Report

 

From 23 to 24 February 2012, five Canadian parliamentarians attended the 11^th Winter Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE in Vienna, Austria.  Mr. Dean Allison, M.P., led the delegation, which included from the Senate the Honourable Senator Frank Mahovlich, and from the House of Commons Mr. David Tilson, M.P., Mr. David Christopherson, M.P., and the Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, M.P.  The delegation was accompanied by Andrew Lauzon, Delegation Secretary, and Natalie Mychajlyszyn, Advisor.

OVERVIEW OF THE OSCE

Established in 1975 as the “Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe” (CSCE), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was given its current name at the Budapest Summit in December 1994. The OSCE participating countries, currently 56 in number, are “all the European states, the United States and Canada.”^[1] Eleven other states from the Mediterranean area and Asia joined as observers and are known as “Partners for Cooperation.” The organization is defined as a primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention and crisis management. It is also recognized as a regional arrangement under chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter, which requires that participating UN Member States “make every effort to achieve pacific settlement of local disputes through such regional arrangements or by such regional agencies before referring them to the Security Council.”^[2] However, the OSCE is not an international organization in the strict sense of international law, in that its resolutions are not legally binding on the signatory countries.

The OSCE’s 2012 budget is €148,055,400 million, a decrease from the 2011 budget of €2.7 million. Approximately 65% of the OSCE’s budget is dedicated to 17 field missions and other field activities in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. The OSCE employs approximately 2831 individuals, the vast majority of whom are assigned to field missions. One quarter of the OSCE employees are seconded by the participating countries.

A. An Inclusive, Global and Cooperative Approach to Security

The OSCE’s unique character derives from its composition, which enables the United States and Canada to participate as full members in an organization that addresses European issues. The OSCE favours inclusive dialogue over selective admission. This enables it to keep communication channels open on key security issues between Western democracies and countries with less exemplary democratic records. It also promotes exchanges between the European Union and Central Asian states (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) that are not members of the Council of Europe. Whereas the foremost goal of the Council of Europe is to promote and defend democratic development and human rights, and to hold member governments accountable for their performance in these areas, the OSCE aims to foster the development of an expansive, conflict-free geographic area – from Vancouver to Vladivostok – regardless of the democratic characteristics of the participating states.

The OSCE’s resolutions and activities stem from a comprehensive understanding of security that extends beyond the political-military model. In the Charter for European Security, adopted at the November 1999 Istanbul Summit, the heads of state and of government of the participating countries agreed to “address the human, economic, political and military dimensions of security as an integral whole.”^[3] All forms of peaceful cooperation between the participating countries are considered as having the potential to reduce the risks of conflict in the region. The OSCE’s cooperative approach is confirmed by the fact that all 56 states have equal status. Decisions are made by consensus rather than majority vote.^[4]

B. Operational Capacity

After the end of the Cold War, the OSCE developed its institutions and operational capacities in response to particular and often urgent needs, and not as a long-term strategic plan. The 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe laid the foundations for the OSCE’s institutional framework.

Field activities account for almost 65% of the OSCE budget. The fact that it has no missions in Western Europe or North America is a point frequently raised by the Commonwealth of Independent States to argue that, although it claims to be cooperative and egalitarian, the OSCE applies a double standard in its relations with the participating countries. The OSCE’s reply is that its operations stem from commitments made in a consensual manner and at the invitation of the countries themselves. The six OSCE missions in southeast Europe account for half of the organization’s budget.

The OSCE is led by a rotating “chairman-in-office” selected to serve a one-year term from among the foreign ministers of the participating countries. As the organization’s senior diplomat, the chairman‑in‑office is supported by the Secretariat and its secretary general who are based in Vienna.

On 1 January 2012, Ireland succeeded Lithuania as the chair of the organization. Mr. Eamon Gilmore, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, is serving as Chairman-in-Office. Ukraine will succeed Ireland as chair of the organization on 1 January 2013, followed by Switzerland in 2014 and Serbia in 2015.

Italy’s Lamberto Zannier has served as OSCE Secretary General since 1 July 2011.  He succeeds France’s Marc Perrin de Brichambaut who served as OSCE Secretary General from 2005 until 2011. 

C. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) is the parliamentary dimension of the OSCE. It was created by the OSCE (at that time the CSCE) in 1991 following the call set out by the participating States in the 1990 Charter of Paris for a New Europe. Its primary purpose is to facilitate inter‑parliamentary dialogue on issues facing the participating states and to issue recommendations for their own governments, parliaments and citizens concerning the OSCE’s three spheres of action. Among its objectives are:

·         to assess the implementation of OSCE objectives by participating states;

·         to discuss subjects addressed during meetings of the OSCE;

·         to develop and promote mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflicts;

·         to support the strengthening and consolidation of democratic institutions in OSCE participating States; and

·         to contribute to the development of OSCE institutional structures and of relations between existing OSCE Institutions.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is organised according to three General Committees representing the three “baskets” of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act and the areas of focus of the OSCE: the First General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, the Second General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment, and the Third General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. Its work is also carried out by way of ad hoc committees, working groups, and special representatives and envoys. The Parliamentary Assembly also plays a key role in observing elections in the OSCE region and regularly sends parliamentary delegations on field missions.

The Parliamentary Assembly is managed by a Bureau and a Standing Committee. The Bureau comprises a president, nine vice‑presidents, a treasurer, the chair, the vice-chair and rapporteur for each of the three General Committees, and the president emeritus. The Bureau is responsible for ensuring that the decisions of the Standing Committee are carried out and takes decisions by majority vote. The Standing Committee of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly comprises the members of the Bureau and the 56 heads of delegation of the participating states. The Standing Committee guides the work of the Assembly, approves its budget and appoints the Secretary General. It uses the “consensus minus one” rule when voting on decisions, except in the case of the appointment of the Secretary General, which is done by a majority vote.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is administratively supported by the Secretary General and the Secretariat who are located in Copenhagen. These were established and became operational in January 1993 soon after the creation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

Today the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly comprises more than 300 parliamentarians who are appointed by their respective parliaments. Observers of the Assembly include parliamentarians from the OSCE’s Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia) and Asian Partners for Cooperation (Japan, Korea, Thailand, Afghanistan and Mongolia), and representatives from other parliamentary assemblies and security organizations, such as NATO.

Since its first Annual Meeting in Budapest in July 1992, members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and representatives of the Partners for Co-operation have convened several times a year to carry out the mandate of the Assembly. The Assembly itself meets in plenary at the Annual Session held in July and hosted by the parliament of a participating State. The Annual Session is the most important event in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly calendar where the Assembly debates a number of OSCE matters and resolutions, receives reports, adopts the Session’s declaration, and elects its officers. At the Fall Meetings in September, also hosted by the parliament of a participating State, the Assembly in plenary holds a conference on a topical issue.

The General Committees meet at the Annual Session to debate and adopt resolutions, and elect Committee officers; they also convene jointly and separately at the Winter Meeting in February in Vienna, where the OSCE’s headquarters are located, to discuss and debate issues of importance, receive briefings by senior OSCE officials, and hear presentations by the Rapporteurs on their draft resolutions for the upcoming Annual Session. The Bureau meets at the Annual Session as well as in April and December. The Standing Committee meets at the Annual Session, the Fall Meetings, and at the Winter Meeting.

The OSCE PA also convenes to discuss more specific topics either on the margins of these regular annual meetings or at other times. For instance, the Parliamentary Forum on the Mediterranean is held during the Fall Meetings of the OSCE PA, and the Economic Conference is hosted by the parliament of a participating State every second spring.

The OSCE PA is highly active in election monitoring, having observed over one hundred presidential and parliamentary elections in the OSCE region since 1993. It cooperates with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in its election observation missions. Canadian parliamentarians have participated in many of the OSCE PA election observation missions, including most recently the 2009 parliamentary election in Moldova, the 2009 presidential election in Kyrgyzstan, the 2010 presidential election in Ukraine, and the 2010 parliamentary election in Azerbaijan.

The Assembly’s budget covers most of the organizational expenses related to the Annual Session, Winter Meeting, Fall Meetings, Standing Committee and Bureau Meetings, official visits, the election observation programme, as well as the costs of the International Secretariat. Host parliaments of the Annual Sessions contribute significantly by providing considerable support. The Secretariat’s office facilities are provided free of charge by the Danish Folketing.

The PA’s budget is approved at the Annual Session; the 2011-12 budget, approved at the 2011 Annual Session, is €2.86 million, the same amount as in the previous year. For 2011–2012 Canada’s budgeted contribution is C$221,679.

Petros Efthymiou (Greece) has been president of the PA since July 2010, succeeding Joao Soares (Portugal). Spencer Oliver (United States) has served as Secretary General since January 1993. Dr. Hedy Fry (Canada) was appointed by the OSCE PA President in October 2010 as the Special Representative on Gender Issues.  Bruce Hyer (Canada) has been Vice-Chair of the Second Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment since the 2011 OSCE PA Annual Session in Belgrade, having been elected for a one-year term.

2012 WINTER MEETING OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY^[5]

For two days from 23 to 24 February 2012, approximately 240 parliamentarians from 54 of the 56 OSCE participating States, together with parliamentarians from several Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation states, met in Vienna, Austria for the 11^th Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.  The program comprised a meeting of the Standing Committee, an opening plenary session, separate meetings of the three general committees, a plenary session which featured a special debate on conventional arms control in Europe, and a closing plenary session.

A. Opening Plenary

At the first joint session of the three General Committees, the OSCE PA heard the following presentations:

- The President of the OSCE PA, Petros Efthymiou, emphasized that the OSCE’s credibility and relevance is linked with its effectiveness, particularly in terms of promoting transparency and accountability in its own operations as well as within its participating states. He noted that this issue can potentially impact the extent to which governments will continue to fund and participate in the OSCE.  He called on better protection of internet freedom and welcomed recent initiatives to strengthen cooperation between the OSCE PA and the OSCE.^[6]

- The Speaker of the Austrian Parliament, Barbara Prammer, called on parliamentarians to protect and strengthen OSCE commitments, especially in the human dimension.

- The OSCE Secretary General, Lamberto Zannier, spoke about the importance of continued cooperation between the OSCE and the Parliamentary Assembly, particularly in terms of election observation missions.  He also noted his priorities of reforming the OSCE in order to strengthen its credibility and operational capacity, including by providing it with legal personality and strengthening the OSCE secretariat.^[7]

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

The Opening Plenary was attended by all members of the Delegation.

B.  General Committee on Political Affairs and Security

Chair: Karl-Georg Wellmann (Germany)

Vice-Chair: Susan Bratli (Norway)

Rapporteur: Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene (Lithuania)

The Vice-Chair of the Committee, Ms Bratli, provided an interim report on the follow-up to the Belgrade Declaration.  The report focused on activities undertaken by the OSCE, its institutions and field missions, as they pertain to the First Committee resolutions, including conflict prevention and rapid reaction capability, the Corfu process on OSCE reform, food security and self-sufficiency, protracted conflicts, re-establishing an OSCE presence in Belarus and Georgia, reforming and strengthening the OSCE, and strengthening arms control and security cooperation.^[8]

The Rapporteur of the Committee, Mrs. Abramkiene, provided an overview of the report and draft resolution being prepared for the Committee’s next meeting at the upcoming Annual Session in Monaco.  In keeping with the Annual Session’s theme of “The OSCE: Region of Change,” the report and draft resolution will focus on new security threats in the OSCE region, including cyber threats, as well as the modernization of the Vienna document and the impact of decreases in national budgets on OSCE activities, in particular field missions.

The Committee also held a discussion on terrorism and crime, which was led by presentations by the following:

- Tacam Ildem, Chair, OSCE Security Committee, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the OSCE;

- Manuel Marion, OSCE Action Against Terrorism Unit;

- Muran Yildiz, OSCE Strategic Police Matters Unit; and

- Nemanja Malisevic, OSCE Transnational Threats – Cyber Security.

Their presentations and the debate which followed emphasized the evolving nature of security and increased vulnerability as cyber space grows; the need for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to addressing terrorism, crime and cyber security; the links with illicit financial transactions and fundraising; the role of prevention and new methods for police enforcement.

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

Senator Frank Mahovlich participated in the discussion about terrorism and crime.  He noted the role Canada has been playing internationally to support the ratification and implementation of key conventions.  He emphasized the role that parliamentarians play in sustaining commitment to the protection of human rights and human security, good governance, democracy and the rule of law in the OSCE as central to combating successfully terrorism and crime.

The meeting of this Committee was held concurrently with that of the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and the Environment, which was attended by other members of the delegation.

C.  General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and the Environment

Chair: Mr. Serhiy Shevchuk (Ukraine)

Vice-Chair: Mr. Bruce Hyer (Canada)^[9]

Rapporteur: Mr. Tony Lloyd (United Kingdom)

The Rapporteur of the Committee, Mr. Lloyd, provided an overview of the report and draft resolution being prepared for the Committee’s next meeting at the upcoming Annual Session in Monaco.  In keeping with the Annual Session’s theme of “The OSCE: Region of Change,” the report and draft resolution will focus on the challenges of balancing fiscal austerity with economic growth, as well as the impact of the economic crisis on the most vulnerable segments of society such as women and youth.

The Committee also heard presentations by Eustathios Lozos, Chair of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Committee, Permanent Representative of Greece to the OSCE, and Mr. Goran Svilanovic, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.  Their presentations emphasized the links between economic development and environmental protection; considered  energy security issues in the OSCE region; highlighted the priorities of their offices regarding corruption, money laundering and strengthening good governance; and discussed initiatives to promote economic issues as a component of the OSCE’s approach to comprehensive security.^[10]

The Committee also held a Special Open Debate on the current economic and financial crisis in Europe. 

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

The meeting of the Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and the Environment was attended by Mr. Allison, Mr. Tilson, Mr. Christopherson, and Dr. Fry.

Mr. Allison participated in the debate on the economic crisis in Europe.  He noted the strong economic ties between Canada and Europe and recent initiatives undertaken to enhance trade relations, including by way of a Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement currently under negotiation.  He also noted the role that Canada is playing to support measures to address current challenges in Europe and the world.

Dr. Fry commented on the rapporteur’s presentation, noting the importance of sustaining the human potential during austere times and cautioning about the potential for social tensions to arise under these conditions due to economic gaps among various segments of society.  She also noted the importance of protecting the middle class and the need to focus on training and skills-development among youth. 

D.  General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions

Chair: Mr. Matteo Mecacci (Italy)

Vice-Chair:  Mr. Alain Neri (France)
Rapporteur: Coskun Coruz (The Netherlands)

The Vice-Chair of the Committee, Mr. Neri, provided an interim report on the follow-up to the Belgrade Declaration.  The report focused on activities undertaken by the OSCE its institutions and field presences, as they pertain to the Third Committee’s resolutions, including strengthening efforts to combat racism and xenophobia; combating illicit trade in human organs; on the situation in Belarus; international parental child abductions; women’s representation at the OSCE PA; work of the OSCE Human Dimension committee; witness protection programmes; and promoting policies in favour of the Roma population.^[11]

The Rapporteur of the Committee, Mr. Coruz, provided an overview of the report and draft resolution being prepared for the Committee’s next meeting at the upcoming Annual Session in Monaco.  In keeping with the Annual Session’s theme of “The OSCE: Region of Change,” the report and draft resolution will focus on judicial independence and prison reform.

The Committee also heard from the following speakers:

- Thomas Greminger, Chair of the OSCE Human Dimension Committee, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the OSCE highlighted the structural reforms undertaken by the Committee, and provided an overview of its work regarding internally displaced persons and refugees in the OSCE region and the link between terrorism and human rights.

- Janez Lenarcic, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, summarized the work of the office since his last report to the Parliamentary Assembly in 2011, which included the implementation of a justice project in south-eastern Europe.  He also highlighted concerns about the human rights situation in Belarus and elsewhere in the region, particularly regarding standards of a fair trial.  He also discussed recent cooperation between ODIHR and the OSCE PA in election observation missions.^[12]

- Dunja Mijatovic, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, highlighted the need to work harder to ensure internet freedom in the OSCE region, particularly in light of disturbing trends regarding limitations to access and use.  She emphasized the link between freedom of media to security, and noted recent cases of threats to journalists in the region.  She also shared research being undertaken on internet regulations.

The Committee held a discussion on judicial systems and prison reform in the OSCE area, which was led by Manfred Nowak, human rights lawyer and former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.  Mr. Nowak’s presentation provided an overview of the prison situation in the OSCE region, with a focus on the United States, Georgia, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, particularly in terms of the number of incarcerations per capita.  Other areas of concern were the cases of extra judicial executions in the region, weak investigative methods, violation of rights to fair trial in Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, and the use of torture.  He also noted the recent abolition of the death penalty in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The discussion also featured presentations of specific cases of mistreatment by police and of the violation of the right to a fair trial by representatives or family members of Giuseppe Uva (Italy); Sergei Magnitsky (Russia); Yulia Tymoshenko (Ukraine); Andrei Sannikov (Belarus).^[13]

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

This Committee meeting was attended by all five members of the Canadian delegation.

Mr. Tilson made remarks on the case of Alex Byalyatski, head of the Belarusian human rights organization whose conviction has been highlighted by Canada in recent statements.

E.  Plenary

The three committees of the Parliamentary Assembly met in plenary to hear the following reports:

- The High Commissioner on National Minorities, Kurt Vollebaek, highlighted his activities over the last year, notably in Kyrgyzstan and with respect to efforts to strengthen ethnic conciliation in south-eastern Europe.^[14] 

- The Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister of State for European Affairs of Ireland, Lucinda Creighton, highlighted the role that the OSCE plays in promoting Euro-Atlantic stability, and the contribution that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly makes in this context.  She provided an overview of the Irish Chairmanship’s priorities, which include human dimension issues, internet freedom, human trafficking, transnational threats, terrorism, trafficking of illicit weapons, economic-environmental issues, good governance to overcome economic risks, and creating and sustaining the momentum to address protracted conflicts, such as the recent progress achieved in the Transnistria conflict in Moldova.  She also noted that the Chairmanship is actively studying how the legal status of the OSCE can be enhanced.

At the closing of the Plenary, President Efthymiou issued a statement on Syria which was agreed to by the Assembly:

As President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, I deeply regret the violence and loss of life in Syria. As OSCE participating States and partners for co-operation have expressed their concern about the current situation, I call for a full respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country. I salute the journalists who have paid such a heavy price to keep the world informed.^[15]

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

Mr. Allison asked a question to the Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office about ensuring that commitments to democracy and human rights in the OSCE region are respected, even as states fail to live up to these commitments, including in Ukraine, which will hold the OSCE Chairmanship in 2013.  She replied that the OSCE chairmanship is working according to the troika system, and strengthening human rights is an important element of this arrangement. 

Dr. Hedy Fry delivered her report to the Assembly as the OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues.  She emphasized recent work being undertaken by the OSCE in addressing gender issues in the region, and encouraged the Parliamentary Assembly to increase the representation of women in its executive offices.^[16]

F. Special Debate on the Future of Conventional Arms Control in the OSCE Area

The Special Debate on this topic was led off with addresses by:

- Damian Leader (United States) noted that the Vienna Document, the Open Skies Treaty, and the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) create an arms control regime in Europe that is crucial to promoting predictability and stability.  Accordingly, it needs to be continually updated in order to reflect changes in the security environment and improve its effectiveness.

- Anton Mazur, Head of the Russian Delegation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, provided a Russian perspective on historical developments that have led to the current impasse over the implementation of the CFE Treaty

- Mathew Geertsen, OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, outlined the work undertaken by the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation in the area of arms control, describing the changing nature of threats to security and the need to continually strengthen transparency and accountability.

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

All members of the delegation attended this Special Debate. 

Mr. Tilson participated in the debate, noting in his remarks Canada’s commitment to the arms control regime in Europe, as evident in recent initiatives to conclude a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the European Union.

H. Standing Committee 

At the meeting of the Standing Committee, the Bureau members and the heads of delegation heard the following reports:

- The President of the OSCE PA, Petros Efthymiou, reported on his activities since the October 2011 Fall Meetings in Dubrovnik.  Notably, he summarised his participation at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Vilnius in December 2011.  He also listed his meetings with parliamentary representatives in Italy and Israel.  He encouraged delegations to hold an annual debate in their respective parliaments on the OSCE in order to strengthen its profile and support, particularly in light of budgetary constraints faced by many countries.

- Roberto Battelli (Slovenia) presented his Treasurer’s report.  He indicated that the OSCE PA remained within budget for the nineteenth year in a row.  He emphasised that the budget and expenditures reflect and comply with the objectives of austerity and accountability, particularly in light of on-going demands on public budgets across the OSCE region.  He noted that an outside independent professional auditor gave a positive assessment of the OSCE PA’s financial management.

- Secretary General Spencer Oliver highlighted the success of the Fall Meetings held in Dubrovnik and noted that planning for the Annual Session in Monaco is well advanced.  The Secretariat is examining ways to introduce social media tools at meetings of the OSCE PA.  He encouraged parliaments to consider hosting future meetings of the OSCE PA.

- Heads of recent election observation missions to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia presented their reports.  The Standing Committee engaged in a discussion about whether to deploy a mission to observe the Russian presidential election.  Some of the points raised included that the result is self-evident, the time constraints on the part of parliamentarians, and the OSCE PA’s past practice of not observing Russian presidential elections.  The Standing Committee decided to deploy a small mission.  The Parliamentary Assembly will be observing parliamentary elections in Serbia and Armenia in the coming months.

- Heads of OSCE PA ad hoc groups on Belarus, Moldova, and Special Representatives on Afghanistan, Human Trafficking, Migration and the South Caucasus presented their reports on recent activities. 

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

Mr. Allison attended the meeting of the Standing Committee as Head of the Canadian Delegation and Dr. Fry attended as Special Representative on Gender Issues.

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES OF THE CANADIAN DELEGATION

On arrival in Vienna on Wednesday, 22 February, the delegation met with the Canadian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the OSCE, Her Excellency Fredericka Gregory; Deputy Head of Delegation, Yves Beaulieu;  Counsellor Dominic Arpin (Politico-Military Dimension); Senior Military Advisor Lt. Col. Michel Héroux (arms control and confidence and security building measures); Second Secretary Richard Delisle (OSCE Accountability/Economic and Environmental Dimension); and Counsellor Paul Williams (Political/Economic and Public Affairs - Bilateral) for a briefing session at the Canadian Delegation to the OSCE on the main issues in Canada-OSCE relations.  The briefing focused on the outcome of the Ministerial Council in Vilnius in December 2011 – the first attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in many years - and the failure to achieve consensus on human dimension decisions.  The delegation also heard that discussions at the OSCE have been dominated by the European economic crisis, but have also included consideration of Mongolia’s application to join the OSCE, trends regarding human rights commitments in the region, and efforts on the part of some states to use the OSCE rather than the Arctic Council as a forum to discuss Arctic issues.  It should be noted that members of the parliamentary delegation greatly appreciated the briefing and strongly supported the value of such briefings by the Canadian embassy in general and that they should continue to be part of future programs related to the Winter Meeting.

Ambassador Gregory presented the delegation with the opportunity to meet with Canada’s ambassador to Austria, John Barrett, representatives from the OSCE Secretariat, national delegations and OSCE partners in cooperation (United States, Mongolia, Ukraine, Afghanistan) to discuss matters relating to the OSCE and Canada’s activities. 

It should also be noted that Ambassador Gregory and members of the staff attended the sessions of the OSCE PA’s winter meeting.

Mr. Allison had separate side meetings with the heads of the Israeli and US delegations.  In his meeting with US Congressman Christopher Smith, he discussed OSCE PA election observation missions, arms control, human rights in the OSCE region, and issues of mutual concern given their respective positions as Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development and Chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.  Mr. Allison also met with the Secretary General of the OSCE PA, Deputy Secretary Gustavo Pallares, Deputy-Secretary Tina Schon, Treasurer Roberto Batelli, and Administrative Director Kurt Lerras to discuss the OSCE PA’s financial priorities.  During these discussions, the Secretary General and the Treasurer noted that the proposed budget for 2012-13 will not reflect any increases. 

Mr. Tilson attended a side meeting on the human rights situation in Belarus organized by the OSCE PA Working Group on Belarus and the Committee on International Control of the Human Rights Situation in Belarus.

Dr. Fry had meetings with the newly appointed OSCE Senior Advisor on Gender Issues, Miroslava Beham, and the OSCE Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro.  She also had side meetings with several parliamentarians from numerous delegations, including from Sweden, Serbia, Norway and Kyrgyzstan on promoting gender issues in the OSCE area.  Dr. Fry attended a planning meeting organized by the Irish delegation and also attended by the OSCE PA Special Representatives on Migration and Human Trafficking regarding a side-event on human trafficking at the 2012 Annual Session of the OSCE PA.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,