Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Expected Council Action
In December, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, in her capacity as the current Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), is expected to brief the Security Council on the organisation’s activities. Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon is expected to chair the meeting.
Background and Key Recent Developments
The Council has received annual briefings from the OSCE CiO since 2004. The chairmanship of the OSCE rotates yearly, and on 1 January, Finland succeeded Malta in this position. Past briefings on the work of the organisation have taken place early in the year, allowing former CiOs to inform the Council about their priorities for their upcoming presidencies. As this year’s briefing will be held towards the year’s end, it can serve as an opportunity for Valtonen to reflect on the OSCE’s work in the past year and the initiatives that Finland promoted during its chairmanship.
December’s Council meeting comes shortly after the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act, which laid the foundation for the OSCE. The Helsinki Final Act, signed on 1 August 1975, sought to improve the relationship between East and West, covering ten principles divided into three areas (also known as “baskets”): political and military security, including commitments to refraining from the threat or use of force, the territorial integrity of states, and the peaceful settlement of disputes; economic cooperation and environmental protection; and human rights, including respect for fundamental freedoms such as thought or speech, as well as equal rights and self-determination of peoples.
The occasion of the anniversary has led to reflection about the continued relevance of the Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE’s ability to promote its principles. It also comes at a time when the organisation is facing significant strain following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The requirement for consensus in OSCE decisions, save for a few exceptions, has allowed Russia and other member states like Azerbaijan to block agreement on issues that are crucial to the organisation’s ability to function. The OSCE has been unable to agree on its annual budget since 2021; as a result, it has had to rely on monthly allotments based on the 2021 budget and voluntary contributions. Discussions on the appointment of senior officials have also been difficult. For instance, in 2024, the role of OSCE Secretary-General remained vacant for three months before member states were able to reach consensus on a candidate, appointing Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu to the position in December 2024.
The OSCE has also had to alter its Ukraine-related work since Russia’s invasion. In 2022, the organisation closed its two field operations in the country, the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM), which monitored implementation of the 2015 Minsk II agreement by gathering daily information related to ceasefire violations and the withdrawal of heavy weapons in eastern Ukraine, and the Project Co-ordinator, which supported Ukraine in developing its legislation, institutions, and practices on such issues as combatting human trafficking and humanitarian de-mining. The closures resulted from Russia’s opposition to the extension of the two field operations’ mandates. Since April 2022, three Ukrainian OSCE personnel have also been detained by pro-Russian forces in Luhansk.
The OSCE has been able to continue some work related to Ukraine through the use of tools that do not require consensus. These include the OSCE Secretariat Extra-budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU), which was launched in November 2022 and carries out projects similar to those of the Project Co-ordinator. The SPU’s work is supported by contributions from OSCE participating states and partners. Additionally, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism has been invoked five times since the outbreak of the war to establish independent fact-finding missions to investigate allegations of abuses of international human rights law (IHRL) and international humanitarian law (IHL) in Ukraine. (The mechanism, which was created in 1991, allows participating states to initiate an investigation into human rights violations over the opposition of the state under scrutiny.)
Most recently, 41 OSCE states invoked the Moscow Mechanism in July to examine Russia’s treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs). The report, presented on 25 September, documented numerous IHL and IHRL violations attributable to Russia, including a high number of arbitrary killings and executions of Ukrainian POWs and their systematic torture and ill-treatment. Among other things, the report encouraged the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to “pursue investigations into these violations, with the aim of securing arrest warrants, prosecutions and convictions, if the evidence is sufficient”.
Reflections on the OSCE’s work—including its achievements, the challenges it is currently facing, and its future path—featured prominently during a 31 July event hosted by Finland to mark the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, under the theme “Respect, Respond, Prepare”. In her statement at the event, Valtonen recounted the organisation’s significant contributions over the years, including through the work of its field operations, in the areas of conflict prevention, democratic development, human rights, and post-conflict reconciliation. She emphasised that although Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “violates every principle” that the organisation is committed to—including respect for borders, sovereignty, and the renunciation of violence—the “Helsinki principles themselves remain unbroken”.
Valtonen outlined in her statement three immediate priorities. The first is support for Ukraine and promotion of accountability for Russia’s actions in the country. The second is reforms within the OSCE to “enable effective and timely decision-making”, including to resolve the deadlock around the approval of the organisation’s budget. In this regard, Finland has initiated the Helsinki+50 Discussions on the Future of the OSCE, a discussion held in August with representatives of participating states, partner countries, and civil society, with the aim of building a vision for the future of the OSCE. The results of this discussion will be reported at the next meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council, which will be held on 4 and 5 December. Finland has also launched the Helsinki+50 Fund, an initiative that aims to improve the use of voluntary funding for OSCE activities. The third priority outlined by Valtonen is upholding the core principles of the organisation, namely shared commitments, open dialogue, and the voice of civil society.
December’s briefing will allow Valtonen to provide an update on how Finland promoted these priorities throughout the year. She may also discuss additional thematic issues advanced during the chairmanship, including through the publication on 6 May of an OSCE-wide roadmap for the implementation of commitments on women, peace and security (WPS) and the organisation of an 11-12 September forum focused on strengthening OSCE member states’ resilience to security challenges stemming from climate change. A roadmap initiated by Finland on youth, peace and security (YPS) is expected to be presented at the December OSCE Ministerial Council.
There is also likely to be discussion about country-specific work conducted by the OSCE as well as ways to enhance its partnership with the UN. The Geneva International Discussions (GID)—which are co-chaired by the OSCE, the European Union (EU), and the UN and serve as the only platform for addressing the security and humanitarian consequences of the 2008 Russia-Georgia war—may be cited as a positive example of cooperation between the OSCE and the UN. The latest GID meeting took place on 11-12 November, during which participants emphasised the need for the GID to make tangible progress and deliver on its core agenda.
On 1 September, the OSCE adopted a unanimous decision to close the OSCE Minsk Group, which was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful resolution between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. This decision was made after the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan submitted a joint appeal to the OSCE on 11 August requesting the group’s closure. The issuance of the joint appeal was reportedly a condition set by Azerbaijan before it agreed to the US-mediated “Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan”. Although the sides initialled the text of the agreement on 8 August, it remains unsigned. Azerbaijan has previously voiced opposition to the OSCE Minsk Group and had reportedly blocked approval on the OSCE’s budget until all Minsk Group-related institutions are removed.
Issues and Options
There have been concerns that if the difficult dynamics within the OSCE continue, the organisation may decline in relevance and capacity. Some have emphasised the importance of the OSCE as the only multilateral forum outside the UN where Russia and Western countries can hold dialogue on security issues. In light of the markedly altered context in which the organisation operates, Council members could also discuss new avenues for cooperation between the organisation and the UN that utilise the OSCE’s expertise. In the context of the war in Ukraine, members might discuss a possible role for the OSCE in monitoring any potential future interim agreements.
Council and Wider Dynamics
Over the years, Council members have expressed sharply diverging positions on issues within the OSCE’s purview, most notably Ukraine, and on the broader European security architecture. These divisions have become more pronounced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and have coloured Council discussions during the annual OSCE briefings.
Russia has often accused the OSCE of bias, blaming former CiOs of promoting anti-Russian views instead of operating on behalf of all 57 members of the organisation. During the latest Council meeting on cooperation with the OSCE, held on 19 April 2024, Russia argued that all the OSCE’s tools and resources have been redirected to the “Ukrainization” of the organisation’s agenda, to the detriment of its engagement on other crises in its area of operations. It further maintained that this has undermined the OSCE’s role as “a unique all-weather platform” for cooperation among states on the continent. Nonetheless, Russia argued that, if the OSCE resumes working in an impartial manner, the organisation has potential as a mediator and can play a role after the end of the war in Ukraine.
On the other hand, several Council members, including the European members, highlighted at the 19 April 2024 meeting the OSCE’s role as a pillar of the European security architecture and a platform for dialogue on security matters on the continent. These members also welcomed its continued work on Ukraine, including through the SPU and the Moscow Mechanism. Some also expressed concern about Russia’s decision, for the first time, not to invite OSCE observers to its presidential elections in 2024.
Security Council Meeting Record
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 19 April 2024S/PV.9610 | This was the Council’s annual briefing on cooperation between the UN and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), held on 19 April 2024. |
