Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

Kaerntner Ring 5-7
1010 Vienna
Austria

Phone: 43-4-514-36-0
Fax: 43-1-514-36-96
E-mail: info@osce.org
Internet: www.osce.org

In 1975, the Helsinki Final Act created the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) as a loose, conference-style organization, composed of members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, to provide a forum for dealing with the problems of the Cold War. CSCE held a series of meetings and conferences, setting norms and commitments and periodically reviewing their implementation. In 1990, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe called upon the organization to help manage the historic change in Europe and respond to the challenges of the post-Cold War period. In 1994, the name was changed to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to reflect a growing responsibility for new initiatives related to European security in the broadest sense. Unlike other international organizations, however, OSCE was not created by treaty and had no international legal status.

OSCE is composed of 56 countries with a total staff of 3,500. OSCE operates 18 field missions in 16 countries. The United States and Canada are members; 11 countries in the Mediterranean region and Asia are affiliated as Partners for Cooperation. As a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, OSCE is responsible for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, and post-conflict rehabilitation in Europe. OSCE takes a cooperative approach to a wide range of security-related issues, including rule of law; arms control; preventive diplomacy; confidence- and security-building measures; human rights; election monitoring; and economic security.

OSCE is composed of several institutions. The organization's headquarters, Secretariat, and Permanent Council are located in Vienna. The Secretariat is led by the secretary- general, who is appointed for three years. The Permanent Council is the major decision-making body. Member states have equal status. Decisions are made by consensus and are politically, but not legally, binding. OSCE foreign ministers hold an annual Ministerial Council Meeting. Every two years, an OSCE Summit of Heads of State or Government is convened. The Parliamentary Assembly meets once a year to consider declarations, recommendations, and proposals to enhance security and cooperation in the OSCE area. The Parliamentary Assembly's secretariat is located in Copenhagen.

Beginning in 1992 with the breakup of Yugoslavia, OSCE has deployed a growing number of field missions concerned with monitoring human rights violations and promoting the rule of law. OSCE played a key role in democratization, institution building, and media development in Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia. OSCE activities in Eastern Europe focused on election monitoring, rule of law, and conflict resolution in Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova. OSCE supports the Caucasus states of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia in the areas of economic and environmental development, conflict resolution, and democratization. Since 2002, OSCE has played a leading role in combating human trafficking in Europe. The Kosovo Police School is considered OSCE's greatest achievement and has been emulated in subsequent peace operations. OSCE works closely with the United Nations and NATO. Its role is limited in some operations, however, by the requirement to operate by consensus. Since one member can veto the organization's budget, there will always be constraints on OSCE's actions.