What is the OSCE? This is the history of this organization. In 1973, an international meeting was held at which issues of cooperation and security in Europe (CSCE) were discussed. 33 states took part. It ended with the signing of an act by the heads of countries and governments in Helsinki, which became a long-term program of action for building a united, peaceful, democratic and prosperous Europe. The organization is key to the European Community. It has broad powers to resolve various conflicts, monitor the observance of human rights in individual countries, control

Organization evolution

What is the OSCE? According to the Helsinki Final Agreements, the main areas of the organization's activities include the following issues related to European security: cooperation in the fields of science, economy, technology, environment, humanitarian and other areas (human rights, information, culture, education). This is the mission of the OSCE. Meetings of the participating states in Belgrade (1977-1978), Madrid (1980-1983), Vienna (1986-1989) became important milestones in development.

The summit meetings of the OSCE participating States in Paris (1990), Helsinki (1992), Budapest (1994), Lisbon (1996) and Istanbul (1999) acquired great importance. As a result of gradual institutionalization and the adoption of decisions on the creation of the post of Secretary General (1993) and the Permanent Council, the CSCE acquired the features of an international regional organization. In accordance with the decision of the Budapest Summit in 1995, the CSCE changed its name to the OSCE. Explanation of the abbreviation:

In 1996, very important decisions and documents were adopted at the Lisbon meeting of the heads of participating countries. First, the concept of European security in the 21st century was defined. It spoke about the need to build a new Europe without borders and dividing lines. In fact, this document was the basis for the creation of the European Union. Secondly, the CFE (Conventional Arms Treaty) was updated.

What is the OSCE? Today, 56 countries are members of the organization, including all European, post-Soviet countries, Canada, the USA and Mongolia. This composition of the OSCE allows the organization to resolve many issues at the global level. Its mandate covers a huge list of issues in the military-political, environmental, economic and scientific fields. The objectives of the organization are: countering terrorism, arms control, environmental and economic security, protection of democracy and human rights, and many others. The countries that are members of the OSCE have an equal status. Decisions are made on the basis of consensus. There are various OSCE institutions. What it is, we will understand below.

Goals

The organization primarily directs its efforts towards preventing various regional conflicts, settling disputes and crises, eliminating the consequences of wars, etc. The main means of maintaining security and achieving the main goals of the organization are three categories of tools. The first one includes:

• arms proliferation control;
• activities to build trust and promote security;
• measures for the diplomatic prevention of various conflicts.

• measures to protect human rights;
• monitoring elections in various countries;
• promoting the development of democratic institutions.

It should be understood that OSCE decisions are recommendations and are not binding. However, they are of great political importance. The organization has 370 people in leadership positions and another 3.5 thousand work in field missions.

Summit

Summits are called meetings of representatives of member countries at the highest level. They are representative forums with the participation of heads of state and government, which are held, as a rule, once every two or three years to discuss the state of affairs in the field of ensuring security and stability in the OSCE region, make appropriate decisions, determine the main directions of the organization's activities in the short and long term. perspectives.

The meetings of the Council of Ministers are attended by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the states that are part of the organization. It is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE. The Permanent Council is an active body within which political consultations are held at the level of permanent representatives of the participating states, decisions are made on all issues of the current activities of the OSCE. Plenary meetings of the PS take place every Thursday in Vienna.

parliamentary assembly

The OSCE Organization has its own Parliamentary Assembly. Plenary meetings are held twice a year with the support of the PA Secretariat based in Copenhagen. The OSCE Chairman maintains contact with the PA on an ongoing basis, informing its participants about the work of the organization. The President of the PA is elected for a one-year term.

Secretariat

The OSCE Secretariat, headed by the Secretary General, manages the work of the missions and centers of the organization deployed in the participating States, services the activities of other governing bodies, ensures the holding of various conferences, deals with administrative and budgetary issues, personnel policy, is responsible for communication with international organizations, press, etc. The secretariat is located in Vienna (Austria), with a subsidiary office in Prague (Czech Republic). In order to improve the efficiency of the work of the Secretariat and other institutions of the organization in the economic and environmental planes, since January 1998, the post of Coordinator of the OSCE's activities in the fields of economics and the environment has been introduced.

Current Chairman

What is the OSCE? The face of this organization and the main political figure is the Chairman-in-Office. He is responsible for coordinating and advising on current issues. In his work, the Chairman-in-Office relies on the assistance of:

• Predecessor and successor, who work together with him in the format of a trio.
• Special groups, which he also appoints.
• Personal representatives, who are also appointed by the Chairman-in-Office, with a specific mandate and a list of tasks in the various fields of competence of the OSCE.

Bureau of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (abbreviated as ODIHR)

This structure contributes to the holding of democratic elections in the participating states (including the dispatch of observation missions), and also provides practical assistance in establishing democratic institutions and human rights, strengthening the foundations of civil society and the rule of law. The ODIHR office is located in Warsaw.

High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM)

This is responsible for the early warning of conflicts related to the problems of national minorities. The secretariat of the HCNM is located in The Hague.

Media Freedom Representative

This official facilitates the fulfillment by participating countries of their obligations in the field of media. The position of media representative is critical to the smooth functioning of an open democratic society, as well as a system of accountability of governments to their citizens. This OSCE institution was established at the end of 1997.

OSCE missions

The missions function as a kind of "field" structure of the OSCE. In South-East Europe they are present in Albania: the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo (Serbia). In Eastern Europe: office in Minsk, mission in Moldova, project coordinator in Ukraine. In the South Caucasus: OSCE Mission to Georgia, offices in Yerevan and Baku, Representative of the Chairman-in-Office on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In Central Asia: mission in Tajikistan, OSCE centers in Almaty, Ashgabat, Bishkek, Tashkent. These institutions are important tools in conflict prevention and crisis management on the ground. OSCE observers perform their functions in many hot spots and conflict regions.

Economic and Environmental Forum

These are annual events that are held to give impetus to the economies of the participating states. They also make proposals on practical measures aimed at developing economic cooperation between countries.

Forum for Security Cooperation

This body carries out its work on a permanent basis in Vienna. It consists of representatives of the delegations of the OSCE participating States, discusses issues of arms control, disarmament, confidence-building and security measures.

The abbreviation "OSCE" stands for " Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe"English "OSCE" - " Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe". Was established in Finland in the city of Helsinki 1 august 1975 years. This organization includes 35 countries of Europe.

In the Helsinki Accords, the states agreed:

• On the observance by all countries of the rights and freedoms of their citizens.
• On the peaceful resolution of disputes, as well as on the notification of major troop movements and exercises.
• On cooperation in the field of environmental protection, in science, in the economy.
• On the inviolability of borders, following the results of the Second World War.

The OSCE was created to monitor the implementation of these commitments.

That is:

• Monitor economic and environmental security on the continent.
• Protect human rights.
• Track electoral violations.
• Try to prevent conflicts between countries.
• Monitor the spread of armaments and armed forces.

The main institutions of the OSCE are:

• The Permanent Council meets every week in Vienna under the leadership of a chairman who is elected for a year.
• The Bureau for Human Rights and Democratic Institutions is located in Warsaw.
• The High Commissioner for National Minorities is based in The Hague.
• The Forum for Security Cooperation meets every week in the Austrian capital.
• The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly meets once a year in the first ten days of July.
• A summit of the heads of governments and states of the OSCE countries is being held.

The official languages ​​of the OSCE are: French, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, English

Recently, the authority of this organization has declined quite noticeably. Since it is already obvious that OSCE could not prevent more than one war, starting with the conflicts that occurred after the collapse of the USSR and ending with the most recent one in Ukraine.
Russia has taken a very tough stance against OSCE and accuses it of double standards, pandering to serving the interests of individual groups and states and not wanting to take into account the peculiarities and realities of individual countries.

It is worth recalling the highly controversial resolution "the case of Sergei Magnitsky", and already in 2014 year announced that Russia had violated the fundamental Helsinki principles in relations with Ukraine. The OSCE flatly refused to send its representatives to a referendum in Crimea. It is believed that representatives of this organization are neutral observers of the civil war in Ukraine.

OSCE staff member about Ukrainian military humor video

ASTANA. 12 December. KAZINFORM The decision on the chairmanship of Kazakhstan in the OSCE in 2010, adopted in late November in Madrid, evokes a lively response in society. What is the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe? What is the history of its creation? What goals does he set for himself? Kazinform is trying to answer these and other questions in a series of materials, the first of which is offered to the attention of readers today.

The OSCE is a pan-European organization with 56 member states. The organization was established in accordance with Chapter 8 of the UN Charter as the main instrument for early warning and crisis prevention, settlement of existing conflicts and post-conflict reconstruction in Europe.

Today, the organization is involved in a wide range of issues, including arms control, preventive diplomacy, confidence- and security-building, human rights, election observation, and economic and environmental security.

The official date of the founding of the Organization is August 1, 1975, when the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was convened. It was on this day that the leaders of 33 European states, the United States of America and Canada, who gathered in Helsinki, signed the Final (Helsinki) Act of the CSCE, which fixed the basic principles of behavior of the participating States in relation to their citizens, as well as among themselves. In this regard, the Helsinki Act was an important step towards the formation of a system of common European security.

At the CSCE talks held in Helsinki, the Foreign Ministers of 35 states, which included all the countries of Europe (except Albania), the United States of America and Canada, approved the Blue Book and outlined the positions of their governments on security and cooperation in Europe. The presence at the talks of such a wide circle of participants testified to the initially supra-bloc character of the CSCE. This was specifically stipulated in the Final Recommendations of the Helsinki Consultations in paragraph 1 of the Rules of Procedure and read as follows: “All States participating in the Conference shall participate in it as sovereign and independent States and in full equality. The meeting is held outside the military alliances.” The final recommendations consolidated the principle of consensus as a way of making decisions at the Meeting. They read: "Consensus is defined as the absence of any objection, expressed by any representative and put forward by him, which represents an obstacle to a decision on the issue under consideration." In the same 1975, an agreement was reached to continue diplomatic negotiations within the framework of the agreement concluded in Helsinki. Thus, the "Helsinki Process" was launched, which at that time became the first attempt to outline the contours of a security model acceptable to Europe as a whole.

The Helsinki Final Act established ten principles (the so-called “Helsinki Decalogue”) of paramount importance, which the participating States pledged to “respect and apply in their relations with all other participating States, regardless of their political, economic and social systems, as well as their size, geographic location and level of economic development”:

1. Sovereign equality, respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty

2. Non-use of force or threat of force

3. Inviolability of borders

4. Territorial integrity of states

5. Peaceful settlement of disputes

6. Non-intervention in internal affairs

7. Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief

8. Equality and the right of peoples to control their own destiny

9. Cooperation between states

10. Conscientious fulfillment of obligations under international law.

The Ten Helsinki Principles, adopted during the period of the Cold War, which had not actually ended yet, were of exceptional value, since they not only recounted and developed the main provisions of the UN Charter, but sufficiently reflected the approaches of the participating states to the principles of peaceful coexistence on the European continent.

In addition, the working areas of the CSCE were fixed in the Final Act, covering all spheres of interstate relations. Initially, they were called the Helsinki “baskets”, and are now called “dimensions”. The first basket - the military-political dimension - includes issues of political security and arms control, conflict prevention and resolution. The second basket - the economic and environmental dimension - covers the problems of cooperation in the field of economy, science, technology and the environment. The third basket - the human dimension - includes cooperation in the humanitarian and other fields (information, culture, education), as well as human rights.

Thanks to the Helsinki process, the participating states have a permanent channel for mutual communication, a code of conduct (in interstate and intrastate relations), as well as a long-term program of cooperation. In this way, the spirit of Helsinki contributed to both stability and peaceful change in Europe.

All of the above determined the catalytic role of the CSCE in strengthening security and cooperation in Europe and in overcoming the ideological split that reigned there in the 1970s and 1980s. By the end of the 1980s, the Conference began to turn into a universal mechanism for pan-European cooperation based on the development of common European values ​​shared by both West and East.

Until 1990, the CSCE functioned in the form of a series of meetings and conferences, at which norms and obligations were developed, and information about their implementation was periodically heard.

The turning point in the activities of the CSCE was the Paris Summit in 1990. The signing of the Charter for a New Europe on 21 November 1990 in Paris put an end to the Cold War and marked the beginning of the transformation of the CSCE from a forum for negotiations and dialogue into an actively functioning structure. Thus, the Charter for a New Europe was tasked with contributing to the management of the process of historical change in Europe and responding to the new challenges that have arisen since the end of the Cold War. To solve these problems, several institutions and institutions were created, meetings were held on a regular basis, and the work of the Conference was given a systemic character. The Charter of Paris specifically emphasized that "the era of confrontation and division of Europe is over," so relations between states "will be based on mutual respect and cooperation."

The Heads of State and Government also reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of European security, enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, and outlined new guidelines in building a security system in Europe. Recognizing the need for a “new quality of political dialogue and cooperation” among the participating States in ensuring “respect for human rights, democracy, the rule of law, strengthening peace and promoting unity in Europe”, the summit participants decided to institutionalize the CSCE. This has been appropriately reflected in the Charter.

A three-stage mechanism of political consultations was created.

1. Meetings of Heads of State and Government of the participating States held regularly every two years. At the summits, the main regional and global problems should be discussed, the principal directions of the CSCE's activities should be determined, and the main documents of the Conference should be adopted;

2. The Council of Foreign Ministers (CMFA) is the central forum for political consultations within the CSCE process. “The Council will consider issues related to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and take appropriate decisions”;

3. The Committee of Senior Officials (CSO), whose functions include preparing meetings of the Council, implementing its decisions, as well as reviewing current issues.

In addition, a Secretariat (in Prague), a Conflict Prevention Center (in Vienna) were established to assist the Council in reducing the risk of conflict, and an Office for Free Elections to facilitate contact and exchange of information on elections in the participating States.

The structural scheme of the Conference outlined in the Charter made it possible to respond more quickly to the challenges of European security, and the permanent bodies created the organizational basis for the future security system in Europe.

This document reflected the activities of the CSCE in three dimensions: arms control, confidence- and security-building measures; development of cooperation in the field of economy, science and technology, environment; interaction in the humanitarian and other fields (public contacts, information, culture, education), as well as human rights and election observation.

The Heads of State and Government of the CSCE participating States also welcomed the signing on November 19, 1990 by twenty-two states (NATO and WTO members) of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), which was supposed to become the military-political basis of a new, post-confrontation security system in Europe . The Charter of Paris stated: “The unprecedented reduction in armed forces that will result from the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, combined with new approaches to security and cooperation within the framework of the CSCE process, will lead to a new understanding of security in Europe and give a new quality to our relations.”

Thus, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe laid the necessary prerequisites for the creation within the framework of the Conference of organizational structures capable of solving tasks in the widest range of pan-European cooperation related to the prevention and peaceful settlement of conflicts. The Charter was the first multilateral document that summed up the results of the Cold War and proclaimed the beginning of a new era in relations between East and West on the European continent.

The strengthening of the institutions and structures of the Conference contributed to the intensification of its activities in all aspects of security. The first meetings of the CSCE participating states confirmed the desire of a number of countries to give the Helsinki process a fundamentally new quality, which involved the transformation of the Conference from a forum for a predominantly political dialogue between the participating states into an organization for maintaining military-political stability and developing cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic area from Vancouver to Vladivostok.

The meeting of the heads of state and government of the CSCE in Helsinki on July 9-10, 1992 (“Helsinki-II”) in many ways became decisive for the further development of the concept of a new European security architecture. New challenges, among which regional conflicts occupied the first place, forced us to reconsider many approaches to ensuring security on the continent. The Declaration of the Helsinki Summit in 1992 confirmed that "the CSCE is the forum that determines the direction of the process of forming a new Europe and stimulates this process." For the first time, the CSCE designated itself as a “regional organization” in the spirit of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, responsible for maintaining military-political stability and developing cooperation in the Euro-Atlantic area from Vancouver to Vladivostok.

The decisions of Helsinki II were mainly aimed at transforming the CSCE from a representative forum for discussions on European security issues into a powerful organization with a range of operational functions. One of the decisions of the summit, implemented and enriched the potential of the CSCE, was the creation of the post of the High Commissioner on National Minorities.

During the Rome meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (Rome, 1993), a number of initiatives were put forward aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the CSCE and securing its central political role in the system of European organizations. The adopted final document pays special attention to increasing the operational capabilities of the CSCE in preventing and resolving new generation conflicts and strengthening its peacekeeping potential.

At the Budapest Summit (December 1994), the CSCE participating States discussed the question of what should be the model of security in the 21st century. It was assumed that the creation of such a model should precede the transformation of the CSCE into an organization whose contours were outlined in Helsinki II. The participating States expressed their concern that outbreaks of hostilities, violations of human rights, and discrimination against national minorities continue in the CSCE region. Recognizing the need for decisive action in connection with the widespread non-compliance with the principles and commitments adopted within the framework of the CSCE, they declared that the CSCE is one of the main instruments for early warning, conflict prevention and crisis management in the region. Although the text of the Budapest Declaration reflected the desire of the participating States to systematize and put on a more practical basis cooperation with European and other regional and transatlantic organizations and institutions, the first real steps in this regard were taken only three years later at the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Copenhagen.

The Budapest summit approved a "Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security", which set out the principles governing the role of the armed forces in a democratic society. Finally, the participating States recognized that the sharp increase in the role of the CSCE in the formation of a common security space in Europe makes it possible to rename the CSCE into the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which, however, does not change either the nature of the commitments to the CSCE, or the status of the CSCE and his institutions. Thus, at the summit in Budapest, it was decided to transform from January 1, 1995. CSCE into the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) with its charter and legal framework. This gave the work of the Organization a new political impetus and at the same time became a reflection of the path of its institutional development.

Discussion of a security model for the 21st century. continued at the OSCE summit in Lisbon (December 1996). At the Lisbon meeting, the Declaration on the “Model of Common and Comprehensive Security for Europe of the 21st Century” was adopted, the “Fundamentals of Arms Control” and the “Development of the Agenda of the Forum for Cooperation in the Field of Security” were approved. At the same time, the thesis about the key role of the OSCE in strengthening security and stability in all its dimensions was further developed.

The Declaration on a "Model of Common and Comprehensive Security for Europe in the 21st Century" reaffirmed the OSCE's central role in ensuring security and stability. The document stated that the goal of working on a security model is to contribute to the creation of a space of common and indivisible security and to have a positive impact on the security of all participating States by strengthening the OSCE and, thereby, affirming its key role as the only pan-European security organization in ensuring European peace and stability.

The results of the summit in Lisbon led to the adoption at the next OSCE summit in Istanbul in 1999 of the Charter for European Security, which became a landmark event in the history of the organization. This summed up the discussion on a security model for Europe in the 21st century. At the same time, 30 OSCE participating States adopted the Istanbul Declaration and signed an adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. It is no coincidence that the leaders of many participating States of the Organization, gathered for the summit, called it “the last great meeting of this century, at which agreement can be reached on important documents that can strengthen security and stability in the OSCE region in the coming years.”

The main new elements contained in the Charter for European Security are new steps, tools and mechanisms that increase the role of the OSCE as a key tool for early warning and conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict reconstruction; however, the Charter does not seem to seek to redefine new principles or to reinterpret old principles.

The Heads of State and Government of the OSCE participating States declared “their firm commitment to building a free, democratic and more united OSCE region where participating States coexist in peace with one another and people and communities live in freedom, prosperity and security.” To achieve this goal, it was decided to take a number of new steps:

o Adopt a Platform for Co-operative Security in order to strengthen interaction between the OSCE and other international organizations and thus ensure a better use of their resources;

o develop the role of the OSCE in peacekeeping operations, reflecting more clearly the Organization's comprehensive approach to security;

o Establish Operational Expert Support and Cooperation Teams (REACTs) to enable the OSCE to respond quickly to requests for assistance and major civilian operations on the ground;

o Strengthen policing capabilities to help maintain the rule of law and restore law and order;

o Establish an Operations Center to plan and deploy OSCE field operations;

o Strengthen the political consultation process within the OSCE by establishing a Preparatory Committee under the OSCE Permanent Council.

Clause 9 of the Charter contains the following obligations of states: “to build relations in accordance with the concept of common and comprehensive security, guided by the principles of equal partnership, solidarity and transparency”, to consider that “the security of each participating state is inextricably linked with the security of all others”, “ consider the human, economic, military-political dimensions of security as a whole”.

Paragraph 3 of the document contains a provision that “security and peace must be strengthened through approaches that combine two main elements: strengthening trust between people within states and developing cooperation between states.” The meeting participants also affirmed that “The OSCE is a regional arrangement within the meaning of Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations and one of the main organizations for the peaceful settlement of disputes in its region and one of the main instruments in the field of early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict reconstruction. The OSCE is a broadly representative and inclusive organization for consultation, decision-making and cooperation in its region.”

An essential element of the Charter for European Security is the OSCE's carefully crafted code of conduct in cooperation with other organizations. It recognizes the integrating role that the OSCE can play without creating a hierarchy of organizations or constantly redistributing responsibilities among them.

The Charter establishes a political limitation on the expansion of military alliances: it is emphasized that this process should not harm the security of the OSCE participating States. An integral part of the Charter is the Platform for Cooperative Security, which can be seen as a new stage in the development of the concept reflected in the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security contained in the 1994 Budapest Document.

In general, by signing the Charter for European Security at the Istanbul Summit, the participating states reaffirmed their commitment to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.

The Charter is considered a kind of “code of conduct” for the OSCE participating States, which is based on the full commitment of all OSCE participating States to the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. It aims to strengthen the OSCE's ability to prevent conflicts, resolve them and restore the lives of people in territories affected by war and destruction.

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The initiative of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to develop a European Security Treaty and reforming the OSCE will be the central topics for the Russian side of the upcoming meeting of the council of foreign ministers of the organization on December 4-5 in Helsinki, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) (Organization for Security and Co‑operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international regional political association of 56 states of Europe, Central Asia and North America based on common goals and principles of security and cooperation. Founded in 1975 year in the form of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE).

The OSCE (until January 1, 1995 - CSCE), recognized as a regional agreement within the meaning of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, is considered as one of the main organizations for the peaceful settlement of disputes in the region of its operation, one of the key tools for early warning, conflict prevention, regulation crises and post-conflict reconstruction.

The OSCE operates on the basis of the concept of common and comprehensive security, which combines three dimensions - military-political, economic, environmental and humanitarian; guided by the principles of equal partnership, solidarity and transparency. All participating States have equal status.

Governing Bodies discuss security issues of concern to states and make decisions on these issues. All decisions are made by consensus. They are not legally binding, but carry the political obligations of states.

The supreme body of the OSCE is summits, which are held by agreement of states, as a rule, once every two or three years, depending on the requirements of the international political situation. In years when summits are not held, meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CMFA) are held.

The permanent governing body of the OSCE is permanent council meeting in Vienna at the level of Permanent Representatives of the participating States. Created by the decision of the Rome Ministerial Council in 1993.

The coordinating role in the work of the organization and its collective bodies is played by the current chairman OSCE, whose functions are entrusted to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the presiding state.

Military-political issues, including disarmament, arms control, confidence-building measures, etc., are discussed at Forum for Security Cooperation OSCE (FSB), which meets in Vienna weekly at the level of state representatives. The Forum was established in 1992 by the decision of the Helsinki Summit.

On the Economic Forum The OSCE, which convenes annually in Prague, deals with topical issues of pan-European economic and environmental cooperation.

Human dimension issues are discussed at the annual Humanitarian Review Conferences held in Warsaw.

OSCE Secretariat located in Vienna. Headed by the General Secretary. Consists of seven divisions. These are: the office of the Secretary General; center for conflict prevention; coordinator of economic and environmental activities; senior police adviser; Department of Support Services and Budget; department of human resources; Prague office (archive).

Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has been working in Warsaw since 1990. Engaged in assistance in holding elections and monitoring them, supporting democratic institutions, NGOs, human rights, etc.

High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) operates since 1992 in The Hague. A tool for preventive diplomacy. Its main task is to prevent conflicts on ethnic grounds at the earliest possible stage.

Representative on Freedom of the Media has been operating since 1997 in Vienna. Provides assistance to governments of states in the development of a free press.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly established in 1991 as an independent parliamentary structure. Consists of parliamentarians from OSCE countries who meet twice a year for summer and winter sessions in one of the participating States. Assembly resolutions are not binding on governments.

There are 17 missions and field presences of the Organization in the OSCE area. The headquarters of the OSCE is located in Vienna (Austria).

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources