and was conducted in Geneva from September 18, 1973 until July 21, 1975. The result of Stage II was the Helsinki Final Act which was signed by the 35 participating States during Stage III, which took place in Finlandia Hall from July 30 to August 1, 1975. It was opened by Holy See’s diplomat Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, who was chairman of the conference.

The concepts of improving relations and implementing the Act were developed over a series of follow-up meeting, with major gatherings in Belgrade (October 4, 1977 - March 8, 1978), Madrid (November 11, 1980 - September 9, 1983), and Vienna (November 4, 1986 - January 19, 1989).

A unique aspect of the OSCE is the non-binding status of its provisions. Rather than being a formal treaty, the OSCE Final Act represents a political commitment by all signatories to build security and cooperation in Europe on the basis of its provisions. This allows the OSCE to remain a flexible ''process'' for the evolution of improved cooperation which avoids disputes and/or sanctions over implementation. By agreeing these commitments, signatories for the first time accepted that treatment of citizens ''within'' their borders was also a matter of legitimate international concern. This open process of the OSCE is often given credit for helping build democracy in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, thus leading to the end of the Cold War.

The collapse of the Soviet Union required a change of role for the CSCE. The Charter of Paris for a New Europe which was signed on November 21, 1990 marked the beginning of this change. With the changes capped by the re-naming of the CSCE to the OSCE on January 1, 1995, accordingly to the results of the conference held in Budapest, in 1994. The OSCE now had a formal Secretariat, Senior Council, Parliamentary Assembly, Conflict Prevention Centre, and Office for Free Elections (later becoming the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights).

In December 1996, the "Lisbon Declaration on a Common and Comprehensive Security Model for Europe for the Twenty-First Century" affirmed the universal and indivisible nature of security on the European continent.

In Istanbul on November 19, 1999, the OSCE ended a two-day summit by calling for a political settlement in Chechnya and adopting a Charter for European Security. According to then Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov, this summit marked a turning point in Russian perception of the OSCE, from an organization that expressed Europe's collective will, to an organization that serves as a Western tool for "forced democratization."

After a group of thirteen Democratic United States senators petitioned Secretary of State Colin Powell to have foreign election monitors oversee the 2004 presidential election, the State Department acquiesced, and President George W. Bush invited the OSCE to do so.

Summits of heads and State and Government

Helsinki November 19–21, 1990 July 9–10, 1992 December 5–6, 1994 December 2–3, 1996 November 18–19, 1999 December 1–2, 2010

Summit !! Date !! Place !! Country !! Decisions
I	July 30-August 1, 1975	|		Helsinki Accords>Final Act (Helsinki Act).
II	|	Paris		Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe>CFE Treaty.
III	|	Helsinki		Federal Republic of Yugoslavia>F. R. of Yugoslavia from membership.
IV	|	Budapest		Final Document: ''Towards a Genuine Partnership in a New Era''. Approval of a multi-national peace-keeping force to Nagorno-Karabakh. Endorsement of the Code of Conduct on politico-military aspects of security.
V	|	Lisbon		(First OSCE Summit). ''Lisbon Declaration on a Common and Comprehensive Security Model for Europe for the Twenty-First Century''. Adoption of a Framework for Arms Control.
VI	|	Istanbul		Signing of the Istanbul Document and the Charter for European Security.
VII	|	Astana		Adoption of the Astana Commemorative Declaration, which reconfirms the Organization's comprehensive approach to security based on trust and transparency.

Ministerial Council Meetings (ordinary)

Berlin January 30–31, 1992 December 14–15, 1992 November 30-December 1, 1993 December 7–8, 1995 December 18–19, 1997 December 2–3, 1998 November 27–28, 2000 December 3–4, 2001 December 6–7, 2002 December 1–2, 2003 December 6–7, 2004 December 5–6, 2005 December 4–5, 2006 November 29–30, 2007 December 4–5, 2008 December 1–2, 2009 July 16–17, 2010

Council !! Date !! Place !! Country !! Decisions
1st	June 19–20, 1991	|		Admission of Albania
2nd	|	Prague		Admission of ten former Soviet republics.
3rd	|	Stockholm		Creation of the post of Secretary General and appointment of Max van der Stoel as first High Commissioner on National Minorities.
4th	|	Rome		Establishment of the Mission to Tajikistan.
5th	|	Budapest		Dayton Agreements>Dayton Peace Agreements.
6th	|	Copenhagen		Creation of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the Representative on Freedom of the Media.
7th	|	Oslo
8th	|	Vienna		Federal Republic of Yugoslavia>F. R. of Yugoslavia.
9th	|	Bucharest		Bucharest Declaration. Bucharest Plan of Action for Combating Terrorism. Creation of the Strategic Police Matters Unit and a Senior Police Adviser in the OSCE Secretariat.
10th	|	Porto		Porto Declaration: ''Responding to Change''. OSCE Charter on Preventing and Combating Terrorism
11th	|	Maastricht		Strategy to Address Threats to Security and Stability in the Twenty-First Century. Strategy Document for the Economic and Environmental Dimension.
12th	|	Sofia
13th	|	Ljubljana		Statement on the International	Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Approval of the Border Security and Management Concept.
14th	|	Brussels		Brussels Declaration on Criminal Justice Systems. Ministerial Statement on Supporting and Promoting the International Legal	Framework against Terrorism.
15th	|	Madrid		Madrid Declaration on Environment and Security. Ministerial Statement on Supporting the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
16th	|	Helsinki
17th	|	Athens		Ministerial Declarations on Non-Proliferation and on the OSCE Corfu Process.
	|	Almaty		Informal meeting discussions on Corfu Process progress, Kyrgyzstan, an OSCE summit.

Chairmanship history

Chairmanship of the OSCE is held by a member state on a calendar-year basis, with the minister for foreign affairs of that state performing the function of Chairperson-in-Office. The table below shows the holders since 1991.

Year !! Country !! Chairperson-in-Office
1991		Hans-Dietrich Genscher (from June)
1992		1993		1994		1995	>	1996		1997		1998		1999		2000		2001		2002		2003		2004		2005		2006		2007		2008		2009	>	2010		2011		2012		2013

Fiscal history

Since 1993, the OSCE's budget by year (in millions of euros, not adjusted for inflation) has been:

2010 €150.7 million

2009 €158.6 million

2008 €164.1 million

2007 €186.2 million

2006 €186.2 million

2005 €186.6 million

2004 €180.8 million

2003 €165.5 million

2002 €167.5 million

2001 €194.5 million

2000 €202.7 million

1999 €146.1 million

1998 €118.7 million

1997 €43.3 million

1996 €34.9 million

1995 €18.9 million

1994 €21 million

1993 €12 million

Participating States

[[Image:OSCE acts signatories.png|right|230px|thumb|OSCE signatories as of 2006. ]] 19 June 1991 25 April 1996 30 January 1992 25 June 1973 30 January 1992 30 January 1992 25 June 1973 30 April 1992 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 24 March 1992 25 June 1973 1 January 1993 25 June 1973 10 September 1991 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 24 March 1992 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 30 January 1992 30 January 1992 10 September 1991 25 June 1973 10 September 1991 25 June 1973 12 October 1995 25 June 1973 30 January 1992 25 June 1973 22 June 2006 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 (as USSR) 25 June 1973 10 November 2000 (as FR Yugoslavia) 1 January 1993 24 March 1992 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 30 January 1992 25 June 1973 30 January 1992 30 January 1992 25 June 1973 25 June 1973 30 January 1992 25 June 1973

State	Admission
	|	16 September 1991	17 September 1991
	|	10 November 1999	17 February 1998
	|	8 July 1992	17 April 1992
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	8 July 1992	20 December 1993
	|	26 February 1992	8 April 1993
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	8 July 1992
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	8 July 1992
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	14 October 1992	6 December 1991
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	8 July 1992	21 January 1994
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	8 July 1992	23 September 1992
	|	8 July 1992	3 June 1994
	|	14 October 1991	6 December 1991
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	14 October 1991	6 December 1991
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	26 February 1992	29 January 1993
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 September 2006
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	27 November 2000	27 November 2000
	|
	|	8 July 1992	8 March 1993
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	26 February 1992
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	8 July 1992
	|	26 February 1992	16 June 1992
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990
	|	26 February 1992	27 October 1993
	|	1 August 1975	21 November 1990

Partners for co-operation

See also

References

External links

Official website of the OSCE

OSCE Handbook (full version with hyperlinks to key documents)

OSCE The U.S. Mission to the OSCE

OSCE The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina

OSCE POLIS Policing OnLine Information System

United States Institute of Peace online training course for OSCE">United States Institute of Peace online training course for OSCE required for U.S. citizens hired by the Organization. Provides a detailed outline of the OSCE, with additional modules on each major area that it is involved in. Website freely available, but tests only given to those who have submitted applications.

OSCE eLearning unit created by ISRG - University of Innsbruck

Official OSCE account on Twitter

Summer Academy on OSCE

Category:United Nations General Assembly observers

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Lamberto Zannier, born in 1954, is an Italian diplomat who currently serves as the United Nations Special Representative for Kosovo and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), with the rank of UN Undersecretary-General. He was appointed to this position by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June 2008. On 30 June 2011, Ambassador Lamberto Zannier was appointed the new OSCE Secretary General through a unanimous Ministerial Council decision by the 56 participating States. Zannier will take up the post of OSCE Secretary General on 1 July 2011.

Zannier has served for the Foreign Service of Italy for more than 30 years. Before his appointment as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Kosovo, he played a leading role at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a coordinator for EU Foreign Policy and as a Director for EU Security and Defence issues. Between 2002 and 2006, he was Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna. In this capacity, he managed more than 20 civilian field operations in Europe and Central Asia. From 2000 to 2002, he served as Permanent Representative of Italy to the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. From 1997 to 2000, he was chairperson of the negotiations on the adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. From 1991 to 1997, he served as Head of Disarmament, Arms Control and Cooperative Security at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Previously, he served in Rome, Abu Dhabi and Vienna, mainly specialising in multilateral and security affairs. He has authored several publications on security, conflict prevention and crisis management issues. He is currently member of the Steering Committee of the Centre for International Negotiation and mediation of the Gorizia University. He routinely holds lessons and conferences on international relations and international security.

Zannier obtained a law degree from the University of Trieste.

References

External links

United Nations Press Release SG/A/1139

http://www.unmikonline.org/srsg/index.htm

Category:Italian diplomats Category:Living people Category:United Nations Mission in Kosovo

de:Lamberto Zannier it:Lamberto Zannier pl:Lamberto Zannier

Name	Max van der Stoel
office1	High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
term start1	1 January 1993
term end1	1 July 2001
predecessor1	"First"
successor1	Rolf Ekeus
office2	Member of the Netherlands Council of State
term start2	1 August 1986
term end2	1 January 1993
office3	Netherlands Ambassador to the United Nations
term start3	1983
term end3	1 August 1986
office4	Minister of Foreign Affairs
primeminister4	Dries van Agt
term start4	11 September 1981
term end4	29 May 1982
predecessor4	Chris van der Klaauw
successor4	Dries van Agt
office5	Minister of Foreign Affairs
primeminister5	Joop den Uyl
term start5	11 May 1973
term end5	19 December 1977
predecessor5	Norbert Schmelzer
successor5	Chris van der Klaauw
office6	State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
primeminister6	Jo Cals
term start6	22 July 1965
term end6	22 November 1966
predecessor6	Isaäc Nicolaas Theodoor Diepenhorst
successor6	Leo de Block
birth date	August 03, 1924
birth place	Voorschoten, Netherlands
death date	April 23, 2011
death place	The Hague, Netherlands
party	Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid - PvdA)
alma mater	Leiden University (LL.M., Law)
occupation	Politician, diplomat
religion	Non-religious }}

Max van der Stoel, KCMG (3 August 1924 23 April 2011) was a Dutch politician and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. He served as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

On 17 May 1991, he was granted the honorary title of Minister of State.

Career

Van der Stoel studied law at Leiden University where he obtained an LL.M. degree. From 1953 to 1958 he worked for the Wiardi Beckman Stichting, the scientific bureau of the Partij van de Arbeid (PvdA) and became international secretary for the PvdA in 1963. From 1973 to 1977 and 1981 to 1982 he was the Netherlands Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He was appointed as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in December 1992 and took up his functions in January 1993. He remained in office until 2000. Max van der Stoel is a member of the Bilderberg Group.

In 2001, following his intervention as High Commissioner in the ongoing problem of equitable access to higher education by members of he Albanian ethnic group in the Republic of Macedonia, he became the founding President of the International Foundation for the South East European University, raising some 35m Euros from the international community. He later served as President of the University Board until 2004. He was awarded the University's first honorary Doctorate and the University named its Library in his honour.

Van der Stoel was a member of the Advisory Board of the European Association of History Educators (EUROCLIO).

Honours and awards

Honours of the Netherlands

Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (5 December 1966)

The Honorary medal for Initiative and Ingenuity of the Order of the House of Orange (19 September 1974)

Order of Orange-Nassau:

*Commander (11 April 1978)

*Grand Officer (9 September 1982)

Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (31 augustus 1999)

Foreign honours

Grand Cordon of the Honorary Order of the Palm (1977, Suriname)

Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix (1977, Greece)

Knight Commander (KCMG) of the Order of St Michael and St George (2006, United Kingdom)

Freedom awards

Freedom of Speech of the Four Freedoms Award (1982)

Helène de Montigny award (December 1991)

Dr. J.P. van Praag award (1 June 1993, Netherlands)

Geuzenpenning (1993, Netherlands)

Wateler Peace award (30 oktober 1996)

Honorary appointments

Minister of State (17 May 1991, Netherlands)

Honorary degrees

Honorary doctorate in Law, University of Athens (1977, Greece)

Honorary doctorate in Law, Utrecht University (1994, Netherlands)

Honorary Doctor, South East European University (2005), Republic of Macedonia]

References

Parlement.com biography

External links

Averting Inter-Ethnic Conflict: An Analysis of the CSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities in Estonia - (Google cache)

''National Minority Rights Enforcement in Europe: A Difficult Balancing Act''

Van Der Stoel, Max Van Der Stoel, Max Category:Ambassadors of the Netherlands Category:Dutch atheists Category:Dutch diplomats Category:Dutch jurists Category:Dutch legal scholars Category:Dutch politicians Van Der Stoel, Max Category:Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Van Der Stoel, Max Category:Knights of the Order of the Netherlands Lion Category:Labour Party (Netherlands) MEPs Category:Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians Category:Leiden University alumni Category:Members of the Council of State of the Netherlands Category:Members of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands Category:Members of the Senate of the Netherlands Category:MEPs for the Netherlands 1958–1979 Category:Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Category:Ministers of State (Netherlands) Van Der Stoel, Max Category:People from Voorschoten Van Der Stoel, Max Category:Recipients of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau Category:Recipients of the Order of the House of Orange Van Der Stoel, Max Category:State Secretaries of the Netherlands Category:Tilburg University faculty

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