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Room 29, Parliament Buildings

Room 29, Parliament Buildings

A DUI will follow you everywhere. No matter where you go. No matter what you do. It’s a choice that has long-lasting consequences.

Halloween is just days away. By now you have probably picked out a costume. It is likely that you know where you are going and who you are going to meet there. But, have you decided how you are going to get home if you plan to drink alcohol? Take a few minutes right now to plan a safe ride home. Read more on how to plan ahead to avoid legal issues and embarrassment that go along with a DUI arrest and conviction.

The Public Accounts Committee has agreed to invite Arlene Foster MLA to give evidence on its Inquiry into the Non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme.

The community panel closes out the discussion with a conversation about some of the security concerns that can leave some organizations wary of cloud adoption.

WARSAW / BUCHAREST, 2 August 2016 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu, Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), called today for greater efforts to protect endangered memorial sites related to the Roma and Sinti genocide during World War II.

Speaking on the occasion of the commemoration of the liquidation of the “Gypsy family camp” at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944, when the close to 3,000 remaining Roma and Sinti in the camp were murdered, they stressed that states have to do more to demonstrate their sincere and strong commitment to education about and remembrance of the genocide.

“Positively, we have seen increasing attention in recent years on the part of OSCE participating States to commemorate the Roma and Sinti genocide, and to educate people about this horrible event. This practice and these experiences should be widely shared and replicated,” Director Link said. “Promoting understanding of the Holocaust and its effect on different communities can help to create empathy and promote equality and non-discrimination for all.”

“Accurate and ethical education about the Holocaust includes the respectful and dignified preservation of memorial sites,” said Ambassador Constantinescu. “States have to take resolute action to protect endangered memorial sites and continue to do more to commemorate the Roma and Sinti victims. The history of these endangered sites should be included as part of broader efforts to educate about the consequences of indifference to racism.”

They called on governments to ensure that endangered memorial sites for Roma and Sinti victims are preserved and protected, to include this history as an integral part of civic and human rights education in their countries. They stressed that current developments, including a disturbing rise in xenophobic public rhetoric and racism, mean it is even more essential to build strong alliances among different communities.

In 2003, with the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area, the OSCE participating States committed themselves to strengthen education about the Roma and Sinti genocide. Through its Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues, ODIHR promotes knowledge about and recognition of the plight of Roma and Sinti during the Holocaust to counter present-day discrimination and racism, and to promote tolerance. According to ODIHR’s recent publication Teaching about and Commemorating the Roma and Sinti Genocide: Practices within the OSCE Area, seven OSCE participating States officially commemorate the Roma and Sinti genocide on 2 August, while a larger number of states commemorate the Roma and Sinti victims on the International Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance is an inter-governmental organization and the foremost international network of political leaders and professionals advancing and shaping Holocaust education, remembrance and research. Its 31 member countries are committed to the tenets of the Stockholm Declaration. The IHRA Committee on the Genocide of the Roma aims to increase the commitment of IHRA Member Countries to educate, research and commemorate the genocide of the Roma.

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TBILISI, 2 July 2016 – Nearly 300 parliamentarians from 54 OSCE countries have begun debates on political and security affairs, economic and environmental issues and human rights and humanitarian concerns at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 25th Annual Session in Tbilisi.

The OSCE PA’s three general committees began working on resolutions Saturday dealing with topics including transnational terrorism, the crisis in and around Ukraine, protracted conflicts in Georgia, corruption, energy, climate change, migration and the rights of refugees.

Introducing the resolution to the Committee on Political Affairs and Security, Rapporteur Margareta Cederfelt (MP, Sweden) noted the importance of rebuilding trust and promoting stability in the OSCE region. “Since so many of our common challenges require real multilateral engagement, we as parliamentarians should work together in overcoming these challenges and work towards our mutual security,” she said.

Chaired by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, the committee debated a number of issues related to the security situation in the OSCE area, with a particular focus on the threat of terrorism and resolving the Ukraine conflict through full implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

In the OSCE PA’s Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, chaired by Nilza Sena (MP, Portugal), Rapporteur Marietta Tidei (MP, Italy) highlighted the necessity of addressing climate change and other challenges in the economic and environmental dimension. She noted that 2016 marks not only the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 25th anniversary, but also 25 years since the international community began addressing one of the most challenging environmental concerns of our time.

“In 1991, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee held its first meeting to tackle what was already seen at that time as a serious challenge to humanity, the threat of climate change,” Tidei noted. She welcomed the adoption last year of the Paris Climate Agreement and urged its swift implementation by OSCE countries. Other issues touched on by the rapporteur and in the debate included food security, economic inequality and corruption.

The OSCE PA’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions opened debate on Rapporteur Gordana Comic (MP, Portugal)’s report and draft resolution, introduced by Committee Chair Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal). The resolution urges a revitalization of the OSCE’s commitment to the human dimension 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.

Chaired by Ivana Dobesova (MP, Czech Republic), the committee debated issues including fundamental freedoms in Crimea and humanitarian concerns related to the migration crisis, including the special vulnerabilities of women and girls.

Santos noted that the report and draft resolution do not present a “magic solution” to the challenges of human rights in the OSCE area, but provides a basis for further co-operation. ‘“Together, we can achieve more, and one day we will achieve the solutions,” she said.

Committee meetings continue on 3 July with a number of amendments to consider. After the amendment process and their adoption by the committees, resolutions will be voted on by the full Assembly during the final day of the Annual Session on 5 July, for inclusion in the OSCE PA’s Tbilisi Declaration.

The committee meetings today follow a number of opening speeches Friday, including by Georgian Speaker of Parliament David Usupashvili, President Giorgi Margvelashvili, and Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, as well as OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) and the OSCE’s Chairperson-in-Office, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Also on Friday, President Kanerva and Foreign Minister Steinmeier met for a bilateral meeting that focused on conflict resolution efforts in Ukraine. They discussed the crisis in and around Ukraine in detail, including the current Russian position on its level of engagement and prospects for implementing the Minsk Agreements.

For schedules, resolutions, live streaming during the event, daily news updates, press releases and other information, please visit www.oscepa.org. Selected photos are being posted on the PA’s Flickr page atwww.flickr.com/oscepa and on the Georgian Parliament’s Flickr page athttps://www.flickr.com/photos/geoparliament. Both the PA and the Georgian Parliament are tweeting using the hashtag #OSCEPATbilisi.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

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TBILISI, 5 July 2016 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the 2016 Tbilisi Declaration today, addressing key issues in the fields of political affairs and security, economics, the environment, human rights, and humanitarian concerns. (Full text available here in English, French and Russian.)

The Declaration, resulting from months of work by committee rapporteurs and several days of debates at the Assembly’s Annual Session in Tbilisi, contains wide-ranging policy recommendations and pronouncements, serving as policy guidance to OSCE governments and the international community. Some 300 parliamentarians from 54 countries spanning North America, Europe and Central Asia contributed to the Session’s work. The Declaration and resolutions will now be sent to parliaments and to the foreign ministers of OSCE countries as policy input ahead of the OSCE’s 2016 Ministerial Council meeting this year in Hamburg.

Among the issues covered in the recommendations adopted by the parliamentarians are transnational terrorism, the crisis in and around Ukraine, protracted conflicts in Georgia, countering corruption, energy, climate change, migration, and the rights of refugees. The Declaration is the final product of the Assembly’s 2016 Annual Session, which was held in the Georgian capital from 1 to 5 July under the theme “25 Years of Parliamentary Co-operation: Building Trust Through Dialogue.”

Stressing the theme of trust-building, the Declaration “reaffirm[s] the undiminished validity and historic role of the guiding principles and common values of the Helsinki Final Act signed in 1975, including the commitments on politico-military, economic, environmental, human rights, and humanitarian issues.” It regrets however the trend of gridlock in the OSCE and urges OSCE countries to enhance the level of co-operation in addressing common challenges.

On terrorism, the Declaration calls upon governments to strengthen co-operation and develop measures aimed at blocking the funding of terrorist organizations. It further urges the OSCE to help governments counter terrorism through pragmatic assistance and promotion of best practices.

On the crisis in and around Ukraine, the Declaration urges all parties to fully implement the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, and “underlines respect for the principles of the inviolability of frontiers and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes, equal rights, and self-determination of peoples as stated in the Helsinki Final Act.”

Regarding climate change, the Declaration calls upon parliamentarians to promote political dialogue in order to achieve the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement adopted last year, and to ensure that the Agreement’s targets are met “with the greatest sense of urgency by implementing robust policies and regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

On migration, the Declaration stresses the importance of prioritizing the rights of those fleeing violence, and urges governments to stop imposing legal and physical barriers to the movement of people fleeing violence and to actively work toward an inclusive approach to migrants and refugees.

The Assembly also approved 15 resolutions to supplement the Declaration, addressing issues such as fundamental freedoms in the Crimean peninsula, prevention of child sexual exploitation, confidence-building measures in the Baltic Sea region, and ensuring that members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly affected by international travel bans are able to attend OSCE events.

For the full text of the Declaration and resolutions, as well as speeches, photos, videos and more, please visithttp://www.oscepa.org/meetings/annual-sessions/2016-tbilisi-annual-session. Additional photos are available on the Georgian Parliament’s Flickr pages at https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoparliament and https://www.flickr.com/photos/oscepatbilisi

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

Related Stories

• Christine Muttonen of Austria elected OSCE PA President, Vice-Presidents and Committee Officers also elected
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TBILISI, 5 July 2016 – At the close of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 25th Annual Session in Tbilisi today, members of the Assembly elected Austrian parliamentarian Christine Muttonen as President. Muttonen has previously served as OSCE PA Vice-President and Special Representative for Central and Eastern Asia, and is Deputy Head of the Austrian Delegation to the PA.

Upon being elected, Muttonen said that she would pursue direct talks with governments and other OSCE institutions on advancing avenues for closer co-operation.

“Parliamentarians can play a very important role in securing peace and stability,” she said. “It will be my duty to make sure they have the possibility to do so.”

OSCE PA Vice-Presidents were also elected today: Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene (Lithuania), Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan), and Isabel Santos (Portugal) were elected to three-year terms, and Victor Dobre (Romania) was elected to a one-year term.

On Monday, the OSCE PA’s General Committee on Political Affairs and Security elected its leadership. Members of the committee re-elected Roger Wicker (United States) and Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) Chair and Rapporteur, respectively, and Guglielmo Picchi (Italy) was elected Vice-Chair.

In the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment on Sunday, members elected Nilza Sena (Portugal) Chair and Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine) Vice-Chair. Italian parliamentarian Marietta Tidei was re-elected Rapporteur.

Members of the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions on Monday elected Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain) Chair and Kyriakos Kyriakou-Hadjiyanni (Cyprus) Rapporteur. Vice-Chair Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) was re-elected by acclamation.

In his final address as Assembly President, Finnish parliamentarian and former Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Ilkka Kanerva noted that he has led the PA during challenging times.

“In these times, it is important to recall the validity of all ten Helsinki Final Act principles. As President, I have worked to reaffirm these principles, even as they have been put to the test lately. I believe that reviving the spirit of Helsinki requires ensuring that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly remains an Assembly that is inclusive, open and transparent,” he said.

He also highlighted his special paper distributed at the Tbilisi Annual Session entitled “Our common vision for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.”

Kanerva was elected President of the Assembly at the Baku Annual Session in July 2014, and will now serve as President Emeritus of the Assembly.

For the full text of the OSCE PA’s Declaration and resolutions adopted today in Tbilisi, as well as speeches, photos, videos and more, please visit http://www.oscepa.org/meetings/annual-sessions/2016-tbilisi-annual-session. Additional photos are available on the Georgian Parliament’s Flickr pages at https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoparliament  and https://www.flickr.com/photos/oscepatbilisi/.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

Related Stories

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VIENNA, 13 April 2016 – As Poland takes over the rotating Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), Under-Secretary of State with the Foreign Ministry Marek Ziółkowski said that one of the main tasks of his country will be to strengthen confidence- and security-building measures by revitalizing the Vienna Document 2011. Moving this process forward and including regional perspectives into the security dialogue with the focus on some areas including the Baltic Sea region, Central and Eastern Europe are the priorities of Poland’s Chairmanship of the FSC.

Opening the 815th meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation Ziółkowski said: “Poland believes that risk reduction is one of the pillars of the Vienna Document-based co-operation. And nowadays the relevance and usefulness of risk reduction mechanisms are growing.”

He noted in particular the proposal made jointly by Poland and other OSCE participating States to improve co-operation regarding hazardous incidents of a military nature.

Poland’s Chairmanship will put an emphasis on regional perspectives in the security dialogue in the OSCE area. Political-military aspects of security in Georgia and Tajikistan as well as Montenegro’s Demilitarization Programme (MONDEM) will also be topics of discussion.

Regarding the crisis in and around Ukraine, the Under-Secretary of State drew attention to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements and further deterioration of the security situation in Donbas. “The OSCE must retain its focus and resolve to facilitate a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We see room for the FSC to play a more prominent role here. For example, the applicability of the existing set of confidence- and security-building measures could be re-examined and further explored,” Ziółkowski said.

Poland is taking over the Chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-operation from the Netherlands and preceding Portugal. Ambassador Adam Bugajski of Poland will chair the FSC till the end of the summer recess.

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WARSAW / BUCHAREST, 2 August 2016 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu, Chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), called today for greater efforts to protect endangered memorial sites related to the Roma and Sinti genocide during World War II.

Speaking on the occasion of the commemoration of the liquidation of the “Gypsy family camp” at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944, when the close to 3,000 remaining Roma and Sinti in the camp were murdered, they stressed that states have to do more to demonstrate their sincere and strong commitment to education about and remembrance of the genocide.

“Positively, we have seen increasing attention in recent years on the part of OSCE participating States to commemorate the Roma and Sinti genocide, and to educate people about this horrible event. This practice and these experiences should be widely shared and replicated,” Director Link said. “Promoting understanding of the Holocaust and its effect on different communities can help to create empathy and promote equality and non-discrimination for all.”

“Accurate and ethical education about the Holocaust includes the respectful and dignified preservation of memorial sites,” said Ambassador Constantinescu. “States have to take resolute action to protect endangered memorial sites and continue to do more to commemorate the Roma and Sinti victims. The history of these endangered sites should be included as part of broader efforts to educate about the consequences of indifference to racism.”

They called on governments to ensure that endangered memorial sites for Roma and Sinti victims are preserved and protected, to include this history as an integral part of civic and human rights education in their countries. They stressed that current developments, including a disturbing rise in xenophobic public rhetoric and racism, mean it is even more essential to build strong alliances among different communities.

In 2003, with the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area, the OSCE participating States committed themselves to strengthen education about the Roma and Sinti genocide. Through its Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues, ODIHR promotes knowledge about and recognition of the plight of Roma and Sinti during the Holocaust to counter present-day discrimination and racism, and to promote tolerance. According to ODIHR’s recent publication Teaching about and Commemorating the Roma and Sinti Genocide: Practices within the OSCE Area, seven OSCE participating States officially commemorate the Roma and Sinti genocide on 2 August, while a larger number of states commemorate the Roma and Sinti victims on the International Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance is an inter-governmental organization and the foremost international network of political leaders and professionals advancing and shaping Holocaust education, remembrance and research. Its 31 member countries are committed to the tenets of the Stockholm Declaration. The IHRA Committee on the Genocide of the Roma aims to increase the commitment of IHRA Member Countries to educate, research and commemorate the genocide of the Roma.

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BERLIN, 3 June 2016 – The resumption of talks in the 5+2 format signals a fresh impetus in the settlement process and provides new momentum to achieve real progress, said Ambassador Cord Meier-Klodt, Special Representative of the German OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process.

As a result of the talks, the sides signed a protocol that details steps to be taken towards resolving a number of concrete issues prior to the informal Conference on Confidence-Building Measures in Bavaria in July.

“Following two days of focused discussions, I am happy to say that we moved forward on a number of substantive issues to the benefit of both sides, including in the areas of telecommunication, transportation and education,” said Meier-Klodt. “With the collective effort of the sides and the international partners, we stand a real chance of resolving these key issues next month.”

The Special Representative welcomed the ongoing efforts of the sides and the international partners over recent months, including intensified dialogue between the chief negotiators and in the working group format, and a visit of the Mediators and Observers to Chisinau and Tiraspol in April 2016.

“This 5+2 is testament to the fact that constructive and frequent dialogue at all levels is essential for realizing substantive talks in the 5+2,” said Ambassador Michael Scanlan, Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. “I urge the sides to continue in this spirit over the coming weeks and to fully utilize the valuable input of our international partners in order to achieve the objectives outlined in the protocol”.

Talks in the 5+2 format include the participation of representatives of the sides, Mediators and Observers – Moldova, Transdniestria, the OSCE, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union.

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CHISINAU / TIRASPOL, 26 July 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in Moldova today had talks with high-level Moldovan officials as well as with representatives from the Transdniestrian leadership. Steinmeier also visited the offices of the OSCE Mission in Moldova on both sides of the Dniester/Nistru River, in Chisinau and Tiraspol, and acknowledged their valuable work towards the Transdniestrian conflict settlement process. 

In Chisinau, Steinmeier met with Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu, Prime Minister Pavel Filip, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Andrei Galbur, and Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration and Moldovan Political Representative Gheorghe Balan. During these talks Steinmeier was joined by his Special Representative for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Ambassador Cord Meier-Klodt and the Acting Head of the OSCE Mission in Moldova Stephen Young.

Speaking to the media at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Filip, Steinmeier stressed the importance of the role of the OSCE and the unified approach of all international partners, while calling on the sides to remain fully committed to the settlement of this long-standing conflict. “The success in the settlement process fundamentally depends on the resolve of the sides to achieve progress to the benefit of the people. But it is also a result of the remarkable unity of international partners.” Besides the OSCE, the international partners are the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the European Union and the United States of America.

“With a view to the Transdniestrian conflict we have recently made considerable efforts to inject new momentum to the negotiation process between the sides which had come to a standstill for quite some time,” Steinmeier said. He continued that it was a priority now to ensure a sustainable effect of the 5+2 talks which resumed in Berlin on 2 and 3 June 2016.

“We must now, as a first step, tackle those problems that can be solved pragmatically in order to enhance the trust between the sides that is necessary for more far-reaching measures.” As examples of such confidence-building measures, Steinmeier referred to the re-connection of telecommunication networks, the apostilisation of Transdniestrian university diplomas and progress on the car license plate issue.

At his talks in Tiraspol with representatives of the Transdniestrian leadership, Pavel Prokudin and Vitaly Ignatiev as well as with the speaker of the Supreme Soviet Vadim Krasnoselsky, Steinmeier called on the sides to implement the Berlin Protocol from June 2016 in a swift and comprehensive manner. Steinmeier, during his visit, also re-affirmed the parameters of the settlement process, which is the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Moldova with a special status for Transdniestria. 

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SKOPJE, 14 April 2016 - Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje Nina Suomalainen has taken note of President Gjorge Ivanov’s 41 decisions published yesterday in the Official Gazette to pardon 56 individuals.

While the stated intention of the President was to contribute to the resolution of the ongoing crisis, the citizens nevertheless are entitled to see political and legal accountability being carried out. The judiciary and the Special Prosecutor’s Office must be allowed to continue to do their very important work in line with the principles of independence and impartiality. 

The investigation of the cases surrounding and arising from the content of the unauthorized interception of communications, and subsequent court cases should help rebuild the trust of citizens in the rule of law and in a well-functioning and impartial justice system.

At this crucial time, we encourage all stakeholders to act constructively and to ensure that principles of democratic governance and the rule of law prevail. Citizens are urged to refrain from violence while exercising their constitutional right to public protest. The best interest of the country and its citizens should be at the centre and focus of all efforts.

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TBILISI, 5 July 2016 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted the 2016 Tbilisi Declaration today, addressing key issues in the fields of political affairs and security, economics, the environment, human rights, and humanitarian concerns. (Full text available here in English, French and Russian.)

The Declaration, resulting from months of work by committee rapporteurs and several days of debates at the Assembly’s Annual Session in Tbilisi, contains wide-ranging policy recommendations and pronouncements, serving as policy guidance to OSCE governments and the international community. Some 300 parliamentarians from 54 countries spanning North America, Europe and Central Asia contributed to the Session’s work. The Declaration and resolutions will now be sent to parliaments and to the foreign ministers of OSCE countries as policy input ahead of the OSCE’s 2016 Ministerial Council meeting this year in Hamburg.

Among the issues covered in the recommendations adopted by the parliamentarians are transnational terrorism, the crisis in and around Ukraine, protracted conflicts in Georgia, countering corruption, energy, climate change, migration, and the rights of refugees. The Declaration is the final product of the Assembly’s 2016 Annual Session, which was held in the Georgian capital from 1 to 5 July under the theme “25 Years of Parliamentary Co-operation: Building Trust Through Dialogue.”

Stressing the theme of trust-building, the Declaration “reaffirm[s] the undiminished validity and historic role of the guiding principles and common values of the Helsinki Final Act signed in 1975, including the commitments on politico-military, economic, environmental, human rights, and humanitarian issues.” It regrets however the trend of gridlock in the OSCE and urges OSCE countries to enhance the level of co-operation in addressing common challenges.

On terrorism, the Declaration calls upon governments to strengthen co-operation and develop measures aimed at blocking the funding of terrorist organizations. It further urges the OSCE to help governments counter terrorism through pragmatic assistance and promotion of best practices.

On the crisis in and around Ukraine, the Declaration urges all parties to fully implement the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, and “underlines respect for the principles of the inviolability of frontiers and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes, equal rights, and self-determination of peoples as stated in the Helsinki Final Act.”

Regarding climate change, the Declaration calls upon parliamentarians to promote political dialogue in order to achieve the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement adopted last year, and to ensure that the Agreement’s targets are met “with the greatest sense of urgency by implementing robust policies and regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

On migration, the Declaration stresses the importance of prioritizing the rights of those fleeing violence, and urges governments to stop imposing legal and physical barriers to the movement of people fleeing violence and to actively work toward an inclusive approach to migrants and refugees.

The Assembly also approved 15 resolutions to supplement the Declaration, addressing issues such as fundamental freedoms in the Crimean peninsula, prevention of child sexual exploitation, confidence-building measures in the Baltic Sea region, and ensuring that members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly affected by international travel bans are able to attend OSCE events.

For the full text of the Declaration and resolutions, as well as speeches, photos, videos and more, please visithttp://www.oscepa.org/meetings/annual-sessions/2016-tbilisi-annual-session. Additional photos are available on the Georgian Parliament’s Flickr pages at https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoparliament and https://www.flickr.com/photos/oscepatbilisi

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

Related Stories

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TBILISI, 5 July 2016 – At the close of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 25th Annual Session in Tbilisi today, members of the Assembly elected Austrian parliamentarian Christine Muttonen as President. Muttonen has previously served as OSCE PA Vice-President and Special Representative for Central and Eastern Asia, and is Deputy Head of the Austrian Delegation to the PA.

Upon being elected, Muttonen said that she would pursue direct talks with governments and other OSCE institutions on advancing avenues for closer co-operation.

“Parliamentarians can play a very important role in securing peace and stability,” she said. “It will be my duty to make sure they have the possibility to do so.”

OSCE PA Vice-Presidents were also elected today: Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene (Lithuania), Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan), and Isabel Santos (Portugal) were elected to three-year terms, and Victor Dobre (Romania) was elected to a one-year term.

On Monday, the OSCE PA’s General Committee on Political Affairs and Security elected its leadership. Members of the committee re-elected Roger Wicker (United States) and Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) Chair and Rapporteur, respectively, and Guglielmo Picchi (Italy) was elected Vice-Chair.

In the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment on Sunday, members elected Nilza Sena (Portugal) Chair and Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine) Vice-Chair. Italian parliamentarian Marietta Tidei was re-elected Rapporteur.

Members of the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions on Monday elected Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain) Chair and Kyriakos Kyriakou-Hadjiyanni (Cyprus) Rapporteur. Vice-Chair Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) was re-elected by acclamation.

In his final address as Assembly President, Finnish parliamentarian and former Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Ilkka Kanerva noted that he has led the PA during challenging times.

“In these times, it is important to recall the validity of all ten Helsinki Final Act principles. As President, I have worked to reaffirm these principles, even as they have been put to the test lately. I believe that reviving the spirit of Helsinki requires ensuring that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly remains an Assembly that is inclusive, open and transparent,” he said.

He also highlighted his special paper distributed at the Tbilisi Annual Session entitled “Our common vision for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.”

Kanerva was elected President of the Assembly at the Baku Annual Session in July 2014, and will now serve as President Emeritus of the Assembly.

For the full text of the OSCE PA’s Declaration and resolutions adopted today in Tbilisi, as well as speeches, photos, videos and more, please visit http://www.oscepa.org/meetings/annual-sessions/2016-tbilisi-annual-session. Additional photos are available on the Georgian Parliament’s Flickr pages at https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoparliament  and https://www.flickr.com/photos/oscepatbilisi/.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

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COPENHAGEN, 13 June 2016 – Pointing to a loss of trust between OSCE countries in recent years, the rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly’s political affairs and security committee, Margareta Cederfelt (MP, Sweden), has authored a report and draft resolution geared towards strengthening international dialogue and improving co-operation to meet common challenges facing the OSCE region. The resolution will be considered at the OSCE PA’s 25th Annual Session, being held in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 1 to 5 July.

“Since so many international problems require real multilateral engagement, the gridlock and loss of trust we have recently seen across the OSCE area has had a tangible and negative impact on our mutual security,” Cederfelt said today. “Only by strengthening dialogue and political will can diplomatic efforts succeed in bringing together belligerent parties, resolving conflicts and addressing common threats.”

In this regard, she said that the OSCE should utilize its full capacity to tackle problems including transnational terrorism and the crisis in and around Ukraine. The resolution also points to conflicts and challenges of refugees and internally displaced persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova as requiring greater attention and political will. Regarding Abkhazia, Georgia, and South Ossetia, Georgia, the resolution calls for strengthening international dialogue in regard to the security and stability arrangements, and urges the full implementation of the EU-brokered Six-Point Agreement of 12 August 2008.

Other key themes highlighted by the rapporteur include women in armed conflict, the link between security and democracy, and the fight against corruption. Specifically, Cederfelt’s resolution:

• Calls upon OSCE governments to harmonize and co-ordinate anti-terrorism legislation and intelligence-sharing, as well as develop measures to block the funding of terrorist groups;
• Urges all parties to the Ukraine conflict to fully implement the Package of Measures for the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, and calls for an international peacekeeping operation under the auspices of the UN and the OSCE to reinforce the Minsk Agreements;
• Calls for democratic and legal accountability in order to address corruption and ensure greater political integrity;
• Encourages OSCE countries to promote effective measures to provide security guarantees and humanitarian relief for women at all stages of the conflict cycle.

Regarding the crisis in and around Ukraine, which Cederfelt underlines has been exacerbated by Russian aggression, the resolution expresses “respect for the principles of the inviolability of frontiers and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes, equal rights, and self-determination of peoples as stated in the Helsinki Final Act, and calls on the Russian Federation to restrain its aggressive practices and reverse the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.” 

Concern is also expressed over recent military escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, with the resolution urging parliamentarians to encourage political will from the sides in the region to promote an agreement on confidence building-measures to reduce the risk for further hostilities.

Cederfelt’s draft resolution will be debated and amended during a number of meetings of the OSCE PA’s General Committee on Political Affairs and Security beginning on 2 July. The committee will also take up several other resolutions that cover additional matters related to the OSCE’s politico-military dimension of security. After the amendment process and their adoption by the committee, resolutions will be voted on by the full Assembly during the final day of the Annual Session on 5 July, for inclusion in the OSCE PA’s Tbilisi Declaration.

The Declaration, containing wide-ranging policy recommendations and pronouncements in the fields of security, economics and the environment, and human rights, will be sent to the foreign ministers of OSCE participating States and presented in national parliaments. 

Held under the theme “25 Years of Parliamentary Co-operation: Building Trust Through Dialogue,” the Annual Session will take place at Expo Georgia Exhibition Center in Tbilisi, and is open to the media. Additional information, including the full text of resolutions and reports, is available here. Journalists interested in attending the Annual Session should register here by 20 June.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

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VIENNA, 16 June 2016 – Accountability is crucial to preventing future crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, said President of the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi as she addressed the 823d meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) on Wednesday in Vienna.

Fernandez emphasized that the current security challenges are staggering in their numbers and complexity.

“The world is facing destabilizing conflicts around the globe which include not only deliberate acts of violence against the physical security and well-being of civilians, but also deliberate attacks against their cultures and identities,” she said. “This demands a multi-faceted response from the international community to stop violence in the short-term, but also sustainable conflict resolution in the long-term.”

Fernandez stressed the importance of justice in preventing future crimes and the necessity of building the capacity of national jurisdictions. The ICC can exercise jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide but it is complementary and not intended to replace national systems, she noted.

“Capacity building of national jurisdictions is essential. The OSCE has played a role - especially in the former Yugoslavia - and can also make contributions through supporting the rule of law and democratic institutions,” Fernandez said.

Ambassador Adam Bugajski of Poland, the OSCE participating State currently chairing the FSC, said: “In paragraph 30 of the Code of Conduct we committed ourselves, inter alia, to ensure that armed forces personnel are aware they are individually accountable under national and international law for their actions."

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VIENNA, 29 July 2016 – Continuing intimidation and violence against journalists and independent voices is unacceptable and could further weaken media freedom and freedom of expression in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Dunja Mijatović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, said today.

“I am following with great concern the extremely worrying situation in the country which could lead to self-censorship,” Mijatović said. “People engaged in investigative reporting and expressing different opinions, even provocative ones, should play a legitimate part in a healthy debate and their voices should not be restricted.”

Mijatović noted that the latest events open a very worrying chapter on the safety of journalists.

They include:

• Verbal attacks on writer and journalist Nenad Veličković;

• Verbal attacks on Borka Rudić, General Secretary of the Association of BiH Journalists; • Verbal threats on journalist Mirjana Radanović;

• Threats and insults against journalists of FTV Mreža magazine;

• Threats against Dragiša Sikimić, editor-in-chief and the owner of the web portal MojaHercegovina.info;

• Verbal and physical assaults on BN TV, ATV and HIT TV crews;

• A physical attack on a BN TV camera operator; • An assault on Nermin Bisa, editor-in-chief of 24sata.info;

• Verbal threats against freelance journalist Vuk Bačanović; and

• Offensive and discriminatory verbal attacks on Selma Učanbarlić, a journalist from the Centre for Investigative Reporting.

“This trend needs to be immediately reversed. Public condemnation at the highest level is needed in order to send a clear message that such threats, including hate speech, against journalists, academics and writers are not tolerated in a democratic society,” Mijatović said. “Investigations into these incidents, which include death threats transmitted by social media, need to be commenced immediately.”

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom. For PDF attachments or links to sources of further information, please visit http: www.osce.org/fom/257086

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COPENHAGEN, 29 June 2016 – Following the suicide bombings yesterday at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, killing at least 36, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) issued the following statement:

“I condemn in the strongest terms yesterday’s horrific suicide bombings at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. This sort of indiscriminate violence against innocent civilians is absolutely unacceptable, and my deepest sympathies go out to the victims, their families, and the people and government of Turkey.

“As the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is set to gather in Tbilisi, Georgia, for its 25th Annual Session later this week, I urge all of us to recommit ourselves to building a more stable, secure and peaceful world, and to redouble our efforts to fighting terrorism in all its forms."

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