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Switzerland steps up support for OSCE monitoring mission and further de-escalation measures in Ukraine

Bern, Press releases, 04.12.2014

In his opening speech to the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, President Didier Burkhalter, called for efforts to improve implementation of the de-escalation measures in Ukraine and to step up support for the OSCE special monitoring mission and the Trilateral Contact Group. Switzerland has earmarked an additional CHF 2 million to support efforts to find a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine.

Group picture of the foreign ministers taking part in the 2014 Ministerial Council meeting in Basel. © FDFA

The first day of the OSCE Ministerial Council was dominated by the situation in Ukraine and discussions on security in Europe. In his opening speech at the event in Basel, President Burkhalter pointed out that the Ukraine crisis also had ramifications for security in Europe and that it was not only the people in Ukraine who had been put under considerable strain. He also stated that the trust between the Russian Federation and the West had suffered and that many of the standard post-Cold War assumptions on European order had been called into question. Mr Burkhalter went on to note how a dangerous increase in military activities and aggressive rhetoric could be observed.

Nonetheless, he continued, the OSCE had demonstrated its capacity to agree on and implement concrete measures to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine. As examples, President Burkhalter named the special monitoring mission and OSCE-supported ceasefire agreement, although both were fraught with uncertainties. In order to ensure the positive role played by the OSCE, he stated, all the players involved would need to summon the political will, despite their differences, to maintain cooperation and work together to find a solution.

In view of the developments taking place in Ukraine, Mr Burkhalter called for every effort to be made in implementing the Minsk agreement consistently and efficiently. He stated that the Trilateral Contact Group must be supported, and that the special monitoring mission must be granted the funds it requires and be given the necessary freedom to carry out its tasks safely. To this end, President Burkhalter announced that Switzerland had allocated an additional CHF 2 million to support the OSCE monitoring mission. He also declared Switzerland's willingness to back all political dialogue within Ukraine and to support a variety of civil society projects.

With reference to security in Europe, Mr Burkhalter announced the appointment of a panel of experts from the whole OSCE area tasked with drawing up recommendations on how to re-establish trust and uphold security in Europe as a common undertaking once again, describing the aim of the panel as "not about bringing about revolutionary change in the European security landscape, but about re-establishing a greater degree of security for each individual".

Further information:

OSCE Chairmanship 2014
The 2014 Ministerial Council meeting on the OSCE website
Swiss Chairmanship of the OSCE on Twitter

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Bern, Press releases, 03.12.2014

Didier Burkhalter, Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and President of the Swiss Confederation, took part in a civil society parallel conference today during which recommendations from civil society were submitted to the OSCE Ministerial Council. Mr Burkhalter's participation in the parallel conference underlines the importance the Swiss OSCE Chairmanship attaches to the involvement of civil society and young people in the work of the OSCE.

At the start of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting and within the framework of the parallel conference, earlier today civil society actors adopted concrete recommendations for the Ministerial Council, the OSCE institutions, the field missions, and the participating States. The discussions centred, among other things, on the issues of intolerance, discrimination and hate propaganda, which form part of the recommendations of the "Basel Declaration". Other recommendations relate to freedom of expression, freedom of association, the security of human rights defenders, protection against torture, the independence of the judiciary, the protection of property, and the right to free and fair elections.

Upon receiving the recommendations from civil society, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, emphasised that freedom and security are fundamental for human life and that a dialogue that involves all actors is consequently imperative. The "Basel Declaration" focuses on a central problem of our time that affects all OSCE participating States: some groups are a target of hate propaganda and even of crimes. Mr Burkhalter stressed that discrimination of any sort, including discrimination on the grounds of religion, ethnic origin or sexual orientation is unacceptable. In addition to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, the recommendations were also presented to the Serbian Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic, who will chair the OSCE in 2015, and to Michael Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). With their presence at the parallel conference, they also emphasised the significance of the participation of civil society in the work of the OSCE.

A priority of the Swiss Chairmanship

Switzerland made the involvement of civil society and young people in the work of the OSCE one of the priorities of its OSCE chairmanship. In this context, the prevention of torture was selected as a central theme. Switzerland organised regional workshops on torture and other topics of regional importance with civil society in Belgrade, Vienna, Tbilisi and Dushanbe, which were also an opportunity for networking at the regional level.

Switzerland also worked to ensure that civil society representatives were able to take part in all OSCE meetings and events. Whenever possible during his travels, Mr Burkhalter met with local civil society representatives. For example, he spoke with civil society representatives in Azerbaijan, the United States, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and in Kosovo about their concerns. In order to reaffirm Switzerland's commitment to human rights defenders, in June 2014 the Swiss Chairmanship also organised a chairmanship conference on this topic in Bern, during which the OSCE/ODIHR Guidelines on the Protection of Human Rights Defenders were presented.

The Swiss Chairmanship placed particular emphasis on young people. One of the objectives the Swiss Chairmanship set itself was to give young people a voice within the OSCE as well as an opportunity to get to know its structures and themes. To this end, Switzerland established a "Model OSCE" with 57 young men and women from OSCE participating States. The Model OSCE negotiated a youth action plan for the OSCE during three simulated rounds of negotiations.