OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 3 Message from the Secretary General

Annual Report 2009

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Published by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Press and Public Information Section Office of the Secretary General OSCE Secretariat Wallnerstrasse 6 A‑1010 Vienna, Austria www.osce.org

All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may be freely used and copied for educational and other non-commercial purposes, provided that any such reproduction is accompanied by an acknowledgement of the OSCE as the source. The names and boundaries on all the maps in this publication do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the OSCE.

ISBN 978-92-9235-010-9

Edited by Sharman Esarey Co-edited by Curtis Budden Designed by Nona Reuter Maps by Nona Reuter

Front cover photo credits: Matthew Bach, Kati Heiska, Milan Obradovic, Dragan Mijatovic, Martina Gadotti Rodrigues, Hasan Sopa, Gayane Ter-Stepanyan, Saba Nordstrom, Mirvete Mustafa, Anton Martynyuk, Kostas Kousounis, Yhlas Babajanov, Burul Usmanalieva, Andrew Offenbacher, Dina Iglikova, Oliver Janser (all OSCE staff members) and Naryn KG/Jarkyn Ibraeva

Printed in Austria by Ueberreuter Print GmbH Contents

Message from the Secretary General 4 Institutions 75 Executive Summary 6 Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights 76 High Commissioner on National Minorities 79 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office 8 Representative on Freedom of the Media 83 Corfu process 10 Protracted conflicts 14 Chairmanship work across the dimensions 18 Secretariat 87 Work with Partners for Co-operation 20 Office of the Secretary General 88 Executive Management 89 Permanent Council 21 Press and Public Information Section 89 Section for External Co-operation 90 Legal Services 91 Forum for Security Co-operation 23 Gender Section 91 Security Management 92 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 25 Strategic Police Matters Unit 93 Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Field Operations 29 Trafficking in Human Beings 94 Action against Terrorism Unit 94 South-Eastern Europe Office of Internal Oversight 95 Presence in Albania 30 Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina 33 Conflict Prevention Centre 96 Mission in Kosovo 36 Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Mission to Montenegro 39 Economic and Environmental Activities 99 Mission to Serbia 41 Department of Human Resources 101 Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje 43 Department of Management and Finance 102 Office in Zagreb 46

Eastern Europe Partnerships for Security Office in Minsk 48 Mission to Moldova 50 and Co-operation 103 Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine 53 Interaction with organizations and institutions in the OSCE area 104 South Caucasus Interaction with the Asian and Office in Baku 55 Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation Mission to Georgia 58 and with organizations and institutions Office in Yerevan 59 outside the OSCE area 110 Central Asia Centre in Ashgabat 61 Centre in Astana 63 Annexes 115 Centre in Bishkek 65 The OSCE at a glance 116 Office in Tajikistan 68 OSCE organigram 117 Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan 71 OSCE budget 2009 by fund 118 Staff statistics 119 Assistance with Bilateral Agreements Contact information 120 Representative to the Latvian-Russian Joint Commission on Military Pensioners 73

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 3 Message from the Secretary General

he evolution of the OSCE in 2009 tells a surprising story. T The year began inauspiciously. The participating States did not reach consensus on extending the mandate of the OSCE Mission to Georgia which expired on 31 December 2008. An energy crisis struck some participating States in the coldest winter months. The impact of the global financial crisis translated into an economic downturn affecting all parts of the OSCE region. The unified budget was adopted only in April. Yet despite this tumultuous start, the OSCE soon began to make progress on its core job of establishing and embedding security in Europe. While agreement remained out of reach on a renewed OSCE presence in Georgia, the Greek Chairmanship actively co-chaired the Geneva Discussions and secured progress on issues relating to water and gas distribution that mattered to people on the ground. The OSCE continued to lead in seeking the settlement of long-running conflicts in our region, such as in Transdniestria, through active engagement and steps towards confidence- building and reduction of tensions. The OSCE Minsk Group worked hard to create the conditions for progress towards the settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Throughout 2009, OSCE action continued to derive strength

OSCE/Franz J o hann o rg e nb esse r M and continuity from a process of constant interaction with the participating States — especially in countries where field operations are deployed. Tajikistan saw the inauguration of the OSCE Border Management Staff College. In Ukraine, the OSCE launched its largest-ever project to clean up the country’s stock of a toxic rocket fuel component. OSCE action was not limited to countries east of Vienna. Hu- man trafficking and terrorism, for example, are challenges facing all of the participating States. OSCE activities to promote media freedom, tolerance and non-discrimination have a similar scope. In key areas, the OSCE continued to play a leading international role — notably, in support of electoral processes, where co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has been vital. In this respect, an election-support team was deployed in the run-up to the elections in Afghanistan. But as important as these successes were, the Corfu process took much of the spotlight — as the symbol of the participating States’ renewed pursuit of common goals underpinned by a fresh unity of purpose. At the informal Ministerial Meeting organized there in June by the Greek Chairmanship, OSCE ministers gave impetus to a renewed European security dialogue, initiating the Corfu process that continued in Vienna in the run-up to the Ath- ens Ministerial Council meeting. All participating States embraced the Corfu process, demon- strating the political will to reaffirm the principles that underpin

4 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Message from the Secretary General

The Secretary General answers a question during an interview with a journalist in Belgrade on 16 December. (OSCE/ Milan Obradovic)

our Organization and to strive together Ministerial Council that will take the towards comprehensive, co-operative and OSCE agenda forward across the three indivisible security across the OSCE area. dimensions of security. As a demonstra- The ideas put forward by Russian Presi- tion of the participating States’ seriousness dent Dmitry Medvedev, French President in making this happen, the unified budget Nicolas Sarkozy and others provided the was agreed on time, breaking with the catalyst for this dialogue, which has re- negative trend of the last several years. mained informal and open-ended. Throughout the year, the staff of the The aim of the Corfu process is to take Secretariat, ODIHR, the Representative stock of the state of European security on Freedom of the Media, the High Com- today and to strengthen our ability to missioner on National Minorities, the Par- deal effectively with traditional and new liamentary Assembly and the OSCE field challenges, while preserving the common operations worked devotedly to fulfil their achievements of the 56 participating States respective mandates. — including the commitments undertaken The diversity of tasks and activities and the roles of the Secretariat, field opera- undertaken under the OSCE’s mandate tions and institutions. to build comprehensive, co-operative During the discussions at the heart of and indivisible security is striking. This this process, it became ever clearer that Annual Report opens a window into the the OSCE is the only venue of its kind that ambitions that lie at heart of this unique joins the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian spac- Organization. es. On many issues, the OSCE is the forum for engaging on issues of democracy, pros- Marc Perrin de Brichambaut perity and security, and for grappling with Secretary General the complexity of a diverse community of States. This is a real resource for European security. The adoption by the OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens of a Decision and a Declaration furthering the Corfu process showed that the Organization is on the right track. Under the leadership of Ka- zakhstan, the dialogue is set to become more targeted in 2010. The year culminated in a raft of strong Decisions and Declarations at the Athens

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 5 Executive Summary

New European security dialogue. a common policy in dealing with cases of promoted the Bolzano/Bozen Recom- Building on a successful and well-regarded the accidental crossing of the administra- mendations on National Minorities in high-level multilateral discussion on the tive boundary line; promoting the free Inter-State Relations as a tool to facilitate future of European security at the Helsinki and safe access of farmers to their fields such dialogue through a series of regional Ministerial Council meeting in December close to the administrative boundary line; roundtables (see High Commissioner on 2008, the OSCE participating States con- and studying proposals for granting the National Minorities, p.79). tinued discussions at a joint Permanent populations free and safe access to cem- Council — Forum for Security Co-oper- eteries and religious places. At year-end, Combating violence against women. A ation meeting on 18 February and at the the Chairmanship was actively promoting symposium in Vienna on 8 June brought Parliamentary Assembly’s Winter Meeting the resumption of the activities of this together experts working to combat vio- on 19 and 20 February. These discussions joint mechanism which were suspended lence against women. On this occasion, the would be carried forward at the informal on 22 October. Gender Section launched the publication Ministerial Meeting in Corfu in June. (see Bringing Security Home: Combating Vio- Message from the Secretary General, p. 4; Human dimension events. The Office lence Against Women in the OSCE Region. Corfu informal Ministerial Meeting below; for Democratic Institutions and Human A Compilation of Good Practices (see Gen- Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office, p. 8; Rights organized three Supplementary der Section, p. 91). Interaction with organizations and institu- Human Dimension Meetings in Vienna: on tions in the OSCE area, p. 104). hate crimes and the effective implementa- OSCE-Japan Conference. The annual tion of legislation, on 4 and 5 May; on OSCE conference with the Asian Partners Geneva Discussions. A further five freedom of religion or belief, on 9 and 10 was held in Tokyo on 10 and 11 June, the sessions of the Geneva Discussions (see July; and on gender equality, with a special third time Japan has hosted the event (see Message from the Secretary General, p. 4; focus on combating violence against wom- Interaction with the Asian and Mediter- Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office, p. 8; en, on 5 and 6 November. The 2009 Hu- ranean Partners for Co-operation and with Interaction with organizations and institu- man Dimension Seminar, held in Warsaw organizations and institutions outside the tions in the OSCE area, p. 104), foreseen from 12 to 14 May, dealt with strengthen- OSCE area, p. 110). The venue was symbol- in the 12 August six-point agreement that ing the rule of law in the OSCE area. The ic, as it was Japan that, in 2000, launched brought the 2008 large-scale military con- Human Dimension Implementation Meet- the now-traditional annual OSCE confer- frontation in Georgia to an end, kicked ing, held in Warsaw from 28 September to ences with the Asian Partners. off on 18 February. The OSCE, together 9 October, helped to take stock of where with the United Nations and the European the participating States stood in putting Annual Security Review Conference. The Union, co-chaired the talks, which involve commitments into practice. The Greek Annual Security Review Conference, which participants from Georgia, Russia and the Chairmanship also organized an expert took place in Vienna on 23 and 24 June, United States, as well as from Tskhinvali seminar on election management bodies focused on the theme of comprehensive and Sukhumi. The discussions centre on in Vienna on 16 and 17 July. (see Office and co-operative security. The meeting security and stability as well as on humani- for Democratic Institutions and Human contributed to a fresh debate on the future tarian issues, including issues related to Rights, p. 76). of European security. Russian Federation internally displaced persons and refugees. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the event’s The Special Representative of the OSCE Border Management Staff College. The high-level guest, elaborated on Russian Chairperson-in-Office, Charalampos OSCE College was inaugurated on 27 May proposals for a legally binding European Christopoulos, put special emphasis on and launched its first course in Dushanbe security treaty. solving practical humanitarian issues to on 6 October, offering a leadership and the mutual benefit of local communities. In management seminar for senior border Corfu informal Ministerial Meeting. The particular, he facilitated the resumption of officers from the region. The College will Greek Chairmanship-in-Office followed the gas supply to Tskhinvali on 25 January. help train border-security managers and up on the discussions mentioned above promote co-operation between OSCE under new European security dialogue Incident Prevention and Response States and partner countries (see Office in with the first-ever informal Ministerial Mechanisms (IPRMs). At the 18 February Tajikistan, p. 68; Conflict Prevention Cen- Meeting on the Greek island of Corfu on Geneva Discussions, participants reached tre, p. 96). 27 and 28 June. This innovative event agreement on the establishment of joint provided strong impetus to drive for- IPRMs, which are designed to respond High Commissioner on National ward discussions on the topic. It was fol- swiftly to local security incidents. The Minorities. The High Commissioner con- lowed in autumn by a pioneering series second joint mechanism (which held its tinued to address ethnic tensions within of weekly ambassadorial-level thematic meetings in Ergneti and Dvani) held six and between States. He examined minor- meetings from 8 September through 10 meetings with the participation of the ity situations in many participating States November, during which the Chairman- OSCE and the European Union Moni- and advised them on how to improve ship breathed new life into the OSCE’s toring Mission. The participants made inter-ethnic relations. The High Commis- spirit of comprehensive and co-operative important steps, such as: establishing sioner also assisted a number of countries security. The Decision on Furthering the hotlines; sharing information on incidents in their bilateral dialogue on national Corfu Process and the Ministerial Declara- and planned military exercises; defining minority issues. The High Commissioner tion on The OSCE Corfu Process, adopted

6 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Executive Summary

in December at the Ministerial Council, Strengthening co-ordination within the among the 56 participating States. In also reflected enhanced confidence among OSCE. To reinforce co-ordination within 2009, over 170 military inspection and the participating States.(see Message from the OSCE, the Secretariat and the institu- evaluation visits were conducted. On 14 the Secretary General, p. 4; Report of the tions held their first two director-level December, the representatives of national Chairmanship-in-Office, p. 8; Interaction meetings, in addition to existing meetings verification agencies gathered in Vienna with organizations and institutions in the between the Secretary General and the for the third time to share views on the OSCE area, p. 104). heads of institutions. This new forum took practical aspects of CSBM implementation up matters of an administrative nature, at which a symposium to mark the 10th 18th Annual Session of the such as performance indicators and the anniversary was organized. Parliamentary Assembly. Held in Vilnius budget, as a complement to the policy is- from 29 June to 3 July, the 213 parliamen- sues discussed in the existing format. Freedom of the media: decriminalizing tarians from 50 OSCE countries attend- defamation. On 17 November, the United ing the 18th Annual Session adopted the Engagement with Afghanistan. The Kingdom, following long-standing sup- Vilnius Declaration, with 28 resolutions OSCE launched a number of border- port from the OSCE’s Representative on for participating States covering issues security and -management initiatives to Freedom of the Media, decriminalized such as strengthening the OSCE, election tackle border threats and challenges be- defamation. At year-end, there were 10 observation and food security (see OSCE tween Afghanistan and its Central Asian OSCE participating States that do not Parliamentary Assembly, p. 25). neighbours (see Office in Tajikistan, p. 68; criminalize defamation. The UK is the first Conflict Prevention Centre, p. 96, Interac- among the western European participat- Economic and environmental dimension tion with the Asian and Mediterranean ing States to officially decriminalize. This events. Two innovative conferences ad- Partners for Co-operation and with organi- is a crucial achievement in an area of con- dressed strengthening energy security in zations and institutions outside the OSCE siderable concern for the Representative, the OSCE area and the security implica- area, p. 110). Five out of the seven border as such laws in other countries are often tions of climate change, in Bratislava on projects designed for implementation punishable by imprisonment, substantially 6 and 7 July and in Bucharest on 5 and 6 outside Afghanistan were implemented in chilling critical speech in the media (see October, respectively. The 17th Economic Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Representative on Freedom of the Media, and Environmental Forum, held in Vienna The aim is to strengthen the capacity of p. 83). on 19 and 20 January and in Athens from border guard services and customs depart- 17 to 20 May, focused on migration man- ments of Central Asian participating States Melange disposal in Ukraine. On 21 agement (see Office of the Co-ordinator of with the inclusion, where possible, of Af- November, the OSCE launched its largest- OSCE Economic and Environmental Ac- ghan representatives through joint train- ever donor-financed project to clean up tivities, p. 99) ing at the border. Ukraine’s entire stock of melange, some 16,000 tons of highly toxic rocket fuel Field operations reach anniversaries. Mediation retreat. The OSCE held a first- component used by the Soviet and Warsaw Six OSCE field operations celebrated their ever retreat on mediation in Vienna on 22 Pact armies. The first train with 470 tons 10th year of service in 2009. In Central and 23 October, a hands-on event where of melange was shipped out for recycling Asia, the Centre in Ashgabat, the Centre in current and former OSCE mediators and into chemical products for civilian use Astana and the Centre in Bishkek reached staff and representatives of the present and at specialized enterprises in the Russian their 10th anniversaries since deployment two incoming Chairmanships discussed Federation (see Project Co-ordinator in in 1999, the result of Permanent Council mediation experiences and identified op- Ukraine, p. 53; Conflict Prevention Centre, Decisions on 23 July 1998. Further Deci- portunities and challenges. p. 96). sions in 1999 established offices in Kosovo, Yerevan and Baku. The OSCE also cel- 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Ministerial Council meeting. The ebrated the 15th anniversary of field pres- Wall. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who served Chairman-in-Office, George Papandreou, ences in Tajikistan and Ukraine. for 18 years as German foreign minister, hosted the 17th Ministerial Council at the including when the Berlin Wall fell on 9 Hellinikon Centre in Athens on 1 and 2 9th Alliance against Trafficking in November 1989, visited the OSCE on 6 December, where the first overarching Persons Conference. The Office of the November, where he addressed more than declaration since 2002 was agreed, the Special Representative and Co-ordinator 600 guests at Vienna’s Hofburg to com- Ministerial Declaration on The OSCE Cor- for Combating Trafficking in Human memorate the 20th anniversary of the fu Process (see Message from the Secretary Beings promoted the exchange of best event. Mr. Genscher played a leading role General, p. 4; Report of the Chairmanship- practices and lessons learned through the in the OSCE’s forerunner, the Conference in-Office, p. 8). Alliance against Trafficking in Persons, for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which she chairs, held in Vienna on 14 and later served as its first Chairperson-in- OSCE Mediterranean Conference. On and 15 September (see Office of the Spe- Office. The Austrian Minister for Foreign 14 and 15 December, the annual OSCE cial Representative and Co-ordinator for Affairs, Michael Spindelegger, and the Mediterranean Conference was held in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, p. Greek Alternate Foreign Minister, Dimitris Cairo (see Interaction with the Asian and 94). The Alliance looked at the global eco- Droutsas, also spoke. Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation nomic crisis’s role in reducing legitimate and with organizations and institutions employment opportunities and increasing 10th anniversary of the Vienna outside the OSCE area, p. 110). It was the the vulnerability of millions. US Secretary Document 1999. The Vienna Document second time the event was held in the of State Hillary Clinton, in a video address 1999, adopted 16 November 1999 in Is- format of a conference rather than a semi- opening the two-day conference, urged tanbul, a major document of the OSCE nar. Egypt hosted the event for the fifth OSCE participating States to redouble pre- acquis, remains a key tool for security- and time, underscoring its commitment to the vention efforts. confidence-building measures (CSBMs) OSCE. and increased military transparency

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 7 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office

Photos: OSCE/George Kontarinis, OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev and the Greek Tourism Board

8 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office

reece took up the 2009 OSCE Chairmanship intent on mak- Ging the most of the unparalleled assets of the OSCE — its experience, diverse toolbox and comprehensive approach to security — to advance a renewed dialogue on European security and, through concrete steps in the field, build security from the ground up. I committed myself to carrying this vision forward when I assumed my responsibilities as Chairman-in-Office on 6 October. I am grateful to my predecessor, Minister Dora Bakoy- annis, for laying the groundwork for a number of our successes. Chief among these was the launch in June of a renewed, inclusive and meaningful dialogue on European security at an innovative informal Ministerial Meeting on the island of Corfu. In December in Athens, ministers charted the path ahead for this dialogue, aptly dubbed the Corfu process, with a Decision and an ambitious Declaration, themselves a tribute to a new spirit of co- operation among participating States. My team also worked tirelessly to embed stability and security in the Caucasus region, especially in Georgia. Regrettably, despite intensive consultations, the OSCE presence in Georgia closed down at the end of June. However, we worked hard to build long- term stability in the country at the Geneva Discussions, which we co-chaired with the United Nations and the European Union. We sought to rebuild elements of confidence between the local Go b e t communities, solving urgent humanitarian issues, notably re- establishing the gas supply. We set and achieved a number of core priorities across the

A FP Ph o t / Geo rg es three OSCE dimensions, advancing this agenda through 16 Deci- sions at the Athens Ministerial Council meeting. The Chairmanship’s intervention during the year also dramati- cally improved co-operation between the Parliamentary Assem- bly and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in election observation, one of the Organization’s emblematic activities. This year we took important steps to ensure the OSCE lives up to its full potential. We will lend our support to future Chairman- ships as they work to ensure the OSCE’s place as a cornerstone of stability for intra-state and inter-state relations, the place where all Europe’s security actors come together to work in concord. 2009 Chairman-in-Office George Papandreou

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 9 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office

reece assumed the Chairmanship-in-Office in January determined to revitalize the GOSCE’s historic mission to foster and safeguard European security. Through innovative retreats for ambassadors, a first-ever informal Ministerial Meeting and a series of weekly ambassadorial-level thematic meetings, the Chairmanship-in-Office breathed new life into the OSCE’s spirit of comprehensive and co-operative security, deftly building momentum and channelling dialogue towards an exploratory review of OSCE security commitments, tools and processes. The aim was nothing less than the rejuvenation of the OSCE’s quest to create a “just and lasting order of peace for a united, democratic Europe” amid the recognition that this remained a lofty goal rather than a reality nearly 20 years after participating States agreed the Charter of Paris for a New Europe in 1990. The time was ripe. Unease gripped the Organization. The conflict in Georgia in August 2008 created shock waves, laying bare the seriousness of the challenges that remained for the OSCE to address. It also sounded a call for action: the OSCE’s work was urgent; much was still to be done.

1 Permanent Council Chairperson Ambassador Mara Marinaki (l), Austrian Foreign Minister Corfu process Michael Spindelegger (c) and Secretary General The Greek Chairmanship-in-Office took up the challenge. It built on a successful Marc Perrin de Brichambaut (r), at a conference and well-regarded initiative, the first high-level multilateral discussion of the future of on European Security Dialogue in Vienna on 8 May. (Holzner/Hopi Media) European security at the Helsinki Ministerial Council meeting in December 2008, itself inspired by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s call in June of that year for a pan- 2 Permanent Council Chairperson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the Annual European summit that would frame negotiations on a legally binding European security Security Review Conference in Vienna on 23 June. treaty. The Chairmanship-in-Office declared its willingness to gauge the participating (OSCE/Susanna Loof) States’ appetite for discussions on European security within the OSCE framework. 3 The Chairperson-in-Office Dora Bakoyannis (r) For much has changed in Europe. A major period of state-making and -breaking has with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Joao Soares, at the Assembly’s Winter Meeting in taken place: 22 new States have joined the OSCE. International law, alliance systems, the Vienna on 19 February. (OSCE/Antonios Doykas) concept of neutrality and perceptions of security have all changed significantly.

1 3

10 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office

The Chairmanship counselled that the Following Corfu, OSCE ambassa- both eloquent testimony to the fact that dialogue was to be guided by a triptych dors met weekly in Vienna to try to sort the dialogue undertaken had already of S’s: symmetry of efforts to deal with through, in a structured manner, the enhanced confidence among the partici- new and old challenges; synergy of all priorities for discussion. They considered pating States. participating States in promoting secu- experts’ contributions. Delegations put In the Declaration, ministers expressed rity; and strategy on ways to achieve this forward their approaches to improve and concern “that the use of force has not common goal. strengthen European security. Through a ceased to be considered as an option in An expert meeting, organized by the series of food-for-thought and perception settling disputes; that the danger of con- Austrian Ministry of European and papers, the Chairmanship gave shape to flicts between states has not been elimi- International Affairs and held in Vienna these talks, weaving them into coherent nated, and armed conflicts have occurred on 8 May, lent critical support to this ex- themes, shepherding disparate views to- even in the last decades.” ploratory phase. Discussions took place wards consensus. Bolstered by the Organization’s im- in a number of other key OSCE forums, George Papandreou, who was sworn in proved mood, Kazakhstan, which takes including the February joint meeting of as Greece’s Prime Minister and Foreign up the OSCE Chairmanship in 2010, the the Forum for Security Co-operation and Minister on 6 October, addressed the first Central Asian state to hold the of- Permanent Council, the Parliamentary Permanent Council later in the month as fice, offered to hold an OSCE summit in Assembly Winter Meeting and the Annual the new Chairperson-in-Office. In his first 2010, which would be the first since 1999. Security Review Conference in June. statement to this forum, he described the In Athens, ministers noted with interest The Greek Chairmanship offered, Corfu process as an important collective Kazakhstan’s proposal. with increasing certainty of convic- achievement. The Corfu Decision drew a roadmap for tion, a pioneering mid-year informal Harkening back to a time of great hope the actual substantive talks, which will Ministerial Meeting to invest the dialogue for the future of European security, the be launched in 2010, saying the dialogue with high-level political guidance. At the Chairmanship-in-Office, together with should focus on eight areas: implemen- Corfu Meeting on June 28 and 29, the Germany and host country Austria, com- tation of all OSCE norms, principles Chairperson-in-Office ushered in the next memorated the 20th anniversary of the fall and commitments; role of the OSCE in phase of these talks, during which the 56 of the Berlin Wall in November. Former early warning, conflict prevention and participating States were to agree an agen- German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich resolution, crisis management and post- da and structure. The Chairperson urged Genscher, who played a leading role in conflict rehabilitation; role of the arms participants to dispense with the unilat- developing the CSCE, addressed some 600 control and confidence- and security- eral and frequently confrontational ap- guests, saying that the OSCE remained a building regimes in building trust in the proaches of recent years and to reach out wonderful platform for shaping the future evolving security environment; transna- for common solutions, acknowledging that of Europe. tional and multidimensional threats and the path would be arduous, that bridging The process culminated in the Athens challenges; economic and environmental differences required time and effort. The Ministerial Council meeting, where foreign challenges; human rights and fundamen- Chairperson reminded participating States ministers from the 56 participating States tal freedoms, as well as democracy and that more than 2,400 meetings were held agreed 16 Decisions and five Declarations, the rule of law; enhancing the OSCE’s to deliberate on 4,660 proposals before including a Decision on Furthering the effectiveness; and interaction with other the heads of state and government could Corfu Process, as well as an overarch- organizations and institutions, on the ba- gather in Helsinki in 1975 to sign the ing political declaration, the Ministerial sis of the 1999 Platform for Co-operative Helsinki Final Act. Declaration on the OSCE Corfu process, Security.

The Secretary General (l), Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis (c) and the Chairperson-in-Office at the informal Ministerial Meeting of OSCE foreign ministers in Corfu on 28 June (OSCE/George Kontarinis)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 11 Corfu process: setting the 8 September Common Foundations and 22 September Common Challenges of Commitments in the OSCE area – Session I on a politico-military nature – Session I on agenda, determining priorities Implementation of norms and principles of Arms control and CSBMs arrangements and Following the Corfu informal Ministerial International Law in the OSCE area instruments and their impact on building trust Meeting in late June, the permanent Speaker: Ambassador Herbert Salber, Director of the and confidence representatives of the OSCE participating OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre Speaker: Dr. Pal Dunay, resident faculty member at the States met weekly in Vienna from 8 Geneva Centre for Security Policy and Director of the September through 10 November to 15 September Common Foundations and International Training Course in Security Policy consider various aspects of comprehensive Commitments in the OSCE area – Session II on and indivisible security in an attempt to Co-operative security versus unilateralism and 13 October Common Challenges of a structure the actual debate on European Different levels of security in the OSCE area politico-military nature – Session II on Non- security due to take place in 2010. These Speaker: Dr. Wolfgang Zellner, Deputy Director of the proliferation, Illicit arms transfers, Terrorism sessions were organized around input from Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the and risks arising from criminal activities and internal and external experts. The schedule University of Hamburg and Head of the Centre for OSCE Cyber-security of speakers and topics follows: Research Speaker: Dr. Walter Kemp, Spokesman and Speechwriter, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Corfu process: an exchange of views 30 April. “In Romania’s point of view, any such debate should The Chairmanship-in-Office launched the Corfu process, a cast no doubt on the efficiency of the existing security groundbreaking initiative in which the participating States en- arrangements… The existing institutions and structures have gaged in a review of the OSCE’s current role in securing a Europe indeed served us well, and our priority should be to seek ways whole and at peace. Though still in the early stages, the discus- for strengthening them. A better use of existing mechanisms sions have already helped to dissolve some of the accumulated at our disposal would have allowed for some recent crises to be mistrust and to re-establish a co-operative spirit. The following avoided.” timeline presents just a few quotes — from the Chairmanship- —Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs Cristian Diaconescu in a in-Office, expert advisers and delegates of participating States speech to the OSCE’s Permanent Council — to illustrate the gathering momentum behind the Corfu process from January, as well as the breadth and tenor of the 8 May. “We want to give the dialogue on European security discussions. a targeted impulse with this event. In this way we are substantiating the process that the OSCE foreign ministers began 1 January. “The OSCE plays a crucial role in regional security, at their meeting in Helsinki last December… We need an open working for stability, prosperity and democracy throughout and direct debate on the security challenges of the future. The its 56 participating States. It is an irreplaceable forum for OSCE is the right framework for this… We do not require new dialogue in our region and does valuable practical work on the treaties and structures — the point is much more to use and ground. We will try to strengthen the OSCE’s role at the heart of apply the existing mechanisms of the OSCE effectively.” European security.” —Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs Michael Spindelegger at the —Dora Bakoyannis, Greek Foreign Minister, on assuming her new start of an expert meeting on security, sponsored by Austria role as OSCE Chairperson-in-Office 23 June. “Today we are coming up against no less dangerous 19 February. “We parliamentarians must do what we can to threats of a global nature and these challenges require genuine keep the OSCE as an effective forum for dialogue. The Georgia collective responses. However, to create the basis for seeking debate in Toronto was an important contribution. Our debate such responses we will have to tackle the systemic shortcomings tomorrow on security architecture will be equally important. which we have seen in Euro-Atlantic security… The most Some governments have objected to us even discussing this, important systemic shortcoming remains the fact that in the past but I think there is nothing more important that we could do. 20 years, we have not been able to work out guarantees for the And I pledge that I will continue to work to encourage debate principles of indivisible security.” on the most difficult security topics facing us all.” —Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, high-level guest —OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Joao Soares in an address at the OSCE’s 2009 Annual Security Review Conference to the Assembly’s Winter Meeting in Vienna 27 and 28 June. Discussions at the informal Ministerial Meeting 25 February. “Over the last ten years, European security policy were not recorded. Here are contributions made by several has been increasingly dominated by unilateral and frequently foreign ministers, as noted down by those present and published confrontational approaches. This is a far cry from the principle in the OSCE Magazine: of co-operative security to which the OSCE States committed • Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb said that themselves in the 1990 Charter of Paris.” —Wolfang Zellner, Director, Centre for OSCE Research, Hamburg, the launching of a serious discussion on security policy in Germany, in an address to the Forum for Security Co-operation Europe had brought new dynamism to an organization that he felt had been “quasi-dead” just a few years before. 27 April. “Important challenges remain in all three dimensions, including, inter alia, the need to resolve protracted conflicts, • Kazakh Minister for Foreign Affairs Marat Tazhin reviewed the to revitalize arms control and CSBM [confidence- and security- security challenges and issues that were of concern to the building measures] regimes, to deepen co-operation in OSCE community and that would be dealt with by the Kazakh addressing threats arising from outside the OSCE area and new Chairmanship in 2010. forms of threats (such as cybercrime), to address economic and environmental challenges (including energy and water), and to • Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs Miguel Angel Moratinos ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and looked forward to the Chairmanship’s structuring of the to counter intolerance and discrimination.” discussions and to the dialogue also being pursued by —Summary by the Greek Chairmanship of the OSCE Ambassadors’ Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship. Retreat on 24 and 25 April in Stegersbach, Austria

12 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office

20 October Conflict Resolution 27 October Common 3 November Review of the 10 November Common in the OSCE Area – Session on Challenges in the Human Chairmanship’s Food-for- Challenges in the Economic and Peaceful settlement of disputes, Dimension – Session I on Thought Paper on Sailing to Environmental Dimension – Early warning and conflict Human rights and fundamental Athens: the future of the Corfu Session on Security implications prevention including mediation, freedoms, Democratic institutions Process and Follow-up of the of migration, Energy security and Crisis management, Post-conflict and the rule of law and Tolerance discussion at the Ambassadors’ Security-related implications rehabilitation and Protracted and non-discrimination Retreat on 31 October of climate change and other conflicts in the OSCE area Speakers: environmental challenges Speakers: • Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, Head of the Speaker: Goran Svilanovic, Co-ordinator • Ambassador Herbert Salber, Director of OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions of OSCE Economic and Environmental the OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre and Human Rights Activities • Ambassador Knut Vollebaek, OSCE High • Miklos Haraszti, OSCE Representative on Commissioner on National Minorities Freedom of the Media

28 June. “We just completed a fascinating, wide-ranging 29 October. “Irrespective of the diverging views on the root and frank discussion on the future of European security… We causes of tensions, we need to break the deadlock of mistrust. agreed on the need for an open, sustained, wide-ranging and We must do so by invigorating co-operation and solidarity. And inclusive dialogue on security and concurred that the OSCE we must do so, because instability between our neighbouring is a natural forum to anchor this dialogue, because it is the states, and thus security in Europe, is closely interlinked with the only regional organization bringing together all States from security in our neighbouring regions.” Vancouver to Vladivostok on an equal basis.” —George Papandreou, Greek Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, —Dora Bakoyannis, Chairperson-in-Office, at the close of the Corfu in his first address to the Permanent Council after taking over as informal Ministerial Meeting Chairperson-in-Office on 6 October 13 September. “I believe that participating States have no 31 October. “It is safe to conclude that there is emerging choice but to co-operate to reduce the threats posed by consensus on the value of the Corfu process and the need to terrorists and criminal groups. These are transnational threats continue it in the next year and beyond. Delegations pointed that require a multilateral response. No participating State is out that it has already contributed to a positive change in the immune… Tactically, closer co-operation among participating OSCE atmosphere, in an effort to reverse the widespread political States in addressing some of the most salient issues confronting assumption that our Organization is not in the best shape them all — namely organized crime and terrorism — would possible. In this vein, there seems to be consensus in favour of a generate the confidence and trust to move ahead in other Ministerial Declaration on the Corfu process in order to voice out a areas.” strong political message…” —Dr. Walter Kemp, Spokesman and Speechwriter, United Nations —Greek Ambassador Mara Marinaki, concluding remarks at the Office on Drugs and Crime, in an address to a Corfu process meeting second Ambassadors’ Retreat in Krems, Austria, on 31 October 15 September. “The Corfu process, like it was for the Helsinki 5 November. “We find the Corfu process extremely useful process, needs to be gradual, inclusive, comprehensive, in terms of identifying and articulating problematic areas of transparent and open. It must be anchored in the OSCE but common concern and in finding answers to the existing security could also benefit from other complementary formats, provided vacuum with full engagement of all key actors…The key to that the core debate remains in its natural forum: [the] OSCE.” improving a dialogue and to fashion it into genuine security —Delegation of Italy non-paper entitled The Corfu Process: towards a partnership will lie in restoring the viability of the CFE [Treaty more secure and Peaceful Europe on Conventional Armed Force in Europe], and in mustering the political will to find solutions for protracted/frozen conflict on the 22 September. “Those who have observed the OSCE for European continent in accordance with international law.” a long time now know that the disappointment, if not the —Croatian Minister for Foreign Affairs Gordan Jandrokovic in an disenchantment, of some participating States stems from address to the Permanent Council the perception that the security situation changed to their disadvantage and those who do not share the same perception 16 November. “Greece will be as ambitious in Athens as it has do not even want to discuss this matter. This demonstrates been throughout the year. We will seek a substantive decision that co-operative security has declined in the OSCE. Without on the follow-up to the Corfu process. Greece looks forward regaining it, the OSCE will face similar troubles [to those] it to the support and backing of European Union partners in the experienced during the last decade or so.” endeavour.” —Dr. Pal Dunay, resident faculty member at the Geneva Centre for —Greek Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs Dimitris Droutsas, Security Policy and Director of the International Training Course in following an EU-OSCE Troika meeting in Brussels Security Policy, in an address to a Corfu process meeting 16 November. The Delegation of the Russian Federation put 19 October. “We offer the following as a conceptual framework forward a proposal calling for participating States to apply for a new conflict prevention and crisis mechanism that will unified principles of conflict prevention equally to all crisis complement the OSCE’s existing acquis and increase the situations in the OSCE area. organization’s effectiveness in overcoming acute threats 2 December. “…we already felt the mitigating effect of the to security and stability… We look forward to a productive Corfu process during our meetings both yesterday and today. I exchange of views on this topic, which we believe is at the detected an unprecedented degree of goodwill and a spirit of heart of making the OSCE a more effective contributor to consensus-building in our deliberations here in Athens.” European security.” —George Papandreou, Greek Prime Minister and Foreign Minister —Delegation of the United States, food-for-thought paper and OSCE Chairperson, at the Ministerial Council meeting in Athens

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 13 Protracted conflicts that the OSCE’s work to promote stability and Sukhumi. The Geneva Discussions, in the region is crucial,” the Chairperson foreseen in the 12 August six-point agree- Georgia. The eruption of violence in Geor- said. ment and the subsequent implementing gia in 2008 brought home to the OSCE the Following five months of intense nego- measures of 8 September that brought the danger that protracted conflicts in its area tiations to try to ensure a meaningful and 2008 large-scale military confrontation in might yet spiral out of control. The Greek cross-dimensional OSCE field presence, Georgia to an end, address security and Chairmanship-in-Office therefore redou- the Chairmanship-in-Office suspended stability in the region, as well as humani- bled its efforts to resolve them. In line with talks, on 14 May, after participating States tarian questions, including on internally past practice, the Chairperson-in-Office failed to reach consensus on its proposal, displaced persons and refugees. also appointed a Special Representative for based on a “status-neutral” formula, Under the co-chairmanship of Ambas- protracted conflicts, Ambassador Charal- although it was supported by the vast sador Christopoulos, five rounds of Gene- ampos Christopoulos. majority of the participating States. The va Discussions were held: on 18 February, After the Permanent Council was un- mandate for the 20 unarmed military 18 and 19 May, 1 July, 17 September and 11 able to reach consensus to extend the man- monitoring officers in Georgia expired November. Prior to each round, Ambas- date of the OSCE Mission to Georgia be- on 30 June and, with it, the Mission to sador Christopoulos travelled to Tbilisi, yond its 31 December 2008 expiration, the Georgia was completely shut down. On 6 Tskhinvali and Sukhumi together with the Chairperson took over the reins of negoti- August, the Chairperson said: “We remain EU and UN co-chairmen with a view to ations to try to find a mutually acceptable focused on finding a solution that would holding preparatory consultations. solution for a continued OSCE presence on enable the OSCE to have a strong presence “Ultimately, stability and security in the ground. The Mission to Georgia itself, in Georgia, and we hope that despite the this troubled region depend on the abil- established in 1992 and one of the OSCE’s difficulties so far, we will be able to find a ity of the participants to keep in mind the largest field operations, entered the phase consensus on a format for such work. The bigger picture as well as the important of discontinuing its activities. Chairmanship’s status-neutral proposal details of any agreement. In this respect, On 12 February, the OSCE Permanent for the mandate remains on the table.” the Geneva Discussions are the best — in- Council extended the mandate of 20 Throughout the year, the Chairmanship deed the only — way ahead as we seek to unarmed military monitoring officers in engaged, along with the United Nations ensure stability in the region,” Ambassa- the areas adjacent to South Ossetia until (UN) and the European Union (EU), in dor Christopoulos said. the end of June, a move that the Chair- co-organizing the Geneva Discussions and Within the framework of the Geneva person called a “recognition of the need co-facilitating the meetings of the Incident Discussions, Ambassador Christopoulos for an OSCE presence on the ground”. Prevention and Response Mechanisms. emphasized in particular the need to solve The Chairperson travelled to Tbilisi on Ambassador Christopoulos co-chaired, practical humanitarian issues for the 23 March, meeting Prime Minister Nika together with his UN and EU colleagues, population living in the conflict-affected Gilauri, Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze the Geneva Discussions, which involve areas. Within days of taking up his office, and State Minister for Reintegration participants from Georgia, Russia and the he addressed the disruption of gas supplies Temuri Yakobashvili. “There is no doubt United States, as well as from Tskhinvali to Tskhinvali. To this end, he deployed an

The Chairperson-in-Office (l) meets with the head of the OSCE Mission to Georgia (r) and the Mission’s staff in Tbilisi on 23 March. (OSCE/David Khizanishvili)

14 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office

of this second joint mechanism which were suspended on 22 October.

Moldova. Ambassador Christopoulos travelled to Moldova for a four-day visit in February and held talks with the leader- ships in both Chisinau and Tiraspol, intent on finding an approach that would restart the Transdniestrian settlement process in the “5+2” format, in which the mediators — the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the OSCE — and the observers — the EU and the US — are joined by the parties to the conflict, Moldova and Transdniestria. Formal negotiations in this format have been stalled since February 2006. “Together with the OSCE Mission here on the ground, the Greek Chairmanship will work with both sides towards reaching a genuine settlement. This settlement should be negotiated freely and peacefully; it should confirm Moldova’s sovereignty The United Nations Special Representative to Georgia (l), the European Union Representative for and territorial integrity and also earn the Crisis in Georgia (c) and Charalampos Christopoulos (r), Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, address the media after the fifth round of the Geneva Discussions. the support of the Transdniestrians by (AFP/Fabrice Coffrini) guaranteeing them real autonomy that is properly respected, with real rights,” Am- bassador Christopoulos said. independent expert who co-operated with at strengthening the role of the OSCE Throughout the year, the mediators the relevant energy structures on both within the joint Incident Prevention and and observers stressed the importance sides of the South Ossetian administrative Response Mechanism. The fourth round of of direct contacts between the sides at all boundary line. The flow of gas resumed on the Geneva Discussions, held on 18 Febru- levels, including the Joint Expert Working 25 January. ary, resulted in the establishment of joint Groups on Confidence- and Security- Ambassador Christopoulos re-deployed mechanisms to tackle security-related in- Building Measures (CSBMs), and they the same expert to undertake technical cidents on the ground. The first joint Inci- called for the reactivation of the work of assessments of the drinking-water and dent Prevention and Response Mechanism these groups. In support of this endeav- irrigation-water distribution networks, (which held its meetings in Gali) held its our, the Chairmanship, together with the as well as of the gas-distribution network first meeting on 14 July and since then has OSCE Mission to Moldova, held a seminar to and within the Akhalgori district. The been meeting every second Tuesday under on CSBMs in the military sphere that took expert’s findings were presented to the the chairmanship of the UN. The second place in Mauerbach, Austria, on 21 and participants of the Geneva Discussions, joint Incident Prevention and Response 22 June, with the participation of experts where Ambassador Christopoulos made Mechanism (which held its meetings in and political representatives to the 5+2 several proposals for joint actions to solve Ergneti and Dvani) met for the first time these urgent humanitarian issues. During on 23 April and has met six times to date. the consultations, Ambassador Chris- The meetings are co-organized and co- Transdniestria topoulos invited the participants to also facilitated by the EU Monitoring Mission take advantage of the confidence-building and the OSCE. Within the framework of MOLDO UKRAINE component of the proposed joint actions. this joint mechanism, important steps Another humanitarian issue that Am- have been taken such as: establishing bassador Christopoulos paid special atten- hotlines; sharing information on incidents tion to was the sensitive question of miss- and planned military exercises; defining VA ing persons and detainees. To this end, a common policy in dealing with cases of Ambassador Christopoulos promoted, the accidental crossing of the administra- within the framework of the Geneva Dis- tive boundary line; promoting the free cussions, the establishment of an informal and safe access of farmers to their fields CHISINAU group of contact persons on missing peo- close to the administrative boundary line; ple. This group met twice on site. studying proposals for granting the popu- Tiraspol ROMANIA Bender Throughout the second half of the lations free and safe access to cemeteries (Tighina) year, Ambassador Christopoulos held and religious places, among others. At extensive consultations with Tbilisi and year-end, the Chairmanship was actively OSCE Mission OSCE Mission Offices Tskhinvali on various proposals aimed promoting the resumption of the activities

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 15

format. The seminar discussed a package of CSBMs elaborated by the OSCE in consultation with Russian and Ukrainian experts and originally presented to the sides in 2005. The participants called for OSCE assistance in developing co-operation between their law-enforcement structures. On the margins of the CSBM seminar, Ambassador Christopoulos chaired an informal 5+2 meeting to discuss the next steps in the negotiation process on a comprehensive settlement of the Transdnies- trian conflict. The participants discussed the need for direct contacts between the sides to resolve a series of outstanding issues, and the need to resume formal negotiations in the 5+2 format. On 6 November, at the initiative of Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, Special Envoy of the Chair person-in-Office, the mediators and observers held further consultations with the General Sir John McColl (r), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Deputy Supreme Allied political representatives of both sides dur- Commander Europe, takes part in discussions on security and defence matters at the Forum for ing an informal 5+2 meeting in Vienna. Security Co-operation in Vienna on 16 September. (OSCE/Sarah Crozier) “The Greek Chairmanship strongly sup- ports the efforts of the mediators and ob- 5+2 process. They held their first such for- with the participation of international law- servers of the 5+2 format and calls on the mal session on 27 November at the OSCE enforcement experts, including the OSCE sides to negotiate, without preconditions, Mission’s offices in Bender. Strategic Police Matters Unit. The seminar in good faith and result-oriented spirit, to On 8 and 9 November, Ambassador ended with an agreement to implement conclude a comprehensive, lasting, mutu- Christopoulos attended the opening and or update previous documents on law- ally acceptable political agreement resolv- closing sessions of an expert-level semi- enforcement co-operation after each side ing the conflict,” Minister Droutsas said. nar on co-operation between the law- carried out internal reviews. At this meeting, Deputy Prime Minister enforcement bodies of the sides in Vadu- On 9 November, the mediators and Victor Osipov — Moldova’s new chief ne- lui-Voda and Tiraspol organized by the observers met with the new leadership in gotiator in the settlement process — and OSCE Mission to Moldova in response Chisinau and representatives of the five his Transdniestrian counterpart, Vladimir to the request of both sides at the CSBM parliamentary factions. On the same day, Yastrebchak, agreed to establish a regular, seminar in Austria in June. The event was on the margins of the seminar on law- confidential channel to resolve outstand- attended by representatives of the Moldo- enforcement co-operation, the 5+2 held an ing problems within the framework of the van police and Transdniestrian militia, informal meeting in Tiraspol — the first

Handing over the reins The four parties to Article IV, Annex 1B of the Dayton Peace Ac- tonomy. He presented a two-phased plan. The first phase foresees cords, under which the Sub-Regional Arms Control Agreement was the transfer of some technical functions that are currently provided elaborated, opted to continue downsizing their military manpower by the Office of the Personal Representative to the parties by the in 2009, although it had already dropped well beneath limits set end of 2011. The aim of the second phase is to arrange the neces- at the Agreement’s signing. The four parties — Bosnia and Herze- sary measures to be prepared to grant the parties full autonomy at govina, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia — also voluntarily reduced a time to be determined. by 218 their heavy weapons in 2009, although the official reduction The two-phased plan is supported by the OSCE community, period had ended in October 1997. in particular the Contact Group countries Germany, France, Italy, The 18 inspections carried out in 2009 were conducted in an envi- Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, with the recom- ronment of trust and transparency, without any problems. mendation to proceed gradually and in close co-operation with the Since 1996, when the Agreement was signed, the four parties parties. have destroyed an impressive 9,271 heavy weapons. Twenty-nine In the course of the 43rd meeting of the Sub-Regional Consulta- OSCE participating States provided 1,100 international assistants tive Commission, which took place in Novi Sad, Serbia, on 3 and 4 who conducted 624 regular inspections and 129 reduction inspec- November, the parties agreed that the two-phased plan proposed tions/visits. by the Personal Representative represented a good basis to pro- Given these successes, the OSCE’s Personal Representative of the ceed with the process and approved an Action Plan to take over Chairman-in-Office encouraged the parties to strengthen their own the new responsibilities. They also confirmed their commitments to voice in the Agreement’s execution with a view to achieving full au- gradually assume these obligations.

16 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office

High-Level Planning Group The Group, in accordance with its mandate, supported the Chairmanship- in-Office by preparing for the establishment and deployment of a multinational OSCE peacekeeping operation in the area of conflict dealt with by the Minsk Conference. The Group provided advice to the Chairmanship on several military aspects of a possible OSCE-led peacekeeping mission to the area and continued to review the four existing peacekeeping options and related supporting documents. The Group also provided assessments to the Chairmanship and the Secretariat on the key challenges involved in the planning, establishment and deploy- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in discussion at a meeting in Vienna on ment of an OSCE-led peacekeeping 23 October (OSCE/Susanna Loof) mission to the area of conflict. Since March, the Group, at the direc- 5+2 meeting in Tiraspol since early 2006. reached. Following the Athens Ministe- tion of the Chairmanship, has provided The Transdniestrian side presented a list of rial Council, Ambassador Christopoulos military advice to the Co-Chairs of the its priorities for discussion in the bilateral paid a final visit to Chisinau and Tiraspol Minsk Group and to the Personal Rep- channel. On 17 November, the Moldovan from 21 to 23 December. The aim of the resentative of the Chairperson-in-Office side communicated its list to the Trans visit was to prepare the handover from the on specific military aspects related to dniestrian side. Greek to the Kazakh Chairmanship. the area of conflict. At the Athens Ministerial Council, Ambassador Christopoulos chaired dis- The conflict dealt with by the OSCE cussions among the mediators, observers Minsk Conference. In Athens on 1 De- of the Russian Federation and of France and Moldova on a regional statement on cember, the Heads of Delegation of the and the Deputy Secretary of State of the Moldova. However, consensus was not OSCE Minsk group, the foreign ministers United States, issued a joint statement following a meeting with the foreign minis- Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office ters of Azerbaijan and Armenia. They pointed to a positive dynamic in on the Conflict Dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference the talks to resolve the conflict, demon- Negotiations towards the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict intensified in 2009. strated through six meetings during the The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia met six times during the year, reflecting the year between the presidents of Armenia intensity of the negotiation process. Their respective foreign ministers also continued their and Azerbaijan. The increasing frequency meetings and negotiations towards reaching an agreement on the Basic Principles. The of these meetings, they agreed, significant- Personal Representative, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, participated in the meetings. He ly contributed to an enhanced dialogue be- kept the Chairmanship and the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group informed of developments on tween the parties and forward movement the ground. towards finalizing the Basic Principles for The Personal Representative and his Office continued the mandated task of monitoring the Peaceful Settlement of the Nagorno- the front lines to assess the military situation and to assist in reducing tension. The Personal Karabakh conflict, proposed in Madrid in Representative intervened at the highest military and political levels on a number of occa- November 2007. sions to reduce tension. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Contact was maintained with international organizations and NGOs with relation to the Azerbaijan reported on progress made in major problems of internally displaced persons and refugees, prisoners of war, missing persons and detainees, as well as mine clearance. In 2009, the Personal Representative was 2009 in achieving common understand- active alongside the International Committee of the Red Cross on the issue of detained ings on points of the Basic Principles and persons. reaffirmed their commitment to work -in The Office assisted in the visit of the Chairperson-in-Office to the region and also the visits tensively to resolve the remaining issues. by the Co-Chairs and other OSCE delegations. In Athens, the OSCE ministers wel- The overall security situation remained stable, although localized incidents continued to comed the above joint statement in their be reported occasionally on the Line of Contact throughout the year. The Office registered own Ministerial Statement in which they two incidents that occurred during regular monitoring activities in February and December. urged the parties to sustain this positive The Office facilitated the crossing of the Line of Contact by intellectuals and journalists dynamic. The ministers said they were from both communities by conducting monitoring that provided the necessary security convinced “there is today a real oppor- guarantees from the parties. tunity to build a future of peace, stability and prosperity for the entire region.”

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 17 Chairman-in-Office George Papandreou addresses the closing session of the Ministerial Council in Athens on 2 December. (OSCE/ George Kontarinis)

Chairmanship work across the They also named Ireland to hold the terrorism, policing and combating orga- dimensions 2012 OSCE Chairmanship, following Ka- nized crime. The participating States’ sig- zakhstan in 2010 and Lithuania in 2011, naled their heightened interest in this field The Athens Ministerial Council meeting and made Australia the Organization’s with the adoption of three related Athens brought to fruition the Chairmanship’s 12th Partner for Co-operation. Ministerial Council Decisions. security work across the OSCE’s tradition- The inauguration of the Border Man- al three dimensions — politico-military, Politico-military dimension agement Staff College in Dushanbe on 27 economic and environmental and human May was a highlight of the Chairmanship. — throughout the year. The ministers Using the OSCE’s potential as a forum The College trains border officers from agreed 16 Decisions in the Chairmanship’s for dialogue to foster co-operation, the all participating States and Partners for priority areas that pointed the way for- Chairmanship pursued the Organization’s Co-operation, including Afghanistan, and ward, as well as five Ministerial Declara- work on non-military aspects of security, promotes cross-border co-operation in tions or Statements. focusing on border management, counter- Central Asia.

Athens Ministerial Council Decisions, Declarations and Statements Decision No. 1: Furthering the Corfu Process Decision No. 13: Granting of the Status of Partner for Co- Decision No. 2: Further OSCE Efforts to Address Transnational operation to Australia Threats and Challenges to Security and Stability Decision No. 14: Time and Place of the Next Meeting of the Decision No. 3: Further Measures to Support and Promote the OSCE Ministerial Council International Legal Framework against Terrorism Decision No. 15: Small Arms and Light Weapons and Stockpiles Decision No. 4: The Future Orientation of the Economic and of Conventional Ammunition Environmental Dimension Decision No. 16: Issues relevant to the Forum for Security Co- Decision No. 5: Migration Management operation Decision No. 6: Strengthening Dialogue and Co-operation on Ministerial Declaration on the OSCE Corfu Process: Energy Security in the OSCE Area Reconfirm-Review-Reinvigorate Security and Co- Decision No. 7: Women’s Participation in Political and Public operation from Vancouver to Vladivostok Life Ministerial Declaration on Non-Proliferation Decision No. 8: Enhancing OSCE Efforts to Ensure Roma and Ministerial Declaration on the Occasion of the 25th Sinti Sustainable Integration Anniversary of the adoption of the Convention against Decision No. 9: Combating Hate Crimes Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Decision No. 10: OSCE High-Level Conference on Tolerance and Treatment or Punishment Non-Discrimination Ministerial Declaration on the Sixty-Fifth Anniversary of Decision No. 11: Travel Document Security – ICAO Public Key the End of the World War II Directory Ministerial Statement Decision No. 12: OSCE Chairmanship in the year 2012

18 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Report of the Chairmanship-in-Office

The Permanent Council these complex issues, and in this respect Chairperson (l) with the Tajik Foreign Minister convened a Chairmanship Conference at the inauguration on Strengthening Energy Security in the of the OSCE Border OSCE Area in Bratislava on 6 and 7 July. Management Staff College in Dushanbe on These efforts culminated in the 27 May (OSCE/Firuza adoption of a Ministerial Decision Gulomaseinova) on Strengthening Dialogue and Co- operation on Energy Security in the OSCE Area. The signature event of the economic and environmental dimension’s annual calendar, the 17th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, held in Vienna on 19 and 20 January and in Athens from 17 to 20 May, dealt with Migration management and its linkages with economic, social and environmental policies to the benefit of stability and security in the To combat terrorism, the Chairman- will to engage further in these fields was OSCE region. Uncontrolled migration ship organized a workshop to examine also reflected in their inclusion in the raises daunting questions that stretch ways to prevent the abuse of NGOs to priority areas for European security, dis- across the three OSCE dimensions and finance terrorism and an expert workshop cussed in the context of the Corfu process. involve all participating States, their on public-private partnerships aimed at border-management systems and their discussing how best to engage with the Economic and environmental judiciaries. The Chairmanship therefore media in countering terrorism. It also set dimension was particularly pleased that ministers up national expert-level workshops, such in Athens agreed a Decision on Migra- as one in Zagreb against terrorist use of With the consequences of the global fi- tion Management. the Internet. nancial crisis rippling through the OSCE Following a year-long debate, minis- In policing, the Annual Police Experts region, the economic and environmental ters in Athens also agreed that recom- Meeting concentrated on hate crimes and dimension assumed particular importance mendations on the future orientation of effective law-enforcement co-operation. in 2009. this dimension would be identified and An expert workshop examined how to The Chairmanship called on all mem- adopted by the end of 2010, based on a combat cyber-threats, including cyber- bers of the OSCE family to monitor the report by the Greek Chairmanship. terrorism, cyber-crime and threats to fallout from the crisis carefully through- cyber-defence. out the year in order to address, early on, Human dimension The three Decisions are aimed at pro- any new forms of instability arising as a moting the international legal framework result. The Chairmanship watched with The Greek Chairmanship worked across against terrorism — an area in which concern the intermingling of the econom- the entire spectrum of the human political impetus from the OSCE has ic crisis with problems of energy security. dimension, on human rights and fun- proven markedly effective — enhanc- It reminded the participating States of the damental freedoms, the rule of law and ing police-related work and promoting commitments agreed in the OSCE Strategy democratic institutions, as well as on travel-document security. In addition, the Document for the Economic and Environ- tolerance and non-discrimination, the Decision on transnational threats high- mental Dimension, adopted in Maastricht latter a particular focus of its efforts. lighted the participating States’ keenness in 2003, which provides a starting point The Chairmanship devoted one to enhance programmatic co-ordination to undertake working-level dialogue on Supplementary Human Dimension in the field of transnational threats and implementation of the 2003 OSCE Strategy to Address Threats to Security and Stability in the Twenty-First Century, including the OSCE contribution to addressing cyber- threats, threats to energy security, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and organized crime, including illicit arms transfers, drugs trafficking and trafficking in human beings. The political

The Chairperson-in-Office (c), the Secretary General (r) and the Permanent Council Chairperson (l) at the Economic and Environmental Forum in Athens on 18 May (OSCE/Antonios Doykas)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 19 Roma school children from Kosovo on an OSCE-supported study visit to a castle on 7 April (OSCE/Hasan Sopa)

Meeting to freedom of religion or belief sustainable integration for Roma and Sinti. The Chairmanship also organized an and took aim at hate crime, in response to In the field of gender equality, the expert seminar on electoral-management the recent increase in violent manifesta- Chairmanship took up the issue of com- bodies. It brokered a Permanent Council tions of intolerance across the OSCE area, bating violence against women as the topic Decision for ODIHR to send an OSCE through another such Meeting that looked of the November Supplementary Human election-support team to Afghanistan to at the effective implementation of legisla- Dimension Meeting. Ministers also ad- provide support in the August presidential tion targeting hate crimes and hate crime opted a Decision in Athens on promot- elections. A report and recommendations reporting. It also co-sponsored, together ing women’s participation in public and were provided to the Permanent Council with the Office for Democratic Institu- political life, in line with a Chairmanship in December. tions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the proposal. second Annual Meeting on the National The Chairmanship also devoted time to Work with Partners for Points of Contact on hate crimes. Follow- issues on freedom of the media, the topic Co-operation ing a Chairmanship proposal, ministers in of a special day during the Human Dimen- Athens adopted a Decision on Combating sion Implementation Meeting, and the The June OSCE-Japan Conference, which Hate Crimes. rule of law, the subject of the annual Hu- brought together the OSCE and its five Greece also appointed three Personal man Dimension Seminar. In Athens, the Asian Partners, analysed the link between Representatives of the Chairperson-in- Chairmanship proposed a draft Decision security in the OSCE region and Asia Office: Rabbi Andrew Baker, on Combat- on fostering media freedom and enhanc- from the point of view of the three dimen- ing Anti-Semitism; Ambassador Adil ing pluralism, aimed at strengthening and sions of security, focusing on enhancing Akhmetov, on Combating Intolerance updating existing OSCE commitments. confidence-building through military and Discrimination Against Muslims; It came close to adoption, but in the end transparency; dialogue on energy security; and Mario Mauro, on Combating Racism, two delegations voiced reservations. The and civil society development, including Xenophobia and Discrimination, also fo- Seminar, which followed up on a 2008 the media. Participants mooted the pos- cusing on Intolerance and Discrimination Ministerial Council Decision, focused on sibility of a joint Japan-OSCE workshop against Christians and Members of Other effective administration of justice, hom- on freedom of the media, as well as a study Religions. A Decision to hold a high- ing in on issues such as the independence tour in the northern region of Thailand to level OSCE conference on tolerance and of the judiciary and the investigation of share experiences on alternative develop- non-discrimination in 2010, taken by the complaints of torture or ill-treatment. In ment projects to counter illegal crop culti- Athens Ministerial Council, lent further this context, ministers in Athens agreed a vation and drugs trafficking. impetus to this area. Declaration on the occasion of the adop- At the December OSCE Mediterranean The Chairmanship made early education of the United Nations convention Conference in Cairo, Egypt, the OSCE and tion for Roma and Sinti children the topic against torture. its six Mediterranean Partners further of a special day at the Human Dimension The Chairmanship also paid particular studied the ties between European and Implementation Meeting as a follow-up to attention to election-related issues, includ- Mediterranean security. Experience and a 2008 Ministerial Council Decision. In ing election observation. Through its in- ideas were exchanged on two key issues: an effort to respond to the recent rise in terventions, the Chairmanship succeeded politico-military aspects of security and violence against this large minority in the in substantially improving the effective the implications of the current financial OSCE area, ministers in Athens adopted co-operation of the OSCE Parliamentary crisis on migration. Future prospects for a Decision, based on a Chairmanship pro- Assembly and ODIHR, the two arms of OSCE-Mediterranean co-operation were posal, to enhance OSCE efforts to achieve the OSCE’s election observation activities. also discussed.

20 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Permanent Council

The Chairman-in-Office delivers a video address to the Permanent Council in Vienna on 29 October (OSCE/Susanna Loof)

he Permanent Representative of recommendations, as well as the prepara- TGreece, Ambassador Mara Mari- tion of decisions and the development of naki, presided in 2009 over the Perma- possible new initiatives, taking into ac- nent Council, the OSCE’s principal body count the Chairmanship’s priorities and for political consultation and decision- objectives. making. The Chairmanship guided the com- At the start of the year, the Chair- mittees’ work, discussing the agendas in manship declared its intention to make advance with the Chairpersons. To illus- optimal use of the three-committee trate the importance the Chairmanship structure, rather than setting up informal accorded the committees, a representa- working groups, to promote transpar- tive of the Chairmanship attended and ency and greater political oversight by participated in all committee meetings participating States. The committees, it throughout the year. said, contribute to better preparation of At the outset, the Chairmanship Permanent Council debates, conclusions planned for each committee to meet at and decisions. least once monthly, but later in the year, The work of the three committees — as the preparations for the Ministerial in the politico-military, economic and Council meeting accelerated, they met environment and human dimensions more frequently. — centre on initial follow-up to Minis- In addition, the Chairmanship contin- terial Council Decisions, implementa- ued to organize joint Permanent Council tion of the OSCE’s commitments and meetings with the Forum for Security

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 21 Co-operation on matters of common Guest speakers at the 17 June: Co-Chairs of the Geneva concern, in particular on topics such as Permanent Council in 2009 Discussions: Charalampos crisis management and conflict resolution, Christopoulos, Special Representative where the distinction between political 15 January: (Special PC) Minister of the Chairperson-in-Office; Pierre and military issues was blurred. for Foreign Affairs of Greece Dora Morel, EU Special Representative The Greek Chairmanship entrusted the Bakoyannis for the crisis in Georgia; and Johan chair of the security committee for the Verbeke, UN Secretary-General’s year to the Permanent Representative of 22 January: Special Representative of Special Representative and Head of Hungary, Ambassador Gyorgy Molnar. the Chairperson-in-Office Charalampos the UN Observer Mission in Georgia. The Permanent Representative of Roma- Christopoulos Separately, the Head of the European nia, Ambassador Cornel Feruta, chaired Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia, the economic and environmental commit- 29 January: Minister for Foreign Hansjoerg Haber tee, and the Permanent Representative of Affairs of the Czech Republic Karel Lithuania, Ambassador Renatas Norkus, Schwarzenberg 30 July: High Representative and EU led the human dimension committee. Special Representative in Bosnia and 11 February: (Joint meeting with the Herzegovina, Valentin Inzko Forum for Security Co-operation) Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission 24 September: Interior Minister of in Georgia Hansjoerg Haber Kyrgyzstan Moldomusa Kongatiev

18 February: (Joint meeting with the 22 October: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Forum for Security Co-operation) Deputy Lithuania Vygaudas Usackas Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Alexander Grushko 29 October: Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece George 30 April: Minister for Foreign Affairs Papandreou (video address) of Romania Cristian Diaconescu. Separately, Special Representative of 5 November: Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Chairperson-in-Office Charalampos Croatia Gordan Jandrokovic Christopoulos 6 November: (Special PC) Alternate 14 May: First Deputy Head of the State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece Committee for National Security of and Special Envoy of the Chairperson-in- Tajikistan Kasym Gafarov Office Dmitris Droutsas

28 May: EU Special Representative for the 12 November: Minsk Group Co-Chairs: South Caucasus Peter Semneby Russian Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov; French Ambassador Bernard Fassier; 4 June: Minister for Foreign Affairs of US Ambassador Robert Bradtke and Slovenia Samuel Zbogar. Separately, Personal Representative of the OSCE State Secretary – Deputy Minister for Chairperson-in-Office Andrej Kasprzyk Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Grigory Karasin

22 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC)

Destruction of shoulder-fired missiles conducted at the Kalo Chorio range in Cyprus on 12 June. (OSCE/Anton Martynyuk)

The Forum for Security Co- hroughout the year, the Forum en- were held during 2009 to address relevant operation, chaired successively by Tgaged in an intensive and vigorous cross-dimensional issues. France, Georgia and the United dialogue on arms control and CSBMs, Discussions continued on several pro- underscoring its importance as a plat- posals to improve implementation of the Kingdom, continued to focus on core form to address and discuss such issues. Vienna Document 1999. This resulted in a politico-military issues. In an active Presentations and discussions on several new Decision on a Best Practice Guide for year with a busy agenda, the Forum topical issues for European security dia- Implementation of the Vienna Document adopted 12 Decisions. Some of these logue enhanced debate. In the framework 1999 Chapter IV, Contacts. updated supplementary measures of this dialogue, discussions were held on The 19th Annual Implementation As- to support existing commitments United Nations Security Council Resolution sessment Meeting (AIAM) provided an 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and opportunity for experts from participating in fields such as arms control and how women’s involvement in security is- States to exchange experiences, make sug- confidence- and security‑building sues can have a benefit in terms of conflict gestions and assess the implementation measures (CSBMs), small arms and settlement. of OSCE commitments in this area. The light weapons (SALW), stockpiles All three Forum Chairmanships con- meeting of heads of verification centres of conventional ammunition tinued working on strengthening co- was held in December, separating it for the (SCA), and the Code of Conduct on operation between the Forum and the first time from the AIAM in order to allow Permanent Council as part of the OSCE’s time for the development of ideas between Politico-Military Aspects of Security concept of comprehensive and indivisible the two events. (CoC). Others introduced new areas security. Five joint Forum for Security Co- Intensive discussions on the implemen- of work for the Forum. operation-Permanent Council meetings tation of the OSCE CoC resulted in the

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 23 Lieutenant General Jim Dutton, Deputy Commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, addresses a joint Forum for Security Co-operation – Permanent Council meeting in Vienna on 14 October. (OSCE/Jonny Perfect)

adoption of a Decision on an important new requests for assistance were received, technical update of the Questionnaire on and significant progress was made in ad- the CoC. dressing earlier requests. In Tajikistan, In March, the Forum held a Workshop the comprehensive programme on SALW on a Comprehensive OSCE Approach and Conventional Ammunition was com- to Enhancing Cyber Security, with the pleted. In Cyprus, the Forum assisted participation of relevant international with the destruction of 324 man-portable organizations, which provided for a use- air defence systems, completing this pro- ful exchange of views on this emerging gramme in June. In Albania in July, the challenge. OSCE destroyed stocks of the rocket fuel The Forum’s contribution to the Annual melange. In Ukraine in November, the Security Review Conference (ASRC), held OSCE launched its largest-ever donor- in June, consisted of politico-military ele- financed project to dispose of over 3,000 ments that served as suggestions for topics tons of melange. The OSCE continued the of discussion. Debate at the Conference on implementation of two joint assistance the current politico-military situation and programmes with the United Nations the value of the OSCE’s security dialogue, Development Programme, in Montenegro arms-control arrangements and CSBMs and in Belarus. Unfortunately, there was a in the OSCE area revealed the continuing significant reduction in financial support relevance of the Treaty on Conventional from donors for projects in 2009. Armed Forces in Europe. Work continued on supporting the The OSCE Documents on SALW and implementation of UN Security Council on SCA continued to receive considerable Resolution 1540 (2004) on the non- attention, and the need for their continued proliferation of weapons of mass destruc- and enhanced implementation was noted. tion. Participating States are discussing A meeting was held in September to re- the preparation of a suite of best-practice view the OSCE Document on SALW and its guides for its implementation. One such supplementary decisions. This rigorous and guide on Resolution 1540 export controls extensive examination by participating and transhipment was adopted by the Fo- States, together with relevant international rum. At a meeting of the Forum in March, organizations and non-governmental or- a number of high-level experts on counter- ganizations, provided the basis for a range proliferation discussed the way forward on of potential actions that the Forum could this Resolution and the OSCE’s relevance take in 2010 and beyond. in the progress already made. The Forum The implementation of projects in Chairmanship held a special security dia- response to requests for assistance on logue in October that concentrated on the SALW and SCA remained one of the most Resolution and included presentations by dynamic areas of practical activity. Two invited experts.

24 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA)

The Parliamentary Assembly’s Annual Session was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, from 29 June to 3 July. (OSCE/Klas Bergman)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 25 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, established by the Paris Summit in 1990, includes 320 members of parliament. Its primary role is the promotion of dialogue among elected parliamentarians in the OSCE region on issues related to all three OSCE dimensions of security. Through its annual Declaration adopted at its Annual Session, it provides recommendations to OSCE institutions, as well as to the governments and parliaments of the participating States. In 2009, the Parliamentary Assembly’s Annual Session took place in Vilnius, hosted by the Lithuanian Parliament. The Winter Meeting was held, as usual, in Vienna in February, and the Assembly had its Fall Meetings in Athens in October. In addition, Dublin was the host in May of the Assembly’s Economic Conference, which is held every two years.

Presidency The main theme of the meeting was the Fall Meetings, Athens, 9 to 12 October. OSCE’s role in addressing new security The Fall Meetings focused on the topic of President Joao Soares focused on two pri- challenges. energy security and the environment and ority areas throughout 2009: improving The Assembly adopted the Vilnius Dec- also included a meeting of the Mediter- transparency and flexibility within the laration, which outlines a set of policy ranean Forum and a session of the As- Organization and supporting the OSCE’s recommendations for the OSCE and its sembly’s Standing Committee. Nearly 200 work in the field. participating States on a wide range of is- parliamentarians from 50 countries met Re-elected during the Assembly’s sues, including the need to improve trans- in Athens, where they discussed a range Annual Session, President Soares also parency within the Organization in order of issues, including regional co-operation sponsored a resolution that laid out pro- to enhance its legitimacy and relevance. in the area of energy security, climate and posals to improve the functioning of the In addition, the Standing Committee environmental policy leading up to the Organization. His recommendations, approved the budget for 2010, and the As- United Nations Climate Change Conference which were adopted by the Assembly, in- sembly re-elected President Soares for a in Copenhagen in December and how best cluded modifying the OSCE’s consensus second one-year term and elected three to use natural resources to ensure human decision-making procedure and opening new Vice-Presidents and a new Treasurer. security. up Permanent Council meetings to the The Assembly’s three General Committees Speakers included the President of the media. also elected new officers for the coming Hellenic Parliament; the Deputy Foreign President Soares participated in the year. Minister of Greece; the Co-ordinator informal Ministerial Meeting in Corfu in of OSCE Economic and Environmental June, and addressed the OSCE Perma- nent Council in November and the Min- isterial Council in Athens in December. President Soares has regularly called on the Organization to provide more support to field operations by improving staffing procedures, ensuring more effective mandates and providing more budgetary support. As a sign of his continued efforts in this area, he visited 10 OSCE field operations during the year.

Parliamentary Dialogue

18th Annual Session, Vilnius, 29 June to 3 July. More than 200 parliamentarians from 50 countries gathered for the 18th Annual Session from 29 June to 3 July in Vilnius, Lithuania, the first Baltic country to host this Assembly meeting. Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyan- The leader of the Assembly’s election-observation delegation to the 23 July Kyrgyz presidential election nis, addressed the Session. visits a polling station in Bishkek. (OSCE/Andreas Baker)

26 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

1 The Assembly’s Special Co-ordinator for Moldova’s parliamentary elections delivers the preliminary post- election statement at a news conference on 5 April. (OSCE/Petra Jezkova) 2 The Assembly’s Special Envoy on Georgia and Special Representative on Nagorno-Karabakh talks to reporters in Tbilisi during a visit to the Caucasus in February. (OSCE/Tina Schoen) 3 Before the special debate on European security architecture at the Winter Meeting in Vienna in February, the Assembly President (c) talks with the two main speakers: the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister (l) and the Deputy Director for Political and Security 1 2 Affairs at the French Foreign Ministry (r). (OSCE/Klas Bergman) 4 The Assembly President (r) with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (l) during his official visit to Moscow in September (OSCE/Semyon Dzakhaev)

3 4

Activities; and experts from Greece, Rus- de Brichambaut and the heads of several • Slovenian parliamentarian Roberto Bat- sia and Ukraine. OSCE institutions. telli for the parliamentary elections in The meeting provided a forum to fol- Montenegro, 29 March; Economic Conference, Dublin, 27 to 29 low up on proposals by Russian President • Greek parliamentarian Petros Efthy- May. Nearly 100 parliamentarians from Dmitry Medvedev and French President miou for the parliamentary elections in 38 participating States gathered for the Nicolas Sarkozy for new European secu- Moldova, 5 April and 29 July; Assembly’s sixth Economic Conference in rity arrangements. An open debate on • Austrian parliamentarian Wolfgang Dublin, where the topic of discussion was security within the OSCE area was held, Grossruck for the parliamentary elec- the world financial crisis. Participants involving prominent guest speakers from tions in Albania, 28 June; and debated a number of issues, including Russia and France and almost 50 of the • Canadian Senator Consiglio Di Nino for responses to the crisis such as free trade 250 parliamentarians participating in the the presidential election in Kyrgyzstan, versus protectionism, as well as financial meeting. 23 July. regulation and good governance and the social consequences of the crisis, which Election Observation Regional Focus, Field Work focused on migration. The meeting was addressed by Ireland’s In 2009, the Assembly participated in six Assembly committees and representatives Finance Minister, Brian Lenihan, and by OSCE election observation missions in work with field operations to promote President Soares, who said that the topic co-operation with the Office for Demo- parliamentary dialogue on a wide range of of the meeting was evidence of the As- cratic Institutions and Human Rights political issues. sembly’s willingness to engage with new and with other parliamentary assemblies. To follow up on the discussions that challenges. The Assembly remained the largest of any the Special Representative on Mediter- parliamentary organization in election ranean Affairs, US Representative Alcee Winter Meeting, Vienna, 19 and 20 observation, having conducted 100 such L. Hastings, held during a visit to five of February. The Assembly’s second-largest missions involving over 3,000 parliamen- the six OSCE Mediterranean Partners for event of the year, the Winter Meeting, tarians since 1993. Co-operation at the end of 2008, Con- provided a good opportunity for members The Chairperson-in-Office appointed gressman Hastings convened a seminar in to interact directly with senior OSCE of- the following senior Assembly representa- Washington in July under the auspices of ficials and leaders and discuss follow-up to tives as Special Co-ordinators to lead all the US Helsinki Commission on engage- the Assembly’s 2008 Astana Declaration. short-term OSCE observers and deliver ment with the OSCE’s Mediterranean A number of senior officials addressed the preliminary post-election statement on Partners. Congressman Hastings also held the meeting, including: Chairperson-in- the day after the elections: extensive meetings with the parliamentary Office Bakoyannis; John Tanner, Presi- • Danish parliamentarian Pia Christmas- delegations from the partner countries at dent of the Parliamentary Assembly of Moeller for the parliamentary elections the Assembly’s Winter Meeting and the the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; in the former Yugoslav Republic of Annual Session and chaired the Mediterra- OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin Macedonia, 22 March; nean Forum held in Athens in October.

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 27 Voting during the Parliamentary Assembly’s Annual Session in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July (OSCE/Klas Bergman)

The Special Representative on the Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Poland, civil society and the media in Belarus. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President and Tajikistan, agreed on a general set of Working Group also travelled to Minsk in Emeritus Goran Lennmarker, continued recommendations that were incorporated December, meeting with relevant Minis- promoting parliamentary dialogue in into a resolution on labour migration in tries, representatives of the political oppo- Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to sup- Central Asia adopted at the Assembly’s sition, and civil society, and encouraging port the peace process led by the Minsk Annual Session. the Belarusian authorities to co-operate Group. He visited both countries in Febru- The Assembly’s Special Representative closely with OSCE institutions. During the ary to discuss peace proposals and to urge on South East Europe, Roberto Battelli, visit, it was agreed to organize a joint par- the parliaments of both countries to sup- visited the region several times, including liamentary seminar in Minsk in 2010. port the peace process. as a member of election observation mis- The Special Representative on Gender sions to Montenegro, the former Yugoslav The incoming and outgoing members of Issues, Vice-President Tone Tingsgaard, Republic of Macedonia and Albania. Mr. the OSCE Parliamentary Team on Mol- delivered her yearly report at the Annual Battelli also represented the Assembly at dova, including the new chair, Walburga Session and again called for more women meetings on regional initiatives, including Habsburg Douglas, met during the Fall in leadership positions in the OSCE. Ms. a Seminar on the Code of Conduct in Sara- Meetings in Athens for an exchange of Tingsgaard co-hosted the Annual Working jevo. In May, he joined President Soares on views. In connection with the Ministerial Lunch on Gender Issues, which focused a field visit to the OSCE Missions in Serbia Council meeting in Athens, Ms. Habsburg on the different effects of the economic and Kosovo, as well as to the former Yugo- Douglas also met with the Head of the crisis on men and women and the special slav Republic of Macedonia and Albania. OSCE Mission to Moldova for a detailed situation of women labour migrants. Ms. During the year, President Soares ap- briefing on the situation in the country Tingsgaard also addressed the Human pointed Dutch parliamentarian Kathleen and on how the team can support the Mis- Dimension Implementation Meeting in Ferrier as the new Special Representative sion’s work. Warsaw and participated in several inter- on Migration, and he re-appointed US national meetings on gender issues, several Congressman Christopher Smith as Spe- Parliamentary Assembly President: of which were organized by OSCE field cial Representative on Human Trafficking Joao Soares, re-elected in 2009 missions. Issues. Secretary General: R. Spencer Oliver, The Assembly’s Special Representative The Assembly’s Working Group on re-elected in 2005 for Central Asia, Kimmo Kiljunen, orga- Belarus, led by Uta Zapf of Germany, or- Budget: €2,855,985 nized a regional parliamentary seminar on ganized a joint seminar in Minsk with the www.oscepa.org labour migration in April in Dushanbe in Assembly’s delegation from Belarus, in co- co-operation with the Parliament of Ta- operation with the Friedrich Ebert Foun- jikistan and with the support of the OSCE dation and the OSCE Office in Minsk. The Office in Tajikistan. The seminar focused March seminar, which focused on improv- on the effects of labour migration on the ing the climate for foreign investment in wider region, migration management, Belarus, brought together representatives legislative frameworks and trafficking in of the European Union, the Belarusian human beings. Participants, including business community, parliamentarians parliamentarians from Finland, France, from the OSCE area and representatives of

28 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations

The OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje’s Situation Centre was the core of its monitoring activity during election day on 22 March. (OSCE/Eberhard Laue)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 29

Montenegro Serbia Presencei in Albania

Kukës

Ad Shkodër

riat

ic fYROM Se Tirana a Albania Vlorë Greece Head of Presence: Ambassador Robert Bosch Gjirokastër Budget: €3,401,800 Presence in Albania www.osce.org/albania Field Offices

The Presence in Albania, including Politico-military dimension activities through its four Project Offices, supported the strengthening of the Strengthening the police. The Presence assisted the border and migration police in host country’s public institutions, implementing their Integrated Border Management Strategy through facilitation of joint border co-operation meetings, training courses and the development of cross-border focusing on judicial, legislative and agreements with neighbouring countries. It installed solar generator systems and univer- electoral reform, parliamentary sal power supplies at border crossings to ensure an uninterrupted power supply for the capacity-building, anti-trafficking, Total Management Information System, which tracks the movements of all people enter- police training, destruction of ing or leaving Albania. The System’s accuracy and security are critical to the success of surplus arms, good governance, the country’s visa liberalization process. property and regional reform The Presence provided second-language courses at seven locations, training 90 police officers in targeted English-language skills. Prior to the parliamentary elections, it also activities. It also supported media trained 5,750 police officers on the specific duties given to the police in the Electoral independence and worked to help Code. Forty-eight police instructors, including police from neighbouring countries, also strengthen gender and civil society received advanced-level training in teaching skills. The Presence supported the state po- structures. A highlight was a major lice in developing a recruitment programme to increase the number of applications from technical-assistance project that women and ethnic minorities. To increase public awareness, the Presence facilitated supported the modernization of workshops on democratic policing, public-police partnership and the rights of minors. Albania’s civil registration and Support for the destruction of surplus arms. The Presence supported the OSCE’s Fo- address systems, which greatly rum for Security Co-operation in assisting Albania with the disposal of melange rocket improved voter registries for fuel and surplus conventional ammunition. By July, all 34,000 litres of toxic fuel stock parliamentary elections held had been destroyed in a project funded by Greece, Denmark, Finland and Sweden. In in June. December, further support was given through the provision of equipment for arms destruction, funded by Denmark.

The Presence assisted Albania in the disposal of melange rocket fuel and surplus conventional ammunition. By end July, all 34,000 litres of the toxic fuel stock had been destroyed. (OSCE/Jack Bell)

30 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

1 A polling station in Elbasan during Albania’s parliamentary elections on 28 June (OSCE/Roberto Berna) 2 The electronic National Register of Citizens, created with the help of the Presence, is the data source for many public services, including the identification-card application process, as seen in this photograph taken in Tirana on 14 January. (OSCE) 3 A television journalist reports from a ceremony in Tirana where 50 Albanian women received certificates from the President on 16 June for their participation in a Presence project to enhance the role of women in governance. (OSCE/Fabiola Haxhillari 1 2 4 Managers at Telejoni TV in Saranda, southern Albania, discuss the establishment of a self-regulatory media body on 18 August. The Presence supported the new body, which was set up in January 2010, through an awareness-raising campaign. (OSCE/Suela Shala)

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Economic and environmental Restitution and Compensation Agency to for public officials and NGOs on local is- activities better manage its own claims data. sues and also conducted events that were open to the public in order to increase Supporting decentralization and re- Fighting human trafficking. The Presence awareness. gional reform. The Presence continued, supported the delivery of training courses with the Council of Europe, to implement to 120 judges, prosecutors and students in Human dimension activities a local-government leadership project for magistrates school on the rights of victims senior officials from three pilot municipal- of trafficking. It provided 12 workshops Furthering electoral reform. The Pres- ities, focusing on the use of performance- for regional anti-trafficking committees to ence assisted Albania in modernizing its management and budgetary-planning increase their ability to effectively respond civil registration and address systems, tools. to trafficking. It assisted the National which greatly improved voter registries Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator in organiz- and the data used for the production of Promoting good governance. The ing a cross-border meeting with Greece identification cards, helping to ensure Presence assisted Albania’s Financial to improve co-operation in the protection that the voter-identification process in Intelligence Unit in training 70 officials of of trafficking victims. It helped establish June’s parliamentary elections was reli- reporting institutions, such as banks, on a municipal Child Protection Unit in able. It then helped create an electronic the Law on Preventing Money Laundering Vlora and published a study on the re- National Register of Addresses, as well and Financing of Terrorism. It organized integration of victims. Another project in as build skills and professionalism at the workshops with staff from the Property this field focused on improving economic General Directorate for Civil Status and Registration Office to help them more opportunities for women in northern the Data Protection Commissioner’s Of- effectively report suspicious real-estate Albania. fice in a project funded by the European transactions. It provided support to the Commission. High Inspectorate for the Declaration of Promoting better environmental man- It supported the Central Election Com- Assets and Audit by training 550 public agement. In line with Aarhus Convention mission in the preparation of parliamen- administrators on the conflict-of-interest recommendations on strengthening citi- tary elections by delivering seminars to legal framework. It also organized a zen participation, the Presence registered trainers who then trained election com- seminar with civil servants and non- Aarhus Information Centres in Vlora and missioners throughout the country. On governmental organizations (NGOs) to Shkodra as NGOs and signed an agree- voter education, support was provided in strengthen anti-corruption efforts. ment with the Ministry of Environment producing television spots that encouraged on further co-operation. It trained 140 voters without a valid passport to obtain Supporting property reform. The Pres- representatives from the public and private an identification card. It also facilitated a ence assisted the Property Registration sector, as well as civil society, on their poster and house-to-house campaign, dis- Office with the first registration of coastal roles regarding public participation. The couraging the practice of family voting. properties, and supported the Property Information Centres facilitated meetings

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 31 Unresolved property issues in the coastal area of Albania hinder the legal certainty of ownership necessary for a viable land market. (OSCE/Darcie Nielsen)

Justice reform. The Presence supported Library, Parliamentary Archives and Re- facilitating a regular newsletter and a bro- Albania in developing a national proba- search Department, in co-operation with chure promoting their work. tion service by: helping draft secondary the Dutch and Italian parliaments. Work legislation; delivering seminars for proba- on an information-technology network Promoting civil society. The local Civil tion officers, judges and prosecutors on the continued, and information-technology Society Development Centre, the mu- legal changes to the execution of alterna- and English-language training were pro- nicipal government, civil society and the tives to imprisonment; and publishing a vided to key staff. It also facilitated co- Presence helped run a local civil society training manual for probation officers. It operation with parliaments in the region. development fund in Korca to enhance supported the Civil Service Commission’s local citizen engagement. The project was efforts to protect civil servants’ rights by Supporting the media. The Presence funded in part by Germany. offering training for 100 local-government helped establish a self-regulatory media officials to stress the proper application body, with a group of media professionals of civil-service-related legislation. It pro- in a project funded by the European Com- vided technical assistance in the drafting mission. It held a series of expert seminars of a significant number of laws relating to nationwide on media self-regulation. It justice reform. discussed a draft strategy on digitalization with the media community at a roundtable Human rights. The Presence provided funded by Austria. It supported Albania technical assistance in the drafting of a in establishing a task force to implement comprehensive anti-discrimination law, in the strategy, which the Presence has been accordance with European requirements, invited to participate in. which the Albanian Assembly was consid- ering at year-end. It also co-ordinated do- Advancing gender equality. To promote nor responses on all Roma-related issues. an increase in the number of women in parliament and in local government, the Strengthening parliament. To modern- Presence held seminars for women from ize the parliament, the Presence focused political parties, public administration, on developing its senior-management civil society and business, funded by the practices in a multi-year project funded by Netherlands and Sweden. It provided as- the Netherlands. Each staff member was sistance to victimized women in Kukes provided with an up-to-date job descrip- through the Women’s Counselling Centre tion, the first step in further modernizing in Kukes, with funding from Germany. the parliament’s day-to-day management It supported the equal-opportunities practices. It continued to build the skills department in the Ministry of Labour, and professionalism of the Parliamentary Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities by

32 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

Croatia Mission to Bosnia and

Bihać Banja Luka Doboj Brčko Bijeljina Bosnia and Tuzla Herzegovina Herzegovina Serbia Zenica Travnik Srobrenica Livno Sarajevo

Mostar Foča

A Head of Mission: Ambassador Gary Robbins dr Trebinje ia Montenegro tic S Budget: €15,160,900 ea Head Office www.oscebih.org Field Offices

The Mission to Bosnia and Politico-military dimension activities Herzegovina launched a comprehensive local-governance Increased capacity. The Mission continued to assist the country’s authorities to develop support project, focusing on their skills and professionalism in ensuring democratic political control of the military, economically weaker and neglected internal security forces and the State Intelligence-Security Agency. Emphasizing that security is both comprehensive and indivisible, the Mission gathered professionals from municipalities. The Mission also civilian and military life at more than 80 OSCE-supported events that were designed continued its involvement in to increase and improve the knowledge, skills and perspective required to implement the effective processing of war the country’s security policy, the Dayton Peace Agreement and OSCE politico-military crimes and related legislative and commitments. judicial reforms. Good governance Compliance with commitments. and citizen involvement in With the Mission’s assistance, the country’s authorities succeeded in raising awareness about OSCE politico-military commitments both education were among the through institutionally supported events and media reporting. Two inter-ministerial Mission’s priorities. The Mission roundtables resulted in the designation of a lead agency and the shaping of a collabora- also supported Bosnia and tion process to complete annual exchanges of information with other OSCE participating Herzegovina’s increased capacity States. As a related practical exercise, the Mission organized a seminar on the implemen- for democratic control of the tation of arms-control agreements and confidence- and security-building measures. security, defence and intelligence Arms control. The Mission remained at the forefront of efforts to support the improved sectors, and compliance with its management of the country’s surplus weapons, ammunition and explosives, including politico-military commitments. also the implementation of Article IV, Annex 1B of the Dayton Peace Accords. Together with its strategic international partners and members of parliament, the Mission urged the authorities to dispose of the country’s surplus armaments responsibly, preferably by

Young people attend a job fair in Bijeljina. (OSCE/Will Richard)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 33 1 Secondary-school students from both entities in discussions at a Culture of Tolerance event in Cazin in May, one of more than 80 such events held around the country aimed at fostering tolerance in schools. (OSCE/Milenko Buzadzija) 2 At a regional Intelligence Oversight Conference in Sarajevo in May, South-Eastern European States continued to work towards their common goal of improving parliamentary oversight of intelligence services. (OSCE/Vedran Pribilovic) 3 Following a visit to the field, parliamentarians discuss their impressions of border security with reporters. (OSCE/Jasna Dragicevic) 1 2 4 The Mission, in co-operation with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, organized a Regional Workshop on Best Practices and Lessons Learned in Knowledge-Transfer Methodology on Pro- cessing War Crimes in Sarajevo in May. (OSCE/Vedran Pribilovic)

3 4 destroying them. In addition, the Mission Economic and environmental and providing support for the establish- provided logistical, administrative and dimension activities ment of independent domestic monitoring interpretation support for Bosnia and Her- mechanisms. zegovina’s participation in eight Article Jobs and the economy. The country’s IV inspection missions, as well as for four municipalities started to assume respon- Equality and non-discrimination. The events organized under the auspices of the sibility for organizing job fairs and youth Mission supported a consultative process Chairmanship’s Personal Representative entrepreneurship training workshops for adoption of the Law on the Prohibition for Article IV. This multi-year collabora- during the year, organizing 10 out of 35 of Discrimination, followed by detailed tion was brought to a successful conclu- dedicated OSCE events. More than 400 technical assistance to raise awareness of sion, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will, as young people attended entrepreneurship the law and its content, including conduct- of January 2010, conduct Article IV imple- training and 2,000 participants visited the ing training sessions, running a series of mentation activities without the Mission’s job fairs where over 700 job vacancies were radio shows and producing promotional assistance. offered. As a result of the training courses material. and job fairs, over 300 people either found Parliamentary oversight. The Mission employment or started a new business. Social protection and housing. The Mis- continued its support to the State parlia- sion engaged with government ministries ment, working to enhance the capabilities Human dimension activities for substantial reforms of the inequitable of parliamentary committees responsible social protection system. It also delivered for the oversight of the State’s defence, War crimes. Supporting implementation human rights training for social workers security and intelligence institutions. The of the National Strategy for Processing War and supported the development of a na- Mission’s leadership led to the appoint- Crimes, the Mission provided technical tional housing strategy. ment of the country’s first Parliamentary- assistance for national juridical institu- Military Commissioner, improvements tions, enhancing their ability to engage in Rights of national minorities. The Mis- to laws on secret-data protection and judicial outreach and respect the rights of sion advocated for effective implementa- military intelligence, State-level control victims. The Mission shared and discussed tion of the Roma Action Plans on Housing, of the movement of weapons and danger- with national counterparts findings from Health and Employment, and for increased ous goods and a law on parliamentary monitored war-crimes cases to encourage budgetary resources to the Councils of Na- oversight. closer co-operation among the Interna- tional Minorities. Additionally, it trained tional Criminal Tribunal for the former a group of young Roma activists as human Yugoslavia, State and entity jurisdictions. rights advocates.

Judicial reform. The Mission continued Sustainable return. Support for the work support for the implementation of the Na- of the State Commission for Refugees tional Justice-Sector Reform Strategy, while and Displaced Persons continued; the engaging in the monitoring of prisons Mission also lobbied for adoption of the

34 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

Revised Strategy for Implementation of After five years of leading the Open Par- Election Commission, the Mission contin- Annex VII. Moreover, it advocated for the liament project, the Mission transferred ued to provide expert advice on subject- closure of collective centres and supported ownership of the initiative to the State par- specific issues in its daily work. Particular sustainable-return initiatives. liament in June. To date, over 3,600 youth focus was attached to amending electoral between the ages of 16 and 30 have had the legislation, specifically the Law on Political Gender equality. Working with lo- opportunity to interact directly with their Party Financing and the Law on Conflict cal gender-equality bodies, the Mission members of parliament (MPs) and discuss of Interest. undertook awareness-raising and training parliament’s work through visits and tele- initiatives, including on how to use the vision debates. Promoting good governance and the recently launched OSCE publication on rule of law. Following a successful Good municipal gender-equality commissions. Increasing institutional responsiveness Governance pilot initiative last year, Re- The Mission also monitored institutional and effectiveness. In March, the Mission publika Srpska and West-Herzegovina responses to domestic violence and sup- launched its latest local-governance initia- Canton began implementing the project ported initiatives to improve communica- tive, Local First, aiming to increase the in 2009. As a result, school-board mem- tion between responsible agencies. responsiveness of municipal governments bers in more than half of the country now and deepen citizens’ engagement. Particu- have access to basic training materials, lar attention was devoted to less-developed including a school-board training manual, municipalities, improving the effective- serving to make them more democratic. ness of municipal councils and develop- School directors, with the help of the Mis- ing the capacity of local governments to sion, made progress towards establishing identify and meet their own development State-level associations. The Mission sup- needs through learning networks and ported the work of the State-level Educa- partnerships. tion Agency for Pre-, Primary and Second- ary Education by organizing dozens of The Mission also supported the State par- roundtables and an expert conference on liament in increasing its transparency and the role and responsibilities of this new effectiveness through the development of agency. a new Information and Communication Technology Strategy to digitize paper- Encouraging inclusion and diversity in based work procedures. Improved risk- schools. In 27 participating municipali- management and internal-communication ties, all 120 schools implemented the Index procedures were also introduced. The Mis- for Inclusion, a tool allowing schools to sion also provided support to amend the assess their own level of inclusiveness and rules of procedure, to develop the parlia- react accordingly, which was launched in ment’s website and to facilitate expert-level 2008. The Mission promoted awareness discussions on key issues. of the country’s 17 national minorities Human trafficking. A public report on through the publication of a workbook on trafficking in human beings was pub- Promoting active citizens. Strengthen- national minorities. Two conferences with lished, identifying areas for improvement ing citizens’ engagement is a key aspect of strong regional involvement focused on in existing co-ordination mechanisms, Local First. The Mission launched more history teaching and on good practices of the appropriate qualification of crimes than 60 projects with particular atten- diversity education and inclusion. and sentencing policies. The Mission also tion placed on increasing participation of supported the production of a television rural communities, youth, returnees and Supporting civic involvement. The Mis- documentary raising awareness on domes- minorities. sion also invested efforts to build the ca- tic trafficking issues. pacity of civic bodies and increase citizen To increase women’s participation in engagement in education. Around 100 Promoting local ownership and sustain- public life, the Mission held in October schools throughout the country marked ability. In January, local partners assumed the second regional conference of women International Day for Tolerance, organiz- responsibility for funding and administer- parliamentarians, gathering female MPs ing dedicated events in their local commu- ing the country’s Beacon Scheme, designed from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, nities. Peer-education and peer-mediation to recognize and reward excellence at the the former Yugoslav Republic of Mace- initiatives served to build sustainable municipal level. Over 75 per cent of all donia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia, mechanisms for involvement and conflict municipalities have now participated in together with representatives of Bosnia resolution in schools. the Scheme in some way since its incep- and Herzegovina’s entity parliaments, tion. In November, Beacon status was State institutions, non-governmental awarded to eight municipalities by the two organizations, academic institutions and entities representing the second tier of the international organizations. country’s government, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Repub- Supporting the Central Election Com- lika Srpska. mission. At the request of the Central

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 35 Mission in Kosovo Serbia

Mitrovicë/MitrovicM c o a Montenegro Pejë/PečPe Prishtinë/Prištinasht në t na Bulgaria Kosovo Gjilan/Gnjilanea a Prizren

Albania fYROM Head of Mission: Ambassador Werner Almhofer Budget: €26,910,000 Mission in Kosovo www.osce.org/kosovo Regional Centres

The Mission in Kosovo continued Human dimension activities its core work in human rights monitoring and institution- Community rights. The Mission continued its pro-active monitoring and reported on building1, placing special emphasis access to rights and services for non-Albanian communities, in particular in the areas of returns, housing, registration, health, employment, education and participation. The on promoting respect for the rights of Mission issued a report on the quality of education for non-majority children and an- all communities. other on the need for the relocation of displaced Roma in northern Kosovo. The Mission assisted with the development and implementation of policies and procedures to create The OSCE, the international civilian conditions for sustainable returns, and reached out to all municipalities and communi- actor with the most extensive field ties to assess those conditions. presence throughout Kosovo, was Property rights. Another focus area was the protection of housing and property rights. largely regarded as the institution- The Mission organized regional roundtables on the work of the Kosovo Property Agency, building and monitoring arm of which, upon the Mission’s recommendation, signed a memorandum of understanding the international community. with the police on improving co-operation in the evictions process. The Mission took up an enhanced early-warning and reporting Human rights. The Mission continued to support Kosovo institutions in improving role, especially in light of the their compliance with human rights standards. Specialized training was delivered to all ministry-based human rights units, providing them with the basic tools needed to advise reconfiguration of the international on human rights issues. In order to protect children’s rights, the Mission teamed with civilian presence. police to prevent forced child begging and exploitation in the streets. The project focused on raising public awareness of the problem and strengthening the link between police and the institutions taking care of child victims.

1 All references to Kosovo institutions/leaders Representatives from the OSCE, Kosovo police, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the inter- refer to the Provisional Institutions of Self- national NGO Terre des Hommes talk to the media at the launch of an OSCE-sponsored campaign to Government. combat child begging in Prishtine/Pristina on 9 October. (OSCE/Hasan Sopa)

36 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

Kosovo Assembly elects first local Ombudsperson On 4 June, the Assembly of Kosovo elected Sami Kurteshi as the first local Ombudsperson. The Mission welcomed his appointment, and supported the Institution’s subsequent two-month media outreach campaign to non-Albanian communities. Launched on 2 September, the campaign included multilingual TV spots, billboards, posters and media conferences in areas where non-Albanian communities live. The campaign boosted the number of visitors to the Ombudsperson Institution by more than half again in its first month, and pushed complaints up by nearly three-quarters.

Following a news conference organized by the Ombudsperson Institution and the Mission as part of an outreach campaign to non-Albanian communities, a local Serb files a complaint with Kosovo’s first local Ombudsperson (r) in Caglavica/ Caglavice on 8 September. (OSCE/Hasan Sopa)

The Mission strengthened the Ombuds The Mission organized a comprehensive Through its Municipal Leadership Forums person Institution, emphasizing the rel- awareness-raising campaign to end vio- project, the Mission facilitated dialogue on evance of the Ombudsperson’s statutory lence against women, with rock concerts local-governance reform between the cen- independence. It played an important attended by over 6,000 people altogether tral and local levels, resulting in the timely role in advocating for the appointment of held in Prizren on 4 December, in Mitrovi- preparation and submission of municipal a competent Ombudsperson and high- ca/Mitrovice on 5 December, and in budgets to the Ministry of Finance and lighted the importance of representation Prishtine/Pristina on 10 December. Economy. of non-majority communities within this institution. Good governance. The Mission organized Higher education. The Mission strived to a Kosovo-wide conference — the first of improve access for all Kosovo communi- Rule of law. The Mission continued its its kind — between the Ministry of Local- ties to quality higher education, focusing activities as one of the international or- Government Administration and civil on Bosnian-language teacher education ganizations responsible for legal-system society actors representing non-Albanian at the University of Prishtine/Pristina. monitoring, bringing issues of concern to communities in an effort to increase It facilitated the signing of co-operation the attention of institutions and the pub- public participation and engagement in agreements between the University of lic. The Mission analysed the compliance local-government reform and the decision- Prishtine/Pristina and three universities of judicial practices with human rights making process. The conference recom- in Bosnia and Herzegovina to address the standards, especially in interethnic cases mendations included increasing civil so- lack of teaching staff for Bosnian-language such as improper handling of fraudulent ciety engagement in policy formulation by teacher-training programmes in Kosovo. property-transaction cases, handling government structures and the strength- As a result, as of the 2009 academic year, of election-fraud cases or impediments ening of the central-local-level dialogue. seven professors from the Universities of that adversely affected the rule of law in The outreach work was complemented by Tuzla and of Mostar provided Bosnian- Kosovo such as insufficient numbers of a series of regional and municipal work- language lessons at the Faculty of Educa- judges and prosecutors. Further, the Mis- shops that led to the strengthening of tion in Prizren. Their lectures were com- sion continued to monitor and assist in the consultative committees in all municipal plemented by distance-learning courses development of a human-rights-compliant assemblies in Kosovo. through a videoconferencing system and police service. By using a co-operative an e-learning platform — also made pos- approach, the Mission aimed at promoting sible by the Mission. change from within the police and achieving sustainability. Lastly, the Mission OSCE launches first Kosovo Supporting independent assisted the Kosovo Judicial Institute to Communities Profiles institutions administer preparatory examinations for The Mission published its first- candidates for judges and prosecutors. Media. The Mission’s continued support ever Kosovo Communities Profiles in September. The profiles include to media institutions, including the broad- Anti-trafficking.The Mission organized demographic, socio-economic, cast regulator, resulted in the launching training for police units controlling en- political and cultural data on Kosovo’s of a relicensing process and the issuance trance to the territory of Kosovo to help diverse communities. They offer of long-term licences to broadcast media. them identify and refer, as well as establish a comprehensive picture of the The Mission provided legal expertise effective operating procedures for, victims challenges affecting communities’ to the Assembly of Kosovo in bringing of trafficking. The Mission produced leaf- enjoyment of basic rights and services public-broadcaster legislation in line with and are intended to contribute to a lets on how to identify and treat victims European best practices. The Mission better understanding of their specific of trafficking and on victims’ rights and worked to strengthen the Press Council of concerns. distributed them to all these police units. Kosovo in advocating for media freedom

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 37 1 A rock band performs at an OSCE-organized concert as part of the awareness campaign to end violence against women in Prishtine/Pristina on 10 December. (OSCE/Besfort Oruci) 2 The Kosovo Police Service and Fire Rescue Service simulate a traffic accident after the OSCE donated first-aid kits to the Vushtrri/Vucitrn Fire and Rescue Station on 9 March. (OSCE/Hasan Sopa) 3 A municipal-court judge in Prishtine/Pristina shares her views on women’s right to own and inherit property during a Mission-organized workshop on 30 October. (OSCE/Hasan Sopa)

1 2 4 A Mission officer (r) listens to a resident of Gracanice/Gracanica describing his living conditions on 18 June. (OSCE/Hasan Sopa)

3 4 and ensuring adherence of print media to including a Kosovo Bosniak and a Kosovo Committee, which monitors hearings on the Press Code. Through televised debates Serb member. The government officially disciplinary cases. on freedom of expression, the Mission agreed to the establishment of a working raised awareness of the importance of an group to draft a new law on the Indepen- Police-public partnerships. The promo- independent media free from political dent Oversight Board, as the Mission con- tion of police-public partnership remained interference, which triggered an extensive sistently advocated. The working group an important focus in 2009. The Mission public debate. finalized the first draft of the law, which offered advanced community-policing will help secure the political and financial training courses to police officers and Elections. The OSCE provided technical independence of the Board. strengthened local public-safety commit- support and advice to the Central Election tees by helping them establish a joint ex- Commission and its Secretariat to imple- Politico-military dimension ecutive council to co-ordinate their work. ment the 2009 election operation plan. The activities The Mission also fostered the creation Mission also helped the Election Com- of several new committees comprised of plaints and Appeals Commission with Improvement of public safety. The community and police representatives, procedures in order to allow a timely and Mission created and conducted train- with special attention given to representa- effective redress mechanism during the ing courses and other activities to set up tion of non-majority communities and election process. information-management systems and to gender balance. upgrade the communication skills of the Assembly committees and Independent staff of public-safety agencies such as fire On a regional level, and in co-operation Oversight Board. The OSCE supported and rescue brigades, the ambulance ser- with relevant stakeholders, the Mission the Assembly of Kosovo by providing vice and the situation centre. The Mission supported and facilitated the development expertise to strengthen the oversight ca- also developed a strategy to establish a of strategies for combating terrorism, pacity of Assembly committees through modern training facility for all fire fight- organized crime, drugs trafficking and facilitating the exchange of best practices. ers in Kosovo. illegal migration, as well as on monitor- An example was the visit of the Assembly ing and collection of small arms and light Human Rights Committee to the OSCE’s The Mission advised the Kosovo Centre weapons. Office for Democratic Institutions and for Public Safety Education and Develop- Human Rights to discuss policy and leg- ment on compliance with recommenda- islative options to combat discrimination. tions by the International Accreditation The Mission also worked to strengthen the Agency that must be fulfilled before the role of the Independent Oversight Board, Centre is accredited and certified. As responsible for oversight of the civil ser- part of its ongoing support to the Police vice and revision of government appoint- Inspectorate of Kosovo, the Mission ments. In 2009, the Assembly of Kosovo helped in the establishment of the Senior elected six new members to the Board, Police Appointments and Disciplinary

38 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

Mission to Montenegro

Bosnia and Serbia Herzegovina Montenegro Danilovgrad Podgorica

Ad ria tic Se Albania a Head of Mission: Ambassador Paraschiva Badescu Budget: €2,318,300 Mission to Montenegro www.osce.org/montenegro OSCE Police Training Centre Danilovgrad

The Mission to Montenegro Politico-military dimension activities continued to assist the host country in strengthening existing and Politico-military affairs programme. The Mission focused on the two remaining com- newly established institutions, ponents of the Montenegro Demilitarization Programme, a €4.5 million joint Govern- ment, OSCE and United Nations Development Programme project, which improved responding to Montenegro’s stockpile management and destroyed surplus conventional ammunition. The Mission evolving needs as it progressed supported the Ministry of Defence’s efforts to increase public participation in the process in its reform agenda. The year of defence reform through the organization of regular media briefings. saw a number of achievements in partnership with the host Organized crime and corruption. The Mission supported the Organized Crime Depart- country: the recommendations by ment by delivering specialized training programmes on cyber-crimes, corruption and financial crimes, controlling precursors for the production of narcotics and the recruit- an international anti-corruption ment and handling of informants. It also helped establish the Undercover and the Na- expert, commissioned by the tional Co-ordination Units. Mission, were all implemented, along with recommendations Anti-trafficking.The Mission facilitated the drafting of the 2010-11 action plan against stemming from the Mission’s trafficking in human beings, and helped promote the SOS hotline for victims. Court Monitoring Project. Border policing. The Mission facilitated the process of signing the Bilateral Co-operation The Mission also considerably Agreement and Protocols on Joint Patrols and Regular Exchange of Information among strengthened co-operation Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, and organized training for manage- between law-enforcement bodies; ment and patrol officers. it assisted in the setting up of a tripartite Commission for the Supreme Court, the Supreme State Prosecutor and the Police Directorate.

Members of a journalism club at a school in Ulcinj are interviewed by a journalist from Montenegro’s public-service broadcaster in Podgorica on 6 May. (OSCE/Dragan Mijatovic)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 39 1 The first joint border patrol of Montenegrin and Albanian police at Skadar Lake on 15 January (OSCE) 2 Project-management training for gender focal points in Becici on 25 June (OSCE/Vanja Radojevic)

1 2

Community-oriented policing. The Mis- unanimously accepted by the Union of as the nation’s highest human rights sion successfully completed the coun- Municipalities, and will be adopted by all institution. The Mission also helped the trywide implementation of the project, 21 Montenegrin municipalities. Ombudsperson Institution to become the with more than 130 contact police officers national preventative mechanism accord- trained and deployed in all 21 municipali- Civic participation. The Mission, with its ing to the Optional Protocol to the United ties. At year-end, the project was expand- civil society partner and the Municipality Nations Convention against Torture and ing into the border police with three pilot of Bijelo Polje, opened the first Municipal Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treat- sites. Youth Office in Montenegro to address the ment or Punishment. needs of young people and encourage their Economic and environmental participation in the development of the Fight against corruption and organized dimension activities municipality. crime. The Mission assisted in increasing co-operation and co-ordination in the Anti-corruption and anti-money laun- Gender equality. The Mission and the fight against corruption and organized dering. The Mission worked to enhance Ministry of Human and Minority Rights crime, and was actively involved in draft- the institutional framework for anti- supported the development of 10 local ing the related national action plan. corruption efforts through a number of gender Action Plans. activities that resulted in the adoption of Media laws. The Mission, with the Gov- guidelines for state auditors, recommen- Domestic violence. Together with other ernment, the CoE and the European Com- dations to remove potentially corruptive national and international stakeholders, mission Delegation, provided advice and business barriers at the local level and bet- the Mission worked to raise awareness recommendations to relevant institutions ter communication between anti-money- about domestic violence, including the on the Draft Law on Electronic Media. The laundering authorities. 16 Days Campaign against Domestic Vio- implementation of the Law on Free Access lence, with the support of the President of to Information was also supported through Environmental issues. The Mission or- Montenegro. education and awareness campaigns. ganized a roundtable to enable discussion on the practical implementation of the Judiciary reform. The Mission supported Media development. The Mission pub- recently ratified Aarhus Convention. international and regional judicial co-op- lished a brochure and facilitated a debate eration in: criminal matters, development on the Code of Ethics to strengthen media Human dimension activities of a system of free legal aid, the process self-regulation and provided training of rationalization of the judicial network, to support professional development of Parliamentary support. The Mission’s processing of war-crimes cases, promotion the public-service broadcaster, RTCG, four-year Parliamentary Support Project, of mediation, and adoption of domestic- and other media. The Mission worked funded by Austria with support from violence legislation. to improve the communication between Germany, worked to bring the parliamen- the media, police and judiciary through tary library up to professional standards. Reform of the criminal-justice system. training public-relations officers from the A professional librarian, trained by the The Mission supported preparations for courts, a debate on the Criminal Procedure Mission, was taken on as a permanent the implementation of the new Criminal Code and publishing a media-police co- parliamentary staff member, library hold- Procedure Code and the amendment of the operation guide. ings increased and members of parliament Criminal Code. The Mission’s Court Moni- and staff were introduced to the improved toring Project, funded by the Netherlands, library service. helped establish tools for efficient implementation of fair-trial principles. Good governance. The Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics for municipal employees Strengthening human rights institu- and elected officials, drafted by the Mission tions. The Mission assisted the Constitu- and the Council of Europe (CoE), were tional Court to assume its responsibilities

40 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

Hungary Mission to Serbia

Croatia Romania

Belgrade

Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbia Bulgaria Head of Mission: Ambassador Dimitrios Kypreos from 21 September, succeeding Ambassador Hans Ola Urstad, Montenegro whose mandate ended on 13 September

Ad ria Budget: €7,855,300 tic Se a Albania fYROM www.osce.org/serbia Mission to Serbia

The Mission assisted Serbia in Politico-military dimension activities building independent, accountable and effective democratic Combating organized crime. The Mission provided expert advice in developing the institutions. It contributed to a National Strategy for Combating Organized Crime and related Action Plan. It enhanced Serbia’s ability to combat organized crime by providing expertise in drafting laws on As- broad reform of the judiciary, set Seizure and on a Special Imprisonment Regime. In addition, it organized training for implementation of the Law on the judiciary and police on asset forfeiture and financial investigations. National Minority Councils and the signing of an updated strategic Economic transparency and anti-corruption. The Mission facilitated implementa- framework on police reform. A tion of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, supported institutions established under major milestone in its work to related laws and enhanced the capacities of the institutions fighting economic crime and financing of criminal activities. It provided expertise for implementing new public- maintain stability in south Serbia procurement legislation. Working with non-governmental organizations in south and was the brokering of an agreement southwest Serbia, it assisted local governments in running municipal anti-corruption between the Government of councils. Serbia and political leaders from the south to reconstruct the Co- Police reform. The Mission and the Interior Ministry agreed on an updated strategic ordination Body for Presevo, framework on police reform that put a new emphasis on police outreach to citizens and the media. Bujanovac and Medvedja. The Mission also encouraged Albanian Environmental dimension activities leaders from the south to establish an Albanian national minority Environmental affairs. The Mission organized training for 262 lower-court judges and council. 146 environmental inspectors to assist local authorities in implementing newly adopted environmental laws. It further helped identify and resolve local environmental security threats in seven municipalities in south and south-east Serbia.

successful police service cannot exist without “A citizens’ confidence in police work. Transparency of work, greater openness of the police towards citizens and better co- operation with media are duties of the police as a citizens’ public service.” —Ivica Dacic, Interior Minister of the The Speaker of the Parliament of Serbia addresses high school students from south Serbia during a visit organized Republic of Serbia in November as part of the Mission’s Public Access to State Institutions programme. (OSCE/Milan Obradovic)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 41 Serbian police forensic laboratories reach international standards The number of Serbian police laboratories equipped to carry out modern forensic analyses rose to three thanks to a donation from Norway. In May, the National Laboratory joined the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes, an event marking Serbia’s achievement in bringing its forensic capabilities up to international standards. Over the past five years, the Mission has built Serbian forensic capabilities with

I nt e ri o r Mini s try expertise, advice and funds donated by Norway and Sweden. This success brings the Mission’s forensic

S e rbian assistance programme to a close.

Human dimension activities identified 95 human-trafficking victims, (ombudsperson). It also continued compared with 55 for all of 2008. The Mis- assisting the Vojvodina provincial War crimes. The Mission monitored 16 sion made a breakthrough in encouraging Ombudsperson. war-crimes trials, including six new cases reform of Serbia’s reporting mechanism to in 2009. It continued enhancing the skills meet international requirements. Prison reform. With Mission expertise, and professionalism of the witness/vic- Serbia worked to bring to international tim support service in the Belgrade War Equal opportunities. The Mission sup- standards its legal framework for enforce- Crimes Chamber. It also supported the ported the passage and implementation of ment of penal sanctions. Further, the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office and the the Law on National Minority Councils. Mission provided training to the Prison National Council for Co-operation with It helped minority municipalities develop Administration to implement alternative the International Criminal Tribunal for local youth offices and worked to increase sentencing, and judges imposed the first the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in a public Roma participation in public life. The alternative sentences during the year. information campaign on domestic war- Mission also supported municipal gender crimes trials and co-operation with the focal points and teamed with law facul- Media legislation. The Mission helped ICTY, which particularly targeted youth. ties to develop minority rights and anti- the Government’s working group to draft discrimination coursework. and amend media legislation and to final- Democratic governance. The Mission ize the draft Law on Prevention of Media helped the parliament and other State Judicial reform. The Mission supported Concentration and Ownership Transpar- institutions to advance their public access minority inclusion in the judicial system ency. Its recommendations for changes to programme and assisted the Vojvodina through bar-exam mentoring. To enhance the Public Information Law drew wide- Assembly in upgrading its human re- transparency, it provided public-relations spread attention. sources management. It provided techni- training to spokespersons of courts and cal support to parliamentary committees prosecutors’ offices, and developed the Enhancing media skills. The Mission on oversight and legislative procedures. Constitutional Court’s outreach strategy. trained some 200 media professionals in The Mission supported the country’s Three important activities included: as- reporting on economics, politics, corrup- decentralization and assisted with the sisting the prosecutors association in tion and war crimes, and on the imple- implementation of local-self-government drafting rules to evaluate prosecutors’ mentation of media laws. It strengthened legislation. It supported citizens’ engage- work; delivering peer-to-peer training to the skills of television reporters and the ment at the local level through institu- the judges association on the reform pro- sustainability of local outlets and helped tionalized participation mechanisms and cess; training judges and prosecutors on build the capacity of journalists’ associa- monitoring. plea bargaining and environmental laws. tions. Continuing support to the regional The Mission established a pilot victim/ public broadcaster in Vojvodina, the Mis- Refugee return and integration. The witness support service with the District sion contributed to improved news pro- Mission worked with Serbia’s institutions Court in south-west Serbia. gramming, including minority-language to facilitate the return and integration of services. The Mission backed the establish- refugees within the framework of the Sa- Legal reform. The Mission enhanced law- ment of a press council in Serbia. rajevo Ministerial Declaration on refugee drafting through support to elaborating issues, and helped internally displaced a model law on unified law-drafting and Freedom of the media. The Mission persons gain better access to their rights. promoting the use of Regulatory Impact continued to monitor and support compli- Analysis, which provides drafters a de- ance with commitments on freedom of the Human rights and anti-trafficking. The tailed and systematic appraisal of the po- media. The Mission supported campaigns Mission supported the drafting of the first tential effects of a new law. promoting media freedoms during the national multi-year Action Plan for Com- Exit music festival and on World Press bating Trafficking in Human Beings. Dem- Human rights institutions. The Mis- Freedom Day and the Right to Know Day. onstrating the effectiveness of Mission sion raised citizens’ awareness of the support, by end-October key agencies had new Office of the Protector of Citizens

42 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

Spillover Monitor Mission

Montenegro Serbia to Skopje Bulgaria Tetovo Ad Skopje ria tic Se a former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Albania Head of Mission: Ambassador Jose Luis Herrero Ansola from 11 January Greece Budget: €8,539,900 Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje www.osce.org/skopje Field Office

A key priority for the Spillover Politico-military dimension activities Monitor Mission to Skopje remained monitoring and Monitoring. The Mission continued its monitoring activities with a focus on the north- supporting implementation of the western part of the country. Particular attention was paid to the security situation, as well as to developments concerning both inter- and intra-ethnic relations. In addition, Ohrid Framework Agreement, the Mission’s monitoring officers continued to perform a confidence-building role, ex- which ended the hostilities in ercising mediation tasks to address tensions, such as in the case of interethnic disputes the former Yugoslav Republic related to education. of Macedonia in 2001, in close The Mission also monitored the security environment surrounding the March presi- co-operation with the other dential and municipal elections, both during the campaign and on election day. To de- security principals: the European fuse the type of tensions that occurred between party activists during the 2008 elections, the Mission, working in close co-operation with the OSCE’s Office for Democratic In- Union Special Representative, stitutions and Human Rights, organized roundtable meetings with candidates and local the United States Embassy party leaders to discuss their responsibilities in well-run elections at the local level and and the North Atlantic Treaty in controlling their activists. After the elections, the Mission monitored allegations of Organization Representative in election-related intimidation. The monitors also followed developments in municipalities Skopje. The Mission co-operated where the political affiliation of local authorities changed in order to observe how this with local counterparts on long- affected public administration and the composition of staff, particularly in the education sector. term reform processes in areas such as the judiciary, police Police development. The Mission focused on furthering partnerships between the professionalization and election police and the public through institutionalizing community-policing practices. As part conduct. The Mission monitored of this effort, the Mission supported the training of 160 community-based officers. The the security environment of the presidential and municipal elections and continued to support the community-policing process in order to promote confidence- building between the police and public.

A police officer involved in a community-policing project talks to local residents in the mainly Roma settlement of Topaana in Cair municipality on 27 October. (OSCE/Eberhard Laue)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 43 1 OSCE staff attend the police open day in Radovis on 19 May. (OSCE) 2 A participant at an OSCE-supported training course on good governance for newly elected municipal councillors in Skopje on 24 September (OSCE/Mirvete Mustafa) 3 A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Petrovec during the second round of the presidential and municipal elections on 5 April. (OSCE/Eberhard Laue) 4 Border police are instructed on how to identify stolen vehicles in Skopje on 24 June. (OSCE/Eberhard 1 2 Laue)

3 4 establishment of local prevention councils, Mission continued to support the build-up municipalities with different ethnic com- which promote co-operation between local of a national network of police trainers. positions. Finally, the Mission presented police and municipalities, progressed, and A comprehensive trainer-development an annual survey on the decentralization 77 of 84 municipalities had such councils programme was elaborated, and a series of process, with an emphasis on implementa- at year-end. The consolidation of citizens train-the-trainers and curriculum-devel- tion of the Ohrid Framework Agreement in advisory groups, which enable citizens opment courses were held. areas like equitable representation, inter to voice their safety concerns to police, ethnic relations and the use of languages. also continued, with 140 in operation Human dimension activities throughout the country. To further sup- Electoral reform. The Mission partici- port decentralization of the police service, Political system. In co-operation with pated in working groups on election leg- the Mission signed an agreement with the the other security principals, the Mis- islation, election administration, voters’ Interior Ministry on implementation of sion participated in a dialogue with the lists and voter intimidation, which were community-policing mechanisms at the Government on reviewing the state of the established by the government to follow up regional level. implementation of the Ohrid Framework OSCE election recommendations. In addi- To support the development of a profes- Agreement, a key component of the Mis- tion, the Mission supported the State Elec- sional, accountable and transparent police sion’s mandate. To advance its implemen- tion Commission by providing software service, the Mission participated in an In- tation, the Mission enhanced co-operation solutions for voters’ lists and organizing terior Ministry working group to monitor with the relevant government Secretariat a survey and workshops to evaluate the the implementation of the Law on Internal and parliamentary committee. work of the lower-level election adminis- Affairs. The Mission provided assistance tration. In an outreach effort on electoral and training programmes to build police Public administration. To promote the standards, the Mission translated six skills and professionalism and develop a professionalization of the public admin- OSCE election-related publications into sustainable human resources management istration, the Mission trained staff in four local languages. During the presidential structure. The Mission also delivered spe- pilot municipalities on the role of the civil and municipal elections, the Mission cialized training to more than 400 police service and the impact of EU integration. provided assistance to domestic election officers on subjects like organized crime, It trained the Public Administration Re- monitors and involved key stakeholders in crime-scene investigations, domestic vio- form Unit on effective management, stra- roundtables on the importance of peaceful lence and election security. In a joint effort tegic planning and European models of elections. with the Interior Ministry, it elaborated administrative reforms. The Mission also standard operating procedures for investi- trained 140 municipal councillors from 24 Rule of law. To assist in the Government’s gating organized crime. municipalities on the process of decentral- comprehensive justice-system reform, the The Mission also initiated a strategy to ization, financing of local self-government Mission supported the drafting of a new assist training co-ordinators in deliver- units and general management skills. Law on Criminal Procedure and amending in-house police training. Through The Mission financed intermunicipal ments to the Criminal Code through par- technical and logistical assistance, the projects to foster co-operation among ticipation in government working groups.

44 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

Pedagogy students from Skopje University discuss working with children of other ethnic communities during an OSCE-supported workshop in Bitola in July. (OSCE/Eberhard Laue)

The Law, expected to be adopted in 2010, Anti-trafficking. The Government adopted from the preschool level. In this context, it will significantly alter investigation and in September a 2010-2012 national ac- supported the expansion of a government court-hearing procedures, while a new tion plan to combat human trafficking, a project for preschool education for Roma provision in the Criminal Code allows ag- policy initiated by the Mission and local children to 18 municipalities. The Mission gravated sentencing for hate-based crimes. stakeholders. The Mission helped build the also supported community roundtables on The Mission initiated training courses skills and professionalism of the national Roma access to the mainstream education to introduce the Law’s innovations to rapporteur for trafficking. The Mission system. The Mission continued to promote lawyers, judges and prosecutors. The Mis- also strengthened local skills to identify Roma issues through citizens advisory sion also educated legal stakeholders on and protect victims of trafficking through groups, as well as interactive forums be- fair-trial standards to address deficiencies a series of training courses for state labour tween the Roma and local authorities. identified through monitoring and the inspectors and social workers, as well as increasing number of applications to the through facilitating the creation and adop- Media development. The Mission par- European Court of Human Rights. tion of several policy papers regarding co- ticipated in activities related to revising ordination and assistance for street chil- broadcasting legislation. These consisted The Mission facilitated the preparation of dren. Additionally, the Mission assisted in of discussions with stakeholders and the a comprehensive draft Law on Promotion developing and implementing specialized organization of three roundtable discus- and Protection against Discrimination courses for the police on organized crime sions on the most critical issues for the and continues to support its harmoniza- and anti-trafficking. media community in the country: copy- tion with international standards. The rights, enforcement mechanisms and Mission supported the development of Education. The Mission, in close co- media concentration and pluralism. The the 2010 gender-equality action plan and operation with the High Commissioner on project aimed at providing an analysis of trained more than 100 judges, prosecutors, National Minorities, focused on integra- the current application of the broadcast- lawyers and the Ombudsman staff on the tion through education, professionaliza- ing legislation and to involve all relevant UN Convention on the Elimination of All tion of education stakeholders and con- parties in suggesting improvements. The Forms of Discrimination against Women tinuous assessment of educational reform. Mission also continued to monitor devel- and its domestic legislation. This train- The Mission trained 140 future teachers opments in the public-service broadcaster. ing module was incorporated into the on intercultural teaching methods and 50 curriculum for continuous education of municipal education officers on mediation judges and prosecutors. The Mission also and conflict resolution and strengthened supported initiatives to build the skills, the debating skills of 150 students from professionalism and sustainability of hu- ethnically mixed areas. man rights protection institutions and civil society organizations. Roma inclusion. The Mission, intent on promoting Roma integration in the education system, focused on participation

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 45 Office in Zagreb Hungary Slovenia Zagreb Croatia

Serbia Bosnia and Head of Office: Ambassador Enrique Horcajada Schwartz from 11 May, Herzegovina Ad ri succeeding Ambassador Jorge Fuentes, at ic Se a whose mandate ended on 10 May Budget: €2,312,800 www.osce.org/zagreb Office in Zagreb

The OSCE Office in Zagreb continued Human dimension activities covering and advancing residual issues in its two remaining work War-crimes accountability. The Office continued comprehensive monitoring of all na- areas — war-crimes accountability tional war-crimes proceedings, with more than 115 cases involving 415 individuals in 16 and housing care — following the courts. The OSCE continued to monitor two categories of cases referred to Croatia by the completion of the former Mission to International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for further processing. Its commitment regarding the first category — at the indictment stage — was almost Croatia’s mandate in 2007. As a result fulfilled this year, pending only the Supreme Court’s final ruling in the sole remaining of discussions via the Platform, a case. In the second category of monitoring — during the investigation phase — other special framework that has regularly evidence provided by the ICTY continued to be followed up nationally. brought together the Office and the main Government stakeholders at The Office’s discussions with Croatian authorities intensified in 2009 through its Plat- ministerial-level plenary meetings form, the ICTY Liaison Office and the delegation of the European Commission (EC), since 2006, a significant number of even as the issue of war crimes gained increasing attention in the process of Croatia’s proposed measures were adopted and accession to the European Union. Out of the six original war-crimes agenda items, implemented in 2009. Chief among only two remained key issues at the beginning of the year: in absentia convictions and these were the two important Action unprosecuted war crimes. The issues of adequate defence, integrity of witnesses, use of Plans on War Crimes Accountability, video-link and interstate co-operation between Croatia and its counterparts in other including the revision of in absentia States of the former Yugoslavia, in particular with Serbia, were considered completed or referred to the technical level. convictions from the early 1990s, as many of these convictions were seen by the public as unfair and served to foment ethnic tensions. The Office helped promote housing care programmes through its continuous field verification visits of allocated housing facilities to eligible refugee beneficiaries. The Office’s mandate received high- level political endorsement during the year, when a new Prime Minister, appointed in July, reconfirmed three ministers directly charged with OSCE portfolios: the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Co-ordination of Refugee Return, an ethnic Serb and member of the Serb Party, and the Justice and the Interior Ministers. This considerably facilitated the advancement of the Office’s work.

Office war crimes monitors and the head of Office in discussion in front of the Karlovac County Court before they attend a hearing in a war crimes trial on 30 November. (OSCE)

46 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South-Eastern Europe

Office housing monitors show the head of Office a new apartment building constructed in Dubovac as part of Croatia’s work within the Housing Care Programme for Former Occupancy/Tenancy Rights Holders. (OSCE)

One of the year’s highlights after nearly Office began transferring know-how and for the housing care programmes followed three years of discussion within the Plat- building the legal, technical and analytical by the Office. form were the two Action Plans issued skills of NGO staff through monthly joint by the chief state attorney and the police legal discussions with the Office’s moni- The Office continued supporting the -Gov director to address the remaining out- tors. In addition, the Office, together with ernment’s work to supply housing to for- standing issues. These Plans, implemented the ICTY Liaison Office, the Delegation of mer Occupancy/Tenancy Rights Holders during the first half of 2009, improved the EC and Zagreb-based embassies, par- (OTR) intending to return to Croatia, as Croatia’s system of war-crimes account- ticipated in a Steering Board that coached stipulated in its three annual benchmarks ability and countered concerns spotted NGO directors on outreach, management (2007-2009). The difficult economic situ- by the Office in its monitoring activities. and advocacy activities. Thanks to inter- ation in the building sector slowed new The OSCE, however, will continue provid- national funding, the NGOs had enough construction and delayed the achieve- ing assistance to ensure that the year’s resources at year-end to monitor all ment of the numbers targeted in the 2009 momentum, driven by the Action Plans, war-crimes trials in Croatia, though they benchmark, the last phase of the pro- is exploited in 2010 to achieve further would benefit from further strengthening gramme, pushing the overall final target progress. of their analytical and legal skills. Their into 2010. Over the programme’s duration, monitoring will continue once the Office Croatia plans to provide housing care to One of the most visible successes of the is closed down upon successful completion as many as 5,000 former OTR holders. To Action Plans promoted by the Office was of its mandate. help monitor the programme and verify the Croatian decision to review in absentia these figures, the Office visited, during convictions from the early 1990s despite Access to housing. The impact of State the year, more than 1,000 recipients of their political sensitivity. During the year, budget cuts designed to fight the global housing care in war-affected areas, remote State attorneys reviewed in absentia con- recession on refugee-return programmes municipalities and urban areas, covering victions passed against 465 people. As a was discussed at one of the Platform’s ple- the entire territory of Croatia. The visits result of changes to the Law on Criminal nary meetings, attended by four ministers, not only verified the allocation to returnee Proceedings, authorities requested that with the three participating international families, they also assessed the housing 93 convictions in 16 cases be subjected organizations, the OSCE, EC and United conditions and whether recipients used to to judicial review based on new facts or Nations High Commissioner for Refu- have tenancy rights over socially owned evidence. gees. The cuts mainly affected areas of the flats. The OSCE found the quality of hous- refugee effort other than the residual one ing care acceptable and verified that the Training and support projects. The Office followed by the Office. As a result of these majority of beneficiaries were minority continued providing support and financial discussions, the Government proposed to returnees to Croatia. assistance to national non-governmental parliament a 2010 State budget that signifi- organizations (NGO) in their monitor- cantly increased funding for the return of ing and advocacy activities in relation to expellees, refugees and displaced persons war-crimes accountability. In 2009, the and enlarged by 43 per cent the allocation

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 47 Office in Minsk Latvia Russian Federation Lithuania Russ. Fed. Minsk Poland Belarus Acting Head of Office: Mr. Jandos Asanov The mandate of the former Head of Office, Ambassador Hans-Jochen Schmidt, ended on 1 October. Budget: €1,032,700 Ukraine www.osce.org/belarus Office in Minsk

The Office in Minsk pursued Economic and environmental dimension activities

co-operation in the fields of environment and ecology, Promoting transboundary environmental-impact assessment. The Office, in co- emphasizing transboundary operation with Belarus’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, organized a workshop on environmental-impact assessment, the conduct of transboundary environmental-impact assessments with reference to the promotion of energy efficiency Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, to which and alternative energies. The Belarus is a party. The case of a planned hydropower station to be built near the city of

Grodno not far from the Lithuanian border was considered. rehabilitation of Chernobyl-affected areas remained among the Office’s Promoting best policies for energy efficiency and alternative energies. priorities. The Office promoted In co-operation with the National Department for Energy Efficiency under the State Committee for anti-trafficking initiatives, gender Standardization and the International Sakharov Environmental University, the Office

awareness and the role of non- organized a series of workshops, bringing in university experts and policymakers, focus- governmental organizations ing on policies and tariffs for the development of alternative energies. (NGOs) in Belarusian society. Monitoring activities continued. Promoting dialogue at the regional level on the security of energy infrastructure. The Office was also active in the The Office organized a workshop for Eastern European experts on the security of energy infrastructure. Participants at the workshop, organized in co-operation with the Minis- media sector. try of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Envi- ronmental Affairs, discussed opportunities to enhance regional co-operation between suppliers, transit countries and users.

OSCE staff visit a greenhouse that is part of an Office-supported project for agri-business development in the Stolin district of the Chernobyl-affected territories on 8 May. (OSCE)

48 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations Eastern Europe

1 On a study visit to Cyprus on 27 October, a group of Belarusians visit the NGO Cyprus Aid during the implementation of an OSCE project on the interaction between the State and NGOs. (Cyprus Aid/Lorraine Marriott) 2 An Office staff member delivers a lecture, entitled Values and Co-operation, at the Faculty of Philosophy and Sociology at Belarusian State University on 26 November. (OSCE)

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Rehabilitation of Chernobyl-affected the framework of an e-government proj- The Office organized follow-up public areas. The Office teamed with national ect launched in 2008. The Office offered discussions on freedom of information and regional authorities and local civil a training course for border guards on and Internet regulation with State officials society representatives to support projects border-risk analysis and invited foreign and independent civil society groups. in the regions affected by the Chernobyl experts to share best practices. It selected disaster, aiming to enhance entrepreneur- a group of journalists from State-run Monitoring activities. The Office contin- ship skills among rural youth and promote and independent media for the second ued to observe court hearings related to best practices for sustainable agro-busi- year within the framework of the On-site freedom of association, the right to peace- ness development. Research Project. The journalists visited ful assembly and the right to a fair trial. EU countries to assess best practices in The Office also monitored public demon- Promoting understanding of current journalism and upon their return pub- strations and related legal cases. challenges amid the global economic lished articles in their respective media crisis. The Office organized a conference on the results of their research. The Office Individual complaints. As in previous for students and staff on current threats provided a forum for the parliament, judi- years, the Office received a number of to trans-European security in the context ciary, the Government and relevant NGOs individual complaints, most pertaining of global economic and ecological chal- to engage in joint discussions on a possible to the work of the judiciary and to alleged lenges in co-operation with the Faculty of moratorium on the death penalty and pro- violations by law-enforcement agencies. International Relations of the Belarusian vided input from other OSCE participat- Every complaint was considered, and in National University. A student essay coming States on best practices. It supported cases falling under its mandate, the Of- petition was also organized on the same a roundtable on the rights of people with fice raised concerns with the competent theme, with the winners awarded a study disabilities organized by the Belarusian authorities. tour to the OSCE Secretariat. Association of People with Disabilities. Media-sector work. Together with the Human dimension activities Anti-trafficking and gender equality. OSCE Representative on Freedom of the The Office supported activities of the Media, the Ministry of Information and Strengthening local partners. The Office International Training Centre on Mi- the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office supported further development of working gration and Combating Trafficking in co-sponsored a seminar training course relations between the authorities and civil Human Beings in Minsk and invited of- on media self-regulation, which attracted society. To this end, with the assistance of ficials and NGOs to participate in relevant over 60 Belarusian media professionals the World Alliance for Citizen Participa- international forums. Together with the and officials. The discussion centred on tion, it initiated a project assessing the International Organization for Migration, ethical standards in journalistic practice. development of civil society in Belarus, the Office conducted a project on direct aiming at enhancing co-operation be- assistance to victims of human trafficking tween the State and civil society groups. in Belarus. The Office also supported the Ministry of The Office supported the government Justice in organizing a conference on the and NGOs in addressing gender issues and role of NGOs in modern societies. promoted gender awareness by co-spon- The Office stepped up efforts to enhance soring a public campaign against domestic the rule of law and institution-building violence. through project activities with the Gov- ernment and civil society. It held follow-up Outreach activities. To promote OSCE training courses and sessions on shar- values and commitments, the Office ing international practices for members presented the Organization and its activi- of public commissions monitoring the ties to university students. It published a penitentiary system. It organized a sec- manual for secondary-school teachers on ond European Union (EU) study visit teaching human rights and distributed it and an international conference within to schools.

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 49

Mission to Moldova Ukraine Republic of Moldova

Romania Chisinau Tiraspol Bender

ea k S

Blac Head of Mission: Ambassador Philip Remler Budget: €1,960,100 Mission to Moldova www.osce.org/moldova Field Office

The Mission to Moldova’s activities Politico-military dimension activities in 2009 focused especially on

elections. After parliamentary Political-settlement process. Formal negotiations in the so-called 5+2 format in which elections in April, the Communist- the mediators — the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the OSCE — and the observers — the European Union and the United States — are joined by the parties to the conflict, majority parliament failed to Moldova and Transdniestria, have been suspended since 2006. In 2009, Mission activi- elect a president. New elections ties focused on informal talks to build political confidence between the sides and lay the in July produced a majority groundwork for a return to formal negotiations on a political resolution of the conflict.

for the four-party Alliance for The Mission organized three informal 5+2 meetings over the year, mostly on the margins European Integration, but this of confidence-building seminars: on 21 and 22 June outside Vienna on the margins of an parliament, too, failed to elect OSCE Seminar on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures in the Military Field; on 6 November in Vienna in a meeting called by Greek Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris a president, and the country Droutsas; and on 9 November in Tiraspol on the margins of an OSCE Seminar on Co- faces elections again probably operation Between Law Enforcement Bodies. in 2010. Aside from work on the At the 6 November informal 5+2 meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Victor Osipov — elections and related rule of law Moldova’s new chief negotiator in the settlement process — and his Transdniestrian and human rights issues, Mission counterpart, Vladimir Yastrebchak, agreed to establish a regular, confidential channel activities focused on measures to to resolve a number of outstanding issues hampering the development of confidence between the sides. The two had held their first informal discussions the day before, at a enhance confidence between the session organized by the Mission. They held their first formal session in this channel on Moldovan and Transdniestrian 27 November at the Mission’s offices in Bender. sides and to renew negotiations. The Mission organized meetings Confidence- and security-building.The Mission, in co-operation with the Greek of representatives to the “5+2” Chairmanship, held a seminar on military and security aspects of confidence- and format, meetings of joint working groups on confidence-building measures, seminars on confidence- building in the military and law- enforcement fields and a lecture series on power-sharing models.

A Mission member (l) assists with missiles disposal. (Rainer Radloff)

50 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations Eastern Europe

The Special Representative of the Chairperson- in-Office for protracted conflicts, the head of Mission and officials from Moldova and Transdniestria at an OSCE-sponsored seminar on law-enforcement co-operation in Vadul lui Voda in November. (OSCE/Kelsey Harris-Smith)

security-building measures in Austria in activities by all three contingents of the academic discussion about possible ways June. The sides were represented by senior JPKF resumed. of resolving the Transdniestrian conflict. military and security officials, who agreed The Commission continued discussions on the need to include law-enforcement on issues such as freedom of movement Human dimension activities co-operation within the framework of of people, goods and services; removal of these measures. The Mission organized a non-peacekeeping posts from the security Elections and electoral reforms. The follow-up seminar on this theme in Mol- zone; improving co-operation between Mission worked closely with the OSCE’s dova in November. The OSCE and other the Moldovan and Transdniestrian law- Office for Democratic Institutions and international experts took part in both enforcement structures in the Bender area; Human Rights (ODIHR) on monitoring seminars. and increasing the effectiveness of the the 5 April and 29 July elections and the In February and July, the Mission fa- military observers. adoption of amendments to the Electoral cilitated meetings of joint Moldovan and Code. The Mission supported election- Transdniestrian working groups to discuss Freedom of movement. The Mission monitoring projects aimed at improving co-operation in the fields of health, infra- facilitated discussions between the sides, the overall quality of elections and pro- structure development, normal function- which resulted in a commitment to con- motion of electoral rights. ing of railway lines, economics and trade, tinue the mechanisms agreed in 2006 to and the environment. allow Moldovan farmers access to their Monitoring and promoting human Along with the OSCE Conflict Preven- land on the Transdniestrian-controlled rights. The 5 April elections were fol- tion Centre, the Mission continued its side. lowed by complex disturbances in which collaboration with the Moldovan Ministry at least one person died, hundreds were of Defence to develop projects to improve Withdrawal of Russian ammunition and arrested, and many detainees were stockpile management of small arms and equipment. The Mission maintained its beaten. The Mission was heavily involved light weapons and ammunition in line readiness to assist the Russian Federation in visiting places of detention and hold- with OSCE best practices. to fulfil its commitment to withdraw am- ing discussions with the Ministers of The Mission maintained frequent pa- munition and equipment from Transdni- Internal Affairs and Justice and with the trols in the security zone and throughout estria. No withdrawals took place in 2009. Prosecutor-General to determine facts, Transdniestria. The Voluntary Fund retains sufficient re- call for de-politicization of prosecu- sources to complete withdrawal tasks. tions and ensure humane treatment for Joint Control Commission. The Joint detainees. Control Commission, established to Public lectures on power-sharing Throughout the year, the Mission oversee the 1992 ceasefire agreement, met models. As an outreach activity, the Mis- responded to human rights complaints regularly throughout the year, and Mis- sion organized a series of seven lectures and monitored several high-profile court sion members attended all sessions and on different power-sharing models in the cases, including cases raising issues of chaired a sub-group on non-peacekeeping OSCE area, including autonomy, feder- the right to a fair trial, torture, religious posts in the security zone. The Commis- alization, dependencies and devolution. freedom and minority rights. sion continued to monitor the situation in The lectures were held by internationally The Mission continued to raise aware- the security zone and to provide guidance known experts of political science and ness of human rights and promote free- to the Joint Military Command of the international law and attended by students dom of assembly through projects aimed Joint Peacekeeping Force (JPKF). In 2009, and the general public both in Chisinau at building the skills and professionalism after a break of several years, joint training and Tiraspol. The lectures stimulated of police officers.

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 51 1 During patrols in the Security Zone and Transdniestria, mission members follow developments in the agricultural sector. (OSCE/Jelle Marseille) 2 From her office window, an OSCE staff member photographs riot police on their way to quell post-electoral unrest in Chisinau on 7 April. (OSCE/Ecaterina Leuca)

The Mission supported small-scale proj- Protecting language rights. The Mis- ects aimed at promoting human rights and sion continued to work with Moldovan tolerance across the Dniester/Nistru River and Transdniestrian authorities to ensure and strengthening the capacities of non- the functioning of Moldovan Latin-script governmental organizations. schools in Transdniestria. The Mission began the process of facilitating dia- Providing legal expertise and strength- logue between the schools and the local ening the rule of law. The Mission authorities. 2 worked closely with parliament on legal reforms and provided expertise on draft Preventing human trafficking and legislation. The Mission trained law- promoting gender equality. The Mission enforcement officials in freedom of assem- played a leading role in organizing month- bly and mediation. The Mission contrib- ly co-ordination roundtables among state uted to the publication of a manual about and non-state actors working on anti- mediation in criminal cases to be used by trafficking and gender in Moldova. It sup- police investigation officers. A comprehen- ported projects such as the interactive play sive analysis of the legislative-institutional 7th Kafana, which raised public awareness reasons for the sentencing of Moldova by of the threat of trafficking. Television the European Court of Human Rights was programmes, social theatre and activi- carried out and published with Mission ties in high schools were used to prevent support. trafficking, in particular among youth in rural areas. Seminars, university lectures, Trial monitoring. The final report of the a television talk show and exhibitions were Trial Monitoring Programme, carried out organized as part of the global campaign in co-operation with ODIHR, was pub- 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based lished in December. The programme aims Violence. The Mission co-operated with to enhance Moldova’s compliance with the OSCE’s Strategic Police Matters Unit OSCE commitments and other interna- and the NGO La Strada to organize train- tional standards on the right to a fair trial. ing seminars and curricula for judges, prosecutors, police and the National Insti- Promoting freedom of the media. The tute of Justice on victim-centred approach- Mission followed developments on the es to investigating trafficking. The Mission Internet and in other electronic media, continued to advocate for the adoption of a attending the sessions of the Audiovisual comprehensive law on anti-discrimination Co-ordination Council and the Super- and the effective implementation of the visory Board of the public broadcaster. Law on Family Violence. Two roundtables with the participation of donors and media NGOs were organized to share information about ongoing media projects. In co-operation with the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, the Mission organized a training seminar on media self-regulation, contributing to the founding of a Press Council that started work in December.

52 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations Eastern Europe

Project Co-ordinator in

Belarus Russian Federation Ukraine Kyiv Ukraine

Republic of Moldova Romania Sea of Azov Project Co-ordinator: Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj

Black Sea Budget: €2,758,500 www.osce.org/ukraine Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine

The Project Co-ordinator in Politico-military dimension activities

Ukraine worked closely with Ukrainian authorities to assist Aiding social adaptation of discharged military personnel. The Project Co-ordinator, domestic efforts aimed at in co-operation with the Ministry of Defence, organized retraining and employment assistance for 1,107 discharged military officers, 78 per cent of whom subsequently found institution-building, strengthening employment. More than 800 active senior military officials were trained in social rights human rights protection, and guarantees for personnel discharged due to military restructuring. combating human trafficking, promoting economic development Capacity-building for border guards. Seventeen work stations were equipped at the and tackling environmental State Border Guard Service’s newly created criminal- and risk-analysis unit. More than threats. 120 border officers were trained on risk analysis and 12 border officers on criminal analysis.

Melange disposal. The Project Co-ordinator supported OSCE efforts to assist Ukraine in the implementation of a project to safely dispose of its stockpiles of the toxic rocket fuel melange, with 470 tons shipped out for disposal in 2009.

Economic and environmental dimension activities

Supporting local economic development. The Project Co-ordinator helped local governments in two pilot regions develop ICT-based programmes that encourage economic development, accountability and transparent decision-making. It co-operated

Orphans at a Project Co-ordinator-supported life skills training session (OSCE)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 53 1 Police cadets at the Dnipropetrovsk State University of the Interior role-play scenes of combating domestic violence on 25 November. (OSCE/Alla Galych) 2 Participants work in small groups during an anti- trafficking training course organized by the Project Co- ordinator for the heads of police precincts in Kherson on 13 July. (OSCE/Tetyana Rudenko)

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with regional authorities to introduce 31,000 copies of publications targeting to cascade the positive experience gained e-governance practices that give citizens both professionals and children at risk. in previous years at the national level to electronic access to government services local government, helping to enhance local and enable village councils to provide Combating domestic violence. The government’s legislative capacity. community services online. Project Co-ordinator helped develop a specialized course on combating domestic Detention monitoring. The Project Co- Promoting environmental education and violence for police cadets and facilitated ordinator continued to support the de- sustainable development. The Project the establishment of an interactive video velopment of national preventive mecha- Co-ordinator supported the development training room at the Interior Ministry’s nisms against torture and ill-treatment of Ukraine-specific multimedia education- university. Through sharing of best prac- (NPM). Monitoring mobile groups, made al materials entitled “Green Pack,” which tices from the OSCE region, the Project up of civil society representatives and promote sustainable development and Co-ordinator assisted in the development police officers, undertook more than 390 raise environmental awareness. The toolkit of a Ukrainian methodology on corrective visits to Ukrainian detention facilities, will be introduced in Ukrainian secondary work with domestic-violence perpetrators. which house prisoners awaiting or on trial. schools beginning in 2010. Special training courses in the sphere of Administrative-law reform. The Project human rights and preventing ill-treatment Promoting environmental protection. Co-ordinator continued to assist in were conducted by NPM representatives The Project Co-ordinator supported the developing a legislative framework for for police and penitentiary-system officers. activities of the Office of the Co-ordinator Ukraine’s administrative-law reform, as The Project Co-ordinator also expanded of OSCE Economic and Environmental well as popularizing human rights protec- its monitoring into the penitentiary sys- Activities in the Moldovan-Ukrainian tion mechanisms. It also facilitated the tem, where prisoners serving out their sen- joint management on the Nistru/Dniestr development of numerous amendments to tences are held, conducting over 20 civil River basin by improving legal frame- existing legislation regulating citizen-State monitoring visits to penitentiary facilities. works, co-operation on health issues and relations, and training courses for judges. information exchange and by raising Strengthening of democratic practices. public awareness. It also drafted a project Legal education. The Project Co- The Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine document aimed at building a framework ordinator helped to improve the legal continued its assistance in strengthening and institutional expertise to detect and education system in Ukraine and ensure electoral processes in Ukraine, specifi- prevent the illegal transboundary trans- its compatibility with current interna- cally in establishing a State voter register, port of hazardous waste. tional requirements in the field of higher assisting in drafting a unified Electoral education through comprehensive review Code and training election officials. The Human dimension activities and analysis of the Administrative Law Project Co-ordinator provided more than Curriculum. 900 computers and 500 multifunctional Anti-trafficking support.The Project printers for the register and trained over Co-ordinator assisted in drafting a com- Legislative support. The Project Co- 2,200 employees of the local register main- prehensive anti-trafficking law according ordinator continued co-operation with the tenance bodies on the use of the register to international human rights standards. Ukrainian parliament, reviewing 79 leg- system. More than 80,000 election officials To raise awareness and eliminate stigma- islative acts and submitting recommenda- were trained by the January 2010 presiden- tization of trafficked persons, over 1,400 tions to bring the legislation more in line tial election. governmental, judiciary and civil society with international standards and OSCE representatives were trained. Focusing on commitments. It also supplied the parlia- prevention of trafficking in children, the ment with necessary guidelines on meth- Project Co-ordinator trained over 210 ser- odology for reviewing nascent legislative vice providers and business representatives proposals with the European acquis. In on employment of orphans and produced addition, the Project Co-ordinator began

54 — OSCE Annual Report 2009

Field Operations South Caucasus

Office in Baku Russian Federation

aGeorgi Baku

Azerbaijan Ca spian

Armenia Se a Head of Office: Ambassador Bilge Cankorel from 10 April, succeeding Ambassador Jose Luis Herrero Ansola, Turkey Iran whose mandate ended on 10 January Budget: €2,673,800 www.osce.org/baku Office in Baku

The Office in Baku supported Politico-military dimension activities Azerbaijan with its election- related commitments for the Community policing. The Office contributed to the expansion of community policing March constitutional referendum in Azerbaijan by posting community-policing experts to the cities of Mingachevir and Devechi. The Office established a programme of monthly consultation and educational and the December municipal visits to 10 cities identified by the Government as the next stage in the implementation of elections, as well as with community policing. respect to implementation of the Electoral Code. The Office Training of police and security services. The Office continued its support for basic provided assistance on the Law on police training, including monitoring and mentoring within the expanded curriculum Freedom of Assembly, reform of at the police school. The Office facilitated additional training and consultation for the police and security services on public-assembly management, combating trafficking in the police and the judiciary and human beings, best practices in border-control management, anti-corruption, combating promoted freedom of the media, terrorism and internal oversight. good governance, environmental awareness and regional economic Economic and environmental dimension activities development. Good governance and anti-corruption. The Office continued to provide free legal advice for ordinary citizens’ corruption complaints at the Guba and Sheki advocacy and legal-advice centres, operated by Transparency Azerbaijan. The Office also enhanced transparency in property transactions by publishing a guidebook explaining the related legal requirements.

The OSCE-funded Shamakhi Centre for Gender and Democracy hosts a discussion on domestic- violence issues in the region on 24 June. (OSCE/Matthew Bach)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 55 1 A participant discusses the identification of forged documents at a cross-border management workshop at an Azerbaijani-Turkish border-crossing point on 31 March. (OSCE/Anar Karimov) 2 A lawyer provides legal advice for visitors at the OSCE-funded Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre in Sheki. (OSCE/Robert Zahn) 3 The head of the Office with members of a local NGO, Women Media Watch, in Baku on 13 July (OSCE/ Rashad Huseynov) 4 Participants from military, social and welfare associations discuss activities relating to democratic 1 2 control of the armed forces at a workshop organized by the Office on 18 February. (OSCE/Anar Kerimov)

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Entrepreneurship. The Office provided companies of modern renewable-energy expertise for training courses that helped training and individual counselling for technologies and international best prac- improve the skills of legal professionals in some 300 individuals in business develop- tices in their regulation. the regions. ment to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in Sumgait, Ganja, Sheki, Barda Human dimension activities Training activities. The Office trained and Baku. It also trained business instruc- judges, lawyers, prosecutors and court tors from the Ministry of Economic Devel- Rule of law staff on the application of international opment and from non-governmental orga- Legislative assistance. The Office sup- standards in domestic court proceedings, nizations so that they could better support ported the drafting of new legislation on in particular through a new system of the expansion of small and medium-sized the rights of suspects and accused in line interactive moot-court training, as well as enterprises. with relevant international standards. The in the areas of human trafficking, juvenile Office also followed the legislative pro- justice and property-rights protection. Environmental awareness and par- cess for the adoption of new specialized ticipation. The Office launched the Civic legislation on domestic violence and on Juvenile justice. To foster the effective Action for Security and Environment pro- juveniles. implementation of the Convention on the gramme to build the skills and profes- Rights of the Child, the Office supported sionalism of civil society organizations, Trial monitoring. The Office launched a the functioning in Baku of a juvenile legal ensuring that they are strong partners for new Trial Monitoring Programme to con- clinic and a pilot diversion centre, the lat- the Government and others in addressing tinue closely observing court proceedings ter providing an alternative to custodial environmental and security challenges. throughout the country, including civil sentences. The Office also joined the Juve- The Office also continued to support the cases. The preliminary findings of the nile Justice Task Force, set up to develop Ministry of Ecology and Natural Re- Programme were discussed with members and implement reform of the juvenile- sources in increasing public awareness and of the judiciary and representatives of the justice system. participation in environmental decision- Bar Association, the Prosecutor’s Office making. and the Ministry of Justice with a view to National preventive mechanism and publishing a report in 2010. detention monitoring. The Office contin- Renewable energy. The Office worked ued monitoring remand detention facili- closely with the Ministry of Industry and Free legal advice. To address the lack of ties and prisons throughout the country. Energy and the relevant parliamentary sufficient legal resources in the regions, It also started monitoring police stations committee to enable the larger-scale appli- the Office opened a legal resource centre and supported the Ombudsperson’s Office cation of renewable energy in Azerbaijan. in Ganja, in addition to the existing two by providing training for staff with respect A conference and training seminar on in Sumgayit and Lankaran. The resource to the Ombudsperson’s new mandate as a renewable energy helped raise aware- centres, which offer a legal library and national preventive mechanism in view of ness among policymakers and energy access to the Internet, provided necessary Azerbaijan’s ratification of the Optional

56 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations South Caucasus

The Azerbaijani company Caspian Technologies constructed the country’s first large-scale wind turbine in March at Yeni Yashma, 50 km north of Baku, on the Caspian Sea. (OSCE/Robert Zahn)

Protocol to the United Nations Convention for greater involvement in the Decem- against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman ber municipal elections. The Office also or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. promoted reform of legislation affecting The Office financed the translation of a non-governmental organizations, and co- guide on monitoring places of detention, ordinated the international response to issued by the Association for the Preven- proposed amendments. tion of Torture, to raise awareness about international monitoring standards. Freedom of the media and media development. The Office completed the second Individual human rights complaints. phase of its extensive training of the public The Office assessed key individual human broadcaster to enhance its professionalism rights complaints, addressed the issues at and technical skills. The Office also began stake with the relevant authorities, if re- pilot training courses for journalists and quired, and followed up on their outcome. Government press officers on the 2005 Law on the Right to Obtain Information. Democratization The Office also continued to monitor -leg Electoral assistance. To prepare for the islative changes affecting the media, and December municipal elections, the Office lobby for legislative reform, including the held multiparty workshops on domestic decriminalization of defamation. observation in Baku and the regions, and organized a nationally televised talk show Gender issues. The Office conducted on election issues in order to promote awareness-raising activities on domestic public debate. In close co-operation with violence and promoted the proposed Law the Central Election Commission and the on the Prevention of Domestic Violence, Presidential Administration, the Office which is currently before parliament. The also held a series of information sessions Office organized a high-level conference on non-interference issues for executive and television talk shows on this issue, authorities and Constituency Election with the participation of members of Commission chairpersons. It also contin- parliament, Government, international ued training courses for domestic observer experts and civil society. groups and promoted women’s participation and candidacies.

Civil society development. The Office completed the second year of its support to the Democracy and Gender Centre in Shamakhy, which trained women in the regions in leadership and prepared them

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 57

Mission to Georgia Russian Federation

Karaleti

Georgia Black Sea Azerbaij

Armenia Turkey

Azer Head of Mission: Ambassador Terhi Hakala Budget (end-of-mandate procedure): €5,773,600 Karaleti Forward Monitoring Base

Following the outbreak of hostilities he OSCE prepared a plan to discontinue the Mission by 30 June and, in parallel, in Georgia in August 2008, and Tcarried out until then the activities of the 20 additional military monitoring officers, despite extensive negotiations, the who were deployed to areas adjacent to South Ossetia in 2008 by Permanent Council Permanent Council was unable mandate immediately after the 12 August six-point agreement brought open hostilities to an end. to reach consensus to extend At the start of the year, the Mission had 223 affiliated staff, leases on 10 premises, the mandate of the Mission to including the Karaleti Forward Monitoring Base, and assets with a net book value of Georgia, established in 1992, €2,363,345. beyond its expiration date of 31 The unified budget programmatic activity had been finalized and closed by the end of December 2008. The Mission’s 2008. During the first six months of 2009, all staff left the employ of the OSCE Mission three-pronged mandate had covered to Georgia. The 10 leases were all successfully ended. More than 96 per cent of assets with a net book value of €2,280,409 were disposed of, with the remainder covering the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, lost, damaged or outdated items. The Karaleti base was prepared for transfer/sale to the including facilitating a lasting European Union Monitoring Mission, an operation that was carried out on 3 July, in part political settlement and monitoring thanks to Sweden, which agreed to donate its part of the base to facilitate the disposal. a peacekeeping operation; ensuring Meanwhile, the 20 unarmed military monitoring officers, whose mandate was due to liaison with the United Nations expire on 30 June, averaged four to six patrols a day in teams of two to four. Observation Mission in Georgia They fostered contacts and meetings among the relevant security structures, talked to the local people and inquired about their safety and well-being. They filed daily patrol with respect to the Georgian-Abkhaz reports, weekly overviews and spot reports as necessary for the delegations in Vienna. conflict; and, in relation to Georgia The officers, representing 17 countries, conducted approximately nine hundred patrols in as a whole, fostering respect for 2009. human rights and fundamental When the mandate of the 20 monitors elapsed on 30 June, the Mission to Georgia freedoms and assisting in the closed. development of legal and democratic institutions and processes.

OSCE military monitoring officers at the Karaleti Forward Monitoring Base in March 2009 (OSCE/Lika Kakiashvili)

58 — OSCE Annual Report 2009

Field Operations South Caucasus

Russian Federation Office in Yerevan

aGeorgi

Azerbaijan

Armenia

Yerevan

Kapan Turkey Azerbaijan Head of Office: Ambassador Sergey Kapinos Budget: €2,694,900 Office in Yerevan Iran www.osce.org/yerevan Programme Implementation Presence

The Office in Yerevan provided Politico-military dimension activities substantial assistance to Armenian authorities in all three security Police-assistance activities. The OSCE teamed with police working groups to develop dimensions, most notably in and present strategies on police-training reform and expansion of community policing, which led to the setting up of a governmental working group on police reform, with combating trafficking and OSCE involvement. corruption, supporting parliament and police, empowering women, Freedom of assembly. The Office organized training for municipalities on the Law on addressing environmental Rallies and Demonstrations and, with the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and challenges and fostering small and Human Rights, provided financial and methodological support to the monitoring of medium-sized enterprises and public gatherings by civil society groups. economic competition. The Office Democratic oversight of the armed forces. With Office financial support, civil society also assisted the host country in organizations monitored the military-conscription procedure. Together with the Om- addressing a serious economic budsperson, the Office prepared a report on disciplinary sanctions in the armed forces downturn. and helped set up a co-ordination council between the parliament and civil society. The results were discussed at a conference on security-sector governance, organized together with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.

Support to emergency-situation management. Assistance was rendered to provide accurate and timely information on emergencies. The Office improved television broad- casts and the emergency newspaper through journalistic and public-relations training, as well as through the provision of basic equipment.

At the concluding 9 April press conference of an OSCE project to build the skills and professionalism of the staff of the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition, the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ashot Shahnazaryan, said: his project provides European “Tstandards of monitoring, which will help limit anti-competitive behaviour. It also gives the staff Children look at hand-woven rugs at an arts and craft fair in Goris, Syunik province, on 17 October. The Office an opportunity to improve their organized the fair to improve the skills of female entrepreneurs and to reinforce the work undertaken by the monitoring skills and knowledge.” OSCE-founded and -operated Syunik women’s resource centres. (OSCE/Gayane Ter-Stepanyan)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 59 1 The opening of a police outreach station in Yerevan on 19 June (OSCE/Gayane Ter-Stepanyan) 2 The head of the Office (l) and the Prime Minister of Armenia (r) at the opening of a local branch of the National Small and Medium-Sized Development Centre in Kapan, Syunik province, on 26 June (OSCE/Karen Arzumanyan)

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Economic and environmental forces and introduced a human rights Unit fulfilled its role as a co-ordination, dimension activities module in the Military Academy. Under monitoring and information-sharing body. another project, training courses on hu- The Office assisted in setting up a national Promoting economic good governance. man rights monitoring techniques were referral mechanism and presented a train- The Office continued its support to small given to civil society organizations in the ing manual for law-enforcement agencies. businesses in the regions of Armenia by provinces of Armenia. increasing awareness of state support Gender issues. The Office helped estab- schemes and reviewing the Government’s Protecting freedom of thought, con- lish two women’s resource centres to pro- competition policy, structures and practic- science, religion or belief. A discussion of mote women’s entrepreneurship in Syunik es. In order to further mitigate the impact the draft amendments to the Law on Free- province. It co-sponsored the first annual of the global economic downturn, it pro- dom of Conscience and Religious Organiza- prize for the best gender journalism in vided experts and venues for seminars to tions was organized, and financial support Armenia. provide specific policy recommendations. was provided for a civil society project on monitoring religious freedoms. Youth. The Office commissioned a survey Environmental activities. The OSCE- about young people’s knowledge of labour supported Aarhus Centres continued to Supporting the Ombudsperson. The rights and trade unions and raised aware- promote transparency in environmental Office co-ordinated international assis- ness among students about manifesta- matters through projects. Under the En- tance in capacity-building for the Ombud- tions of corruption in higher education. vironment and Security Initiative, the Of- sperson’s staff through a working group A small-grants programme for regional fice facilitated a review of environmental and organized a study visit to the Office of youth centres promoted civic activities. legislation and helped establish a National the French Mediator. Advisory Group to design future projects. Electoral reform. The Office provided The OSCE Presence in Syunik continued Supporting criminal-justice reforms. In financial and logistical support for the its efforts to stimulate sustainable develop- support of the implementation of the Gov- Central Electoral Commission in host- ment and the use of renewable energy in ernment’s Strategy on Judicial Reforms, ing the annual conference of Central and the region. the Office organized training for judges on Eastern European election officials in guiding pre-trial investigations and pub- Yerevan. It assisted the Commission in Fighting corruption. The Office assisted in lished a trial manual for judges. It advo- preparing for the Council of Elders elec- elaborating the Government’s 2009-2012 cated introducing amendments to the Law tion in Yerevan on 31 May, and provided Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan. on Advocacy and facilitated international methodological and financial assistance to Civil society organizations implemented expertise on the draft criminal procedure domestic election observers. several anti-corruption projects with Of- and judicial codes. The Office funded a fice financial support. project to make the Prosecutor-General’s Supporting the National Assembly. The website interactive. Office offered a three-week legislative Human dimension activities training course to the professional staff of Media freedom. The Office facilitated a re- the parliament, as well as an exchange visit Monitoring places of detention. The view of amendments to the Law on Radio to Lithuania. Office organized training courses on and Television and advocated amendments monitoring techniques and reporting for to the Law on Freedom of Information to Establishing a diplomatic academy. The civil society and published reports on de- ensure public access to government-held Office provided know-how in drafting the tention conditions, including on military information. Financial support was pro- curriculum for a diplomatic academy and detention. vided for a project to monitor violence offered high-level trainers. against journalists. Human rights mainstreaming. The Office Model OSCE. Two Model OSCE confer- co-organized a roundtable discussion on Anti-trafficking. The OSCE-supported ences were organized in Shirak and Lori human rights protection in the armed Anti-Trafficking Support and Resource provinces.

60 — OSCE Annual Report 2009

Field Operations Central Asia

Aral Sea Centre in Ashgabat

Kazakhstan

Uzbekistan

Ca spian Turkmenistan Se

a Tajiki Ashgabat Head of Centre: Ambassador Arsim Zekolli from 10 February, succeeding Ambassador Ibrahim Djikic, Iran Afghanistan whose mandate ended on 9 January Budget: €1,401,700 www.osce.org/ashgabat Centre in Ashgabat

In 2009, the Centre celebrated Politico-military dimension activities its 10th anniversary with a number of groundbreaking Support to the media sector. To support media-education reform, the Centre orga- projects. In response to an OSCE nized a one-week training seminar for journalists from print and electronic media and a two-week media training course for journalism students at the Institute for International Ministerial Council Decision on Relations, which was opened by the Foreign Ministry in 2008. Engagement with Afghanistan, the Centre implemented two Strengthening border security and management. The Centre continued to assist in projects to assist customs and improving travel-document security through training courses for law-enforcement of- border services in Turkmenistan ficers. The courses took place in the cities of Dashoguz and Turkmenbashi. and Afghanistan. It initiated new Combating organized crime and trafficking in drugs.The Centre trained airport se- areas of co-operation with the curity personnel in detecting drugs and other contraband. It also provided the Aviation host country such as support to Training School with a computer classroom. In addition, it sponsored a training course the media sector, the penitentiary on identifying drug precursors and backtracking investigations to build the skills of system and combating human drug and law-enforcement officers and forensic experts. trafficking, while also assisting in Confidence- and security-building measures (CSBMs). the development of a renewable- The Centre held a workshop to support the host country in implementing CSBMs under the Vienna Document 1999. energy market.

Assisting customs and border officials from Turkmenistan and Afghanistan The Customs Assistance Project, which was financed by Norway and carried out from May to September, trained customs officials from Turkmenistan and Afghanistan in customs’ risk assessment, profiling, targeting, selection and search techniques. Furthermore, a Border Project was implemented. It consisted of two field training courses on the Turkmen-Afghan border and included a donation of patrol and surveillance equipment to the State Border Service of Turkmenistan. The project was funded by Japan and took place between August and November. “The Border Project marks a new milestone in OSCE activities in Central Asia. Organizing a practical training course in difficult field conditions was a pioneering effort for all of us. The project had a special significance for Turkmenistan, which, by hosting Afghan participants in the training, proved to be an active partner and contributor to security in the region and beyond.” — Ambassador Arsim Zekolli, Head of the OSCE Centre A practical exercise during an OSCE-organized training course at the Turkmen-Afghan in Ashgabat border on 13 October (OSCE/Guncha Nepesova)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 61 1 Students study the programme of an OSCE- organized environmental film festival in Ashgabat on 2 December. (OSCE) 2 Participants at a regional conference on co- operation in the area of railway border crossings in Central Asia organized by the Centre and the Office of the OSCE Co-ordinator for Economic and Environmental Activities in Balkanabat in July (OSCE/ Martina Gadotti)

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Economic and environmental Human dimension activities the Institute for International Relations. dimension activities It supported a study visit to France on re- Support to the legislative process. In training practices for the judiciary. The Strengthening regional co-operation at co-operation with the OSCE’s Office for Centre provided legal consultations to railway border crossings. A regional con- Democratic Institutions and Human more than 190 individuals and supported ference explored international legal instru- Rights, the Centre supported legal reforms national institutions dealing with individ- ments in promoting railway conveyance by offering two seminars on tools for an ual complaints. It disseminated more than and applying best practices to enhance the effective legislative process. Five members 4,000 human-rights-related publications. transit of goods in Central Asia. of Turkmenistan’s parliament participated in a study tour to the Slovenian and Aus- Anti-trafficking.The Centre addressed Promoting the development of a trian parliaments and to the OSCE Perma- trafficking in human beings at two renewable-energy market. The Centre nent Council. The Centre developed a legal seminars supplemented by a study trip to supported the host country in develop- database aimed at promoting the rule of Ukraine. It supported the National Red ing renewable solar and wind energy by law and ensuring easy access to Turkmeni- Crescent Society in raising awareness organizing a workshop for Turkmenistan’s stan’s legislation. about trafficking in persons. renewable-energy experts. Support to the penitentiary system. The Promoting gender equality. The Centre Support to agricultural reforms. The Centre organized two seminars on inter- organized a seminar aimed at promoting Centre trained representatives from national legal standards for the treatment and protecting gender equality. It sup- governmental agricultural agencies and of prisoners for officials from penitentiary ported the non-governmental organiza- private business in farm-business manage- institutions and students at the Police tion Keik Okara in opening a hotline on ment and discussed with them the reform Academy. domestic violence and providing legal and of small and medium-sized businesses in psychological consultations to victims of the agricultural sector. Promoting international human rights domestic violence. To promote women’s standards. The Centre organized train- roles in public life and inter-parliamen- Waste management. The Centre offered a ing courses throughout the country with tary dialogue, the Centre initiated a visit training course to farmers from the south- a focus on alternatives to detention at the for female parliamentarians from the ern Mary region in processing solid and pre-trial stage of criminal proceedings. western Balkans and Central Asia to biological waste. It launched a series of lectures on inter- Turkmenistan. national human rights law for students at Promoting sustainable land and water management. The Centre carried out a project in the Mary region to improve farmers’ abilities to manage land and water resources and facilitate effective water use by the local community.

First environmental film festival in he experience of implementing international conventions in protecting marine resources in other sea regions can be useful for safeguarding the Caspian Turkmenistan. The first environmental “T region’s biodiversity and sustainable maritime transport system. The work of interna- film festival was held in Turkmenistan. It tional organizations like the OSCE with national authorities to raise awareness about aimed to raise awareness of global envi- the existing conventions and to promote regional dialogue is crucial.” ronmental threats and promote the media — Boris Babin from the Odessa National Marine Academy, one of the experts at a workshop on as a viable means for stimulating public international maritime law and interstate co-operation organized by the Centre in Ashgabat in discussion on this issue. November

62 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations Central Asia

Centre in Astana Russian Federation

Astana

Kazakhstan

China

Ca Aral Sea

spian Almaty

a Uzbekistan Kyrgy stan Head of Centre: Ambassador Alexandre Keltchewsky Tu rkmenistan Tajikistan Iran Budget: €2,070,400 Pakistan Centre in Astana Afghanistan www.osce.org/astana Liaison Office

The Centre in Astana continued Politico-military dimension activities to focus on projects supporting ongoing political reform, Political reforms. In support of its democratization efforts, marked by the adoption particularly in light of the early in the year of new laws on elections and on the registration of political parties, the Centre supported election-observation seminars, conducted several roundtables and important strategic documents conferences, including a roundtable devoted to interaction between political parties and adopted by the host country, as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and supported visits of election experts from well as activities in support of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to discuss the host country’s 2010 OSCE electoral legislation. Chairmanship preparations. The Modernization of the police force. Centre, building on its experience The focus continued to be placed on regional co- operation in combating organized crime, community policing and basic police training. from previous years, organized The Centre also provided practical assistance to prosecutors from across Kazakhstan in a number of regional events implementing international legal protocols. A study tour to assist the Interior Ministry involving the participation of in shaping its new strategy is planned for 2010. Central Asian countries, such as one on confidence- and security- Border security and management. The Centre focused during the year on Kazakh- building measures (CSBMs) in stan’s northern and southern frontiers with two training courses organized in co- operation with the International Organization for Migration and other stakeholders. May, and another on asset seizure The courses included information on international best practices. in the fight against corruption and terrorism in July, both of which CSBMs and conventional ammunition. The Centre organized two regional events in took place in Almaty. co-operation with the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation and the Ministry of De- fence. The first event addressed CSBMs, and used the occasion of the Vienna Document’s 10th anniversary as an opportunity to review and re-evaluate the implementation of its provisions. The second event was a seminar on the Implementation of the OSCE Hand- book of Best Practices on Conventional Ammunition. Like the first event, it involved the broad participation of practitioners from Central Asia and the Caucasus. Additionally, the Centre participated in an inspection visit to military sites in Kazakhstan, and supported Ministry of Defence officials’ participation in a similar visit abroad.

Participants take part in a group exercise at a community-policing seminar in Oskemen on 24 August. (OSCE/Dina Iglikova)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 63 1 Participants at a Central Asian regional workshop on confidence- and security-building measures in Almaty on 26 May organized by the Centre and the Kazakh Ministry of Defence (OSCE/Vladimir Kryukov) 2 At a Centre-organized workshop in Uralsk on 1 July, participants discuss how to improve co-operation between NGOs and local and regional authorities in environmental decision-making. (OSCE/Aiman Smagulova) 3 Students learn about the value of water at a Central Asian regional seminar in Almaty on 1 December. (OSCE/Andrew Offenbacher) 4 Military observers from OSCE participating States 1 2 view materiel at an airbase in Taldykorgan on 28 Octo- ber. (OSCE/Dina Iglikova)

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Economic and environmental Promoting Aarhus and other interna- legislation and to bring law-enforcement dimension activities tional conventions. The Centre supported practices into line with international stan- the implementation of the Aarhus Con- dards on freedom of religion or belief. The Promoting a transparent and efficient vention by training judges on access to Centre also supported initiatives aimed at economic environment. The Centre justice and facilitating the opening of Ka- strengthening the capacity of national hu- focused on the fight against corruption, zakhstan’s first Aarhus Centre, in Atyrau. man rights institutions. money laundering and the financing of As a follow-up to the 16th Economic and terrorism. It facilitated training courses Environmental Forum, the Centre initiated Gender issues. In co-operation with for the financial police in investigating co-operation with the International Mari- ODIHR, the Centre facilitated legal reviews corruption cases and organized a re- time Organization to promote the ratifica- of draft legislation on gender equality and gional seminar on asset seizure in the fight tion of international maritime conventions domestic violence, and conducted several against corruption and terrorism. It also and organized a regional seminar to im- awareness-raising campaigns and monitor- initiated co-operation with the State Cus- prove the authorities’ ability to effectively ing projects on gender issues prior to the toms Committee on integrity in customs. respond to oil spills. December adoption of legislation on these The Centre further launched a dialogue on important topics. The Centre also facilitat- reform of the Prosecutor-General’s office Human dimension activities ed a study tour on best practices in combat- with the goal of reducing the potential for ing domestic violence for parliamentarians, corruption among prosecutors. Addition- Judicial and legal reforms. In co- law-enforcement officers and civil society ally, the Centre continued to support the operation with the relevant stakehold- members. transparency initiative for the extractive ers, the Centre provided expertise and industries of oil, gas and mining and proj- facilitated the exchange of experience in Anti-trafficking support.The Centre ects aimed at broadening the initiative’s various rule-of-law issues, including those worked with state authorities and NGOs scope. related to the adoption of a new legal pol- to conduct several expert meetings and icy concept. The Centre helped organize training events on the legislative and en- Promoting sustainable development. public discussions and research on judicial forcement aspects of fighting trafficking in The Centre finalized a training module on reforms, investigative procedures, admin- human beings. integrated water management, which is istrative legislation, crime prevention, jury being used to train members of civil so- trials and judicial authorization of arrest. Media development. The Centre ciety and stakeholders who participate in Findings were discussed at expert meet- supported the professional development advisory river-basin councils in eight river ings and distributed to the public via the of journalists though a variety of training basins. It also helped launch a new train- media. programmes. Substantial efforts were made ing course on sustainable development to enhance the media’s co-operation with for business managers and supported the Human rights and democratization. The NGOs and state institutions. It also facili- development of a national plan for sustain- Centre supported several activities to pro- tated an exchange of views on Internet- able development. mote the reform of freedom-of-assembly related legislation and journalism ethics.

64 — OSCE Annual Report 2009

Field Operations Central Asia

Centre in Bishkek

Kazakhstan

Bishkek

Kyrgyzstan

Osh Uzbekistan China

Tajikistan Head of Centre: Ambassador Andrew Tesoriere

Afghanistan Budget: €5,409,300 Centre in Bishkek Pakistan www.osce.org/bishkek Field Office

The Centre in Bishkek assisted in Politico-military dimension activities the implementation of Kyrgyzstan’s OSCE commitments, concentrating Border security and management. The Centre worked to enhance cross-border its programmes on six strategic dialogue. It also contributed to conflict prevention in border areas, including through the creation and strengthening of local conflict-prevention mechanisms. The Centre areas: border management and also helped develop the border agencies’ skills and professionalism and inter-agency co- security; rule of law; governance; operation. The Centre launched a flagship project aimed at delivering sustainable train- legislation; environmental and ing to Kyrgyz and Afghan customs officials. Donor co-ordination was promoted. economic priorities; and regional co-operation. Gender and youth Action against terrorism. The Centre supported the strengthening of Kyrgyzstan’s anti- considerations were integrated into terrorism legislation by facilitating the implementation of 10 of the 16 United Nations anti-terrorism instruments. It helped boost the country’s physical defences, including all programmes. Issues relating through training on bomb disposal, terrorist financing, travel-document security and to migration continued to receive security of critical energy infrastructure. The Centre promoted public-private partner- special attention. ships in combating terrorism. Through a series of training courses in all seven provinces of the country, it addressed such issues as implementation of freedom-of-religion principles, de-radicalization and the need to protect and promote human rights while combating terrorism.

Police reform. The Centre supported the development of community-based policing throughout the country, with training courses and seminars on public-private partnerships in crime prevention, combating torture and police ethics, and promoted civilian

Young journalists at a training session on financial journalism supported by the Centre in Naryn on 25 August (Naryn KG/Jarkyn Ibraeva)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 65 1 A police forensics officer shows children fingerprint- ing techniques during a police open day in Bishkek on 10 April. (OSCE/Ruslan Izmaylov) 2 An OSCE staff member (r) speaks with the head of the Bishkek Neighbourhood Watch project, a police officer and a resident in the city’s Sverdlovsky district on 25 March. (OSCE/Sergey Gavrilin) 3 Bomb-disposal training, funded by the Centre, held for Interior Ministry troops in Bishkek on 28 October (OSCE/Kutman Borboev) 4 Police investigators learn to identify fingerprints on a car during an OSCE-supported training course in 1 2 Karakol on 14 September. (OSCE/Ernis Isamatov)

3 4 oversight of police activities. The Centre practices. It promoted the participation of Good governance. The Centre worked assisted with incorporating international women and youth in political life. together with the National Agency on standards into police education institu- Corruption Prevention and local non- tions’ curricula. The Centre supported Media issues. The Centre continued to governmental organizations to improve gender mainstreaming in police activities monitor media issues, including media the transparency of local government and multiethnic policing. An international legislation and journalist safety, to pro- management of public finances by includ- conference on the role of female police mote a free, professional and responsible ing civil society in the budget process. It officers in a democratic society was held in media. It supported media resource cen- also supported an initiative to increase Bishkek in November. tres in the country’s regions and helped transparency in land distribution and the enhance journalists’ skills. The Centre higher-education sector. Early warning and conflict preven- co-organized with the OSCE Represen- tion. The Centre continued to monitor tative on Freedom of Media the 11th Environmental issues. The Centre sup- areas of potential conflict, facilitated Central Asian Media Conference, held in ported civil society and government in ad- dialogue between authorities and civil Bishkek in October. dressing environmental issues and helped society, and supported regional and local in the implementation of the Aarhus and early-warning and conflict-prevention Economic and environmental Espoo Conventions. The Centre supported initiatives. It promoted interethnic and dimension activities villages in Kyrgyzstan, setting up efficient interreligious tolerance through aware- and transparent water-distribution sys- ness-raising and activities geared towards Economic issues. The Centre contrib- tems to reduce the potential for conflict the development of multiethnic and multi- uted to improving the business climate with neighbouring communities in Ta- cultural communities, with a special focus by supporting the exchange of informa- jikistan. The Centre promoted social and on youth and education. tion between investors and authorities. It economic development in the former ura- helped train urban youth mentors to, in nium-mining village of Min-Kush. It also Development of political institutions. To turn, train their rural counterparts in ba- contributed to efforts aimed at attracting nurture democratic pluralism, the Centre sic business skills. The Centre supported donor support to address the overall Cen- fostered the skills and professionalism a network of labour-migrant assistance tral Asian uranium-tailings problem. The of political parties, parliament and local centres to facilitate legal employment for Centre supported the establishment of a self-government bodies. It helped enhance Kyrgyz migrants abroad. It also financed disaster-reaction training centre in Osh their interaction with the public through a nation-wide survey on the implications and arranged community-based training televised debates and public hearings on of the global financial crisis on labour sessions on disaster preparedness. topical issues. The Centre supported plat- migration from Kyrgyzstan. It helped forms that enhanced political dialogue authorities achieve a more regulated among various political forces, and intro- cross-border labour-migration and trade duced Kyrgyz political leaders from across environment. the political spectrum to international best

66 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations Central Asia

A billboard promoting an OSCE- supported international conference on the role of female police officers in Bishkek in November (OSCE/Ruslan Izmaylov)

Human dimension activities in police custody and pre-trial detention National Action Plan on Gender Equality facilities. The Centre worked on estab- for 2007-2010. It encouraged female repre- Institutional and legal reform. The lishing a national prevention mechanism sentation in national and local authorities Centre supported efforts to bring national against torture in accordance with the and greater female participation in public legislation into line with OSCE commit- Optional Protocol to the UN Convention life through an awareness-raising cam- ments. It facilitated international experts’ against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman paign and training seminars on a gender- legal opinions of draft legislation on or Degrading Treatment of Punishment. based assessment of budgets. To address freedom of assembly, freedom of religion It supported free legal aid for socially bride kidnapping and domestic violence, and belief and freedom of association. vulnerable groups, including victims of the Centre supported parliamentary hear- In preparation for presidential elections torture, particularly in remote areas, and ings, a public awareness campaign, and on 23 July, it supported voter education promoted the establishment of a viable crisis centres for victims in Naryn and through a series of television and radio state mechanism for free legal aid to the Issyk-Kul provinces. It assisted in develop- public-service announcements and de- indigent. ing and reviewing national anti-trafficking bates, and publication of election-related legislation, awareness-raising on human materials, training of election officials and Promoting gender equality and fighting trafficking among youth, and co-ordinat- independent domestic observers. trafficking in human beings.The Cen- ing among civil society, law-enforcement tre assisted in the implementation of the and local authorities. Penal reform. To contribute to the reform and humanization of criminal legislation and the penitentiary system, the Centre assisted in applying alternative sentencing, developing a probation service, building capacity and training wardens on conflict- resolution skills, safety and human rights. It contributed to strengthening the skills and professionalism of local human rights defenders to monitor detention facilities. OSCE Academy Now in its seventh year, the OSCE Academy graduated 19 students with a Master Promoting adherence to international of Arts in Political Science and recruited 23 students from Central Asian countries human rights standards. The Centre sup- and Afghanistan. It continued its training programme and its forum for security- ported ongoing judicial reform through policy experts from Central Asia, East and South-East Asia, Europe and the United the training of judges, prosecutors, po- States to analyse and discuss key regional security dynamics. The Academy initiated lice and court personnel. It facilitated consultations to launch a junior professional programme to allow graduates to start monitoring of trials and contributed to careers with their national administrations. the improvement of detention conditions

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 67

Kazakhstan Office in Tajikistan Kyrgyzstan

Khujand

Uzbekistan China Garm Dushanbe Tajikistan Kulyab Head of Office: Ambassador Ivar Vikki from 15 September, kmenistan Kurgan-Teppa succeeding Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Shartuz whose mandate ended on 14 June Pakistan Afghanistan Budget: €5,629,800 Office in Tajikistan www.osce.org/tajikistan Field Office

The Office in Tajikistan Politico-military dimension activities continued its co-operation and consultation with the host country, Political dialogue. In co-operation with the Public Council of Tajikistan, a body that launching new programmes and was created during the peace process after the Civil War to foster dialogue and reconciliation, the Office continued to facilitate meetings for government officials, political par- strengthening existing ones, ties and civil society to assess current developments. Addressing emerging threats, the reflecting the country’s increased Office launched a new activity aimed at combating violent extremism and radicalization importance to regional security that lead to terrorism. The project began after a thorough needs assessment. It foresees and co-operation and enhanced conducting a survey on trends in radicalization and assisting government and civil soci- OSCE engagement. A major ety in formulation of policy guidelines to counter radicalization. new initiative with OSCE-wide Border security. Office experts provided support to the government in drafting a nation- significance was launched with al border strategy. The OSCE Border Management Staff College conducted its first train- the inauguration of the Border ing seminars for participants from 14 OSCE participating States. Other projects provided Management Staff College. border-patrol training and equipment for Tajik border troops and customs officials, an Other highlights included the assessment of training programmes for the Tajik Border Guard Academy, as well as an establishment of a national Afghan-Tajik workshop on cross-border co-operation. demining unit within the Defence Police assistance. Based on an OSCE-supported assessment, the Office, in co-operation Ministry and support for the newly with the Interior Ministry, presented the principles for police reform, incorporating created Ombudsperson office. OSCE best practices, introducing change-management strategies to foster the development of organizational and operational skills needed, for example, in combating

Senior officials from the Afghan and Tajik border agencies take part in a group exercise at a workshop on cross-border co-operation in Dushanbe on 23 October. (OSCE/Kati Helska)

68 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations Central Asia

1 Schoolchildren from Tojikobod participate in a travelling OSCE anti-drugs campaign on 4 September. (OSCE/Oliver Janser) 2 Civil society representatives discuss new models and best practices of combating violence against women in Dushanbe on 20 August. (OSCE/Gennadiy Ratushenko) 3 Tajik border troops take part in an exercise during an eight-week border patrol leadership course of the Border Patrolling Programme in Gissar on 2 September. (OSCE) 4 A student reads from the Universal Declaration of 1 2 Human Rights at an OSCE-organized event on Human Rights Day, 10 December, in Dushanbe. (OSCE/ Gennadiy Ratuschenko)

3 4 organized crime. Together with the Drug improving operations at the national Veri- Business, investment development and Control Agency, the Office conducted a fication Centre, which has a permanent regional trade. Ten OSCE-supported drug-prevention campaign in the districts connection to the OSCE Communication resource centres for small business and of Sughd, Khatlon and Rasht Valley. Network, the Organization’s conduit for agri-business advised or trained 8,948 the timely exchange of such information. entrepreneurs and farmers over the course Mine clearance. In 2009, the Office of the year. In partnership with the Euro- created a national demining unit within Economic and environmental pean Bank for Reconstruction and Devel- the Defence Ministry. Supported by dimension activities opment, the Office created and piloted a OSCE advisers, the team was deployed for framework under which it converted the clearance operations to the Tajik-Afghan Effective environmental policies: centres into independent public-private border. Regional co-operation for mine legislation and awareness. The Office business consultancy services. In order clearance in Central Asia took a step for- brought in international expertise to sup- to attract investments, 169 local officials ward at an OSCE conference in Dushanbe, port the development of the draft of the learned best practices. The Office also where several Central Asian countries first National Environmental Action Plan, provided technical assistance to Tajik agreed to create a regional co-ordination as well as recommendations for amend- anti-corruption authorities to help them body for mine clearance by 2010. ments to the Waste Management Law. It develop a better corruption-prevention also fostered environmental education programme. In addition, it also dispatched Small arms and light weapons and con- and activism among youth through the an international expert to advise on the ventional ammunition. Building on the Green Patrol programme, an initiative that Sughd Free Economic Zone in northern results of its past four years of activities aims to increase environmental awareness Tajikistan. Further south, the Office, that successfully created an infrastructure among youth and encourage environmen- through its four cross-border trade pro- for enhancing the safe storage and de- tally friendly behaviour. A third Aarhus motion centres, advised 446 entrepreneurs struction of small arms and light weapons Centre was opened in Kurgan-Tyube, engaged in trade with Afghanistan. and conventional ammunition, the Office while the first Aarhus Centre, established continued to support local governments in 2003 in Dushanbe, was being trans- Water management. The Office assisted through training. In addition, the Office ferred into the control of Tajik environ- in developing a water-management infor- provided assistance in developing a legal mental authorities at year-end. mation system. The Office designed the framework on incident response. concept, customized database software Addressing radioactive-waste threats. and integrated it within relevant govern- Confidence- and security-building The Office worked closely with experts ment agencies. As a result, Tajik water au- measures. The Office continued to from the International Atomic Energy thorities can now more effectively regulate support the Government’s efforts to Agency to assess the threat posed by water supplies. observe its commitments under the Vi- radioactive waste in northern Tajikistan enna Document 1999 on confidence- and and to calculate the cost to rehabilitate security-building measures, in particular affected areas.

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 69 Office staff members encounter two ethnic Kyrgyz children on the Pamir Highway en route to Murgab at the Chinese border on 15 July. (OSCE/Kati Heiska)

Human dimension activities Democratization of the media. The literacy courses and domestic-violence Office supported the development of a counseling. Human rights and rule of law. The Office distribution network for print media to strengthened the capacity of key human improve outreach to readers. It also pro- Anti-trafficking assistance. To aid rights institutions and actors in Tajikistan vided newsprint grants to 27 newspapers government officials in their efforts to through a series of roundtables, regular followed by management training courses combat trafficking in human beings, the co-ordination meetings, and intensive to eight newspapers to help increase their Office organized studies of best practices, human rights training for university stu- print-runs. With the Office’s assistance, followed by training on national referral dents. The Office also provided networking a code of professional ethics and a self- mechanisms and international best prac- support to the Office of the Human Rights regulation mechanism were developed, tices applicable to Tajikistan. The Office Ombudsperson, who was appointed in which resulted in the establishment of the also initiated a process that resulted in the May following close co-operation between Tajik Media Council. The Office continued inclusion of an anti-trafficking course in the Office and the host government. The to offer training courses to young journal- the Tajik Police Academy curriculum from Office also facilitated dialogue between ists in Internet journalism, media law and 2010. government and civil society on ensuring economic reporting. access to detention centres and prisons; freedom of religion; respect for the rights Gender. In addition to supporting the of individuals belonging to minorities and only shelter for female victims of domestic access to justice; as well as on preventing violence in the country, the Office contrib- torture and ill-treatment. Ahead of the uted to strengthening the capacity of na- February 2010 parliamentary elections, tional agencies dealing with gender equal- the Office supported dialogue on electoral ity and gender-based violence through reform through community meetings study of best practices and training. As- throughout the country on democracy and sisted by the Office, 11 women’s resource free and fair elections and voter-education centres promoted girls’ school enroll- programmes with a special focus on youth. ment and conducted vocational training,

70 — OSCE Annual Report 2009

Field Operations Central Asia

Project Co-ordinator in Aral Sea Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Uzbekistan Tashkent

Turkmenistan Tajikistan Project Co-ordinator: Ambassador Istvan Venczel Iran Afghanistan Budget: €1,910,300 www.osce.org/tashkent Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan

The Project Co-ordinator in Politico-military dimension activities Uzbekistan continued to focus on implementing projects launched Police reform. The Project Co-ordinator continued to support the Police Academy in in previous years and encouraged improving its system of training, placing increased emphasis on issues such as ethics in policing, crime prevention and police preparedness, in accordance with OSCE principles increased Uzbek Government and and standards. The Project Co-ordinator supported the establishment of aCentre of civil society participation in OSCE Innovative Training/Pedagogic Technologies. events, projects and study visits in all three dimensions. Combating illicit drugs trafficking and terrorism.The Project Co-ordinator set up a library within the National Centre on Drug Control to improve information exchange among the relevant agencies and to conduct training courses for the Centre’s regional representatives.

Drugs trafficking.The Project Co-ordinator organized training courses for counternar- cotics experts in combating the trafficking of illicit drugs and their chemical precursors. It also published 3,500 copies of an informational toolkit for law-enforcement officers on places of drug concealment for transit purposes.

Biometric passports. In response to an Uzbek request, the Project Co-ordinator and the OSCE’s Action against Terrorism Unit launched a project and organized a workshop on identity documents to assist the government’s efforts to introduce a biometric-passport system.

Participants at an OSCE-organized training course take part in practical exercises on detecting, testing and sampling chemical precursors used in the production of illicit drugs in Tashkent on 25 June. (OSCE)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 71 1 An expert from the German Federal Environmental Agency shows one of the world’s largest artificial stream-and-pond systems to a delegation from the Uzbek State Nature Protection Committee in Berlin on 6 July. (UBA/Dietmar Wunderlich) 2 Staff from the Internal Affairs Ministry attend an OSCE-organized training course on the theory and international standards of human rights in Ferghana on 23 February. (OSCE/Ildar Fayzullin)

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The Project Co-ordinator also held a Monitoring environmental threats. Combating trafficking in humanbeings. number of training courses and confer- Facilitated by the Project Co-ordinator, The Project Co-ordinator addressed ences to support socio-political organiza- civil society groups and the State Nature current anti-trafficking trends through tions and improve their staffs’ skills and Protection Committee together engaged projects developed with the authorities on professionalism. in monitoring environmental threats in more efficient institutionalization of anti- the Tuman district of Tashkent. A paint- trafficking policies. It also supported a Economic and environmental ing and photograph contest for children specific Training Centre for Prosecutors by dimension activities and adults was used to highlight waste- providing learning aids. To ensure protec- management problems. tion for victims, the Project Co-ordinator Good governance. Through expert established a legal-aid unit within the advice, the Project Co-ordinator support- Addressing transport-related topics. In NGO Istiqbolli Avlod and, jointly with ed the government in its efforts to reform December, the Project Co-ordinator, in the Office for Democratic Institutions and the Central Bank’s anti-money-laundering co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Human Rights, enhanced the skills of spe- rules and regulations. Uzbek experts also Economic Relations, Investments and cialized lawyers, including from NGOs, by received training on the international legal Trade, organized a regional roundtable to convening a workshop on Protecting the framework and on obligations for banks discuss transport-related questions with Rights of Trafficked Persons. and supervisory authorities. its Central Asian neighbours. The roundtable touched upon issues of road and rail Promoting human rights. The Project Promoting entrepreneurship. The Project transport, security and environmentally Co-ordinator continued its involvement in Co-ordinator assisted in drafting a law sound means of transport. building the skills and professionalism of on the international arbitration court, the Human Rights Protection Department which will improve legal security for Human dimension activities of the Interior Ministry through training entrepreneurs. courses on international human rights Strengthening civil society. The Project standards for 150 police officers from all Reforming legislation. The Project Co- Co-ordinator provided assistance to regions. It also assisted in the preparation ordinator launched a project to support enhance the institutional skills and pro- of a methodological manual on national the drafting of a commentary to the Civil fessionalism of the National Association and foreign experience in the field of hu- Code aimed at easing its application. of Non-Governmental Organizations man rights. The Project Co-ordinator (NGOs) on topics such as women’s em- also supported the development of the Supporting farming and rural powerment and enabling civil society to Law Training Centre under the Ministry development. The Parliament, the Min- take a rights-based approach in its activ- of Justice through establishing a Human istry of Agriculture and Water Manage- ism and advocacy as well as on preparing Rights Resource Centre and facilitating ment and the Project Co-ordinator worked and giving presentations. In a separate the opportunity to study the experience of together to convene an expert working project, it continued raising the profes- similar institutions in other OSCE partici- group to reform agricultural legislation sionalism of public institutions and NGOs pating States. and prepare the drafting of a rural devel- active in social protection, or work de- opment strategy. signed to reduce poverty and vulnerability. Supporting the Ombudsperson. The Together with the Farmers’ Association, It did so by developing guidebooks, social Project Co-ordinator supported co- the Project Co-ordinator, continuing a advertisements and training to enhance operation among the national Parliament’s project from 2008, established three re- the professional knowledge of both social Ombudsperson and judicial and law- gional farming development centres and workers and NGOs. enforcement bodies through a number of organized training courses on sustainable workshops. and ecological farming.

72 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Field Operations Assistance with Bilateral Agreements Representative to the Latvian-Russian Joint Commission on Military Pensioners

The Representative continued Activities and developments to assist in the implementation of the 1994 bilateral agreement Housing problems successfully tackled. Progress was made in 2009 after several between the Latvian and the years dealing nearly exclusively with complaints linked to the potential eviction of military pensioners and their families from so-called denationalized accommodation, Russian Governments on under which authorities returned property expropriated by Soviet nationalization and social guarantees for military given to servicemen of the Soviet Army. The Commission was able to discontinue such pensioners of the Russian discussions in 2009. This encouraging trend is the result of the persistent efforts of the Federation and their families Latvian and Russian authorities to soften potential hardship situations for affected residing in Latvia. The latest pensioners. available overview listed 15,119 Dissent on the subjects of the Agreement. The Commission is currently engaged in people who receive a pension identifying possible procedures that could allow the inclusion of additional people on from the federal budget of the the list of eligible military pensioners. Different opinions concerning the application Russian Federation, comprising of specific provisions of the Agreement need to be taken into account, and a common 8,243 former military personnel understanding of basic principles needs to be developed before the Commission will from the Defence and Interior be in a position to propose elements for potential new procedures. Ministries, plus 6,876 family OSCE Representative: Lt. Col. Helmut Napiontek members. Budget: €9,300

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 73

Institutions

Photos: OSCE/Karolina Sikorska, OSCE/Roberto Berna, OSCE/Oleg Sironov

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 75 Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Organization’s principal institution dealing with the human dimension of security, deployed election operations to 26 participating States, 10 for the first time, in 2009 while further diversifying its election-observation teams to include experts and observers from 52 participating States. Other highlights included the organization of events that spotlighted work on participating States’ core human dimension commitments, including on hate crimes, freedom of religion and gender equality. During the year, the Office also continued its assistance to participating States to ensure that national legislation complied with OSCE commitments. It commented on draft laws on such topics as freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom of information.

Monitoring implementation voter registration, national minorities and example, its experts monitored the con- new election technologies. It also made duct of trials in Armenia resulting from The Office widened the scope of its elec- advances in increasing the geographic the March 2008 post-electoral violence tions operations considerably last year. composition of its election-observation in Yerevan with a view to making recom- Missions covering 26 participating States, teams, with experts and observers from 52 mendations to improve trial standards. 10 for the first time, were deployed to 15 participating States taking part in these In response to a series of violent as- elections, including the European Parlia- missions, a significant number of whom saults on Roma in Hungary in 2008 and ment elections in June. were financed by a voluntary fund aimed early 2009, the Office led an assessment Tasked by the OSCE Permanent at such diversification. visit to the country from 25 June to 3 July. Council, the Office deployed an election- The Office provided election-related The team met local, regional and national support team for the presidential and pro- training and expertise to staff from both government officials, Roma leaders and vincial elections in Afghanistan. The team governmental and civil society organiza- victims’ families. recommended measures to improve the tions, including training for short-term To follow up a 2006 Ministerial Council conduct of future elections there. observers and support for national train- Decision promoting equal access to early The Office continued to improve its ing efforts. education for Roma children, the Office election-observation methodology, espe- The Office’s monitoring work is not sent a questionnaire to participating States cially in the areas of media monitoring, restricted to the area of elections. For and non-governmental organizations

Election observation and assessment missions Country Election Date Type of Mission Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Presidential & Municipal 22 March & 5 April Observation Montenegro Early parliamentary 29 March Observation Moldova Parliamentary 5 April Observation Iceland Parliamentary 25 April Assessment European Union Parliamentary 4-7 June Expert group Albania Parliamentary 28 June Observation Bulgaria Parliamentary 5 July Limited observation Kyrgyzstan Presidential 23 July Observation Moldova Early parliamentary 29 July Observation Norway Parliamentary 14 September Assessment Germany Parliamentary 27 September Assessment Portugal Parliamentary 27 September Assessment Greece Parliamentary 4 October Assessment Romania Presidential 22 November & 6 December Limited observation Croatia Presidential 27 December Limited observation Uzbekistan Parliamentary 27 December Assessment

76 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Institutions Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

1 The Office’s Director (r) at a polling station near Bishkek during the Kyrgyz presidential election on 23 July (OSCE/Jens Eschenbaecher) 2 Croatian teachers learn to use the Office’s anti- Semitism materials in Split on 2 September. (Croatian Education and Teacher Training Agency) 3 Hate Crime Laws: A Practical Guide (OSCE) 4 An expert from the Office moderates a side event on anti-trafficking issues at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 1 October. (OSCE/Piotr Markowski)

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(NGOs) in preparation for a special day on supplementary meeting on this theme, in a lack of reliable data in most participating Roma and Sinti during the Human Dimen- 2003. The third meeting was devoted to States. The Office also published a guide sion Implementation Meeting. gender equality, with a focus on combating to hate-crime legislation for policymakers violence against women. Another event — and lawmakers. Human dimension events a Human Dimension Seminar — held from During the year, the Office assisted 14 to 16 May in Warsaw, looked at issues 12 OSCE States in developing country- The Human Dimension Implementation related to constitutional justice. specific teaching materials and teacher- Meeting is one of the focal points of the training seminars designed to combat OSCE calendar each year, and more than Support for implementation anti-Semitism. A resource guide on Mus- 1,000 participants — representatives of lim communities was published in co- governments, NGOs, intergovernmental In an effort to combat hate crimes, the Of- operation with a Madrid-based NGO. organizations and the media — gathered fice provided training for police trainers in The Office also organized three thematic in Warsaw for the 2009 event. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland in the roundtables for civil society, experts and The meeting, which took place from 28 identification, prosecution and prevention government officials. The first, on- com September to 9 October, reviewed progress of these crimes. In September, it organized bating anti-Semitism, was co-organized made by participating States in imple- a Russian-language training workshop in with the Personal Representative of the menting their human dimension commit- Warsaw for 25 human rights trainers from Chairperson-in-Office on Combating ments. Among the publications launched the Commonwealth of Independent States. Anti-Semitism. The second, on racism, at the meeting was a compilation of good Three months later, using skills acquired was held to mark the International Day for practices in human rights education in during that event, staff from a Ukraine- the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. school systems, developed jointly with the based NGO led a training workshop in The third, on intolerance against Chris- United Nations High Commissioner for Kyiv on how to prevent and respond to tians, was the first of its kind in the OSCE Human Rights, the Council of Europe and hate crimes. The Office also published a region. the United Nations Educational, Scientific resource guide for civil society on how to With regard to freedom of assembly, the and Cultural Organization. prevent and respond to hate crimes. Office and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, in The Office also organized three Supple- Together with the Greek Chairmanship, co-operation with the Ombudsperson of mentary Human Dimension Meetings the Office organized the second annual Kyrgyzstan and other partners, convened in Vienna in May, July and November, expert-level meeting for state-nominated a roundtable in October on freedom of as- respectively. Participants at the first meet- contact points on hate crimes to exchange sociation in Central Asia. The roundtable ing focused on the effectiveness of hate- information, discuss priorities and im- made recommendations for improving the crime laws in participating States, while prove co-operation on hate-crime data situation in each country and in the region at the second meeting they studied the collection. The Office’s annual report on as a whole. In Armenia and Kazakhstan, implementation of OSCE commitments hate crimes in the OSCE region, published the Office continued to monitor the situ- on freedom of religion or belief and the in November, concluded that the full ex- ation of human rights defenders and to progress made in this area since the last tent of hate crimes remained obscured by strengthen their capacity to monitor and

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 77 Participants at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, which took place in Warsaw from 28 September to 9 October (OSCE/Piotr Markowski)

report on freedom of assembly. registers in the compilation of accurate consultations to discuss recommendations Gender mainstreaming was another voter lists and the observance of interna- and share expertise from the OSCE region. area of focus. Following up on 2008 rec- tional privacy standards — core issues for The Office’s legislative-support activities ommendations for reform, the Office the Office’s work in the area of popula- also focus on legislative systems, look- supported the establishment of a network tion registration — were the theme of a ing at how laws are prepared, discussed, of female police officers in South-Eastern seminar held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in adopted and monitored. Following the re- Europe and held seminars on integrating December. The seminar brought together lease of a report assessing the law-making a gender perspective into national security experts from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ka- process in the former Yugoslav Republic policy and the armed forces. zakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan of Macedonia, the Office assisted national The Office collaborated with other and Ukraine to address population- authorities in formulating recommenda- international organizations and OSCE registration reforms in post-Soviet states. tions to improve the efficiency and trans- field operations to assist participating In response to the growing requests from parency of law-making. In Turkmenistan, States seeking to respect human rights participating States for expertise and the Office also completed a cycle of work- while countering terrorism. The Office policy advice on population-registration shops on law-making. organized a roundtable in Tajikistan on reform, the Office published Guidelines on In another project, the Office, in co- understanding violent extremism and Population Registration in 2009. operation with the International Criminal radicalization leading to terrorism, a The Office also published The Fight Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and training session on combating terrorism Against Torture. This online handbook for the United Nations Interregional Crime and protecting human rights at the Police practitioners collates the OSCE’s experi- and Justice Research Institute, supported Academy and the Higher School of the ence in torture-prevention work and iden- the transfer of responsibility for pending State Committee on National Security in tifies best practices and strategies. war-crimes cases to national authorities in Tajikistan and a workshop for civil society South-Eastern Europe by ensuring that ex- in Kyrgyzstan on addressing violent ex- Legal support pertise developed in The Hague was made tremism and terrorism. available to local actors. The project’s final To enhance the protection of the rights The Office commented during the year report, published in September, presents of trafficked persons, the Office organized on draft laws concerning freedom of as- the knowledge and experience gained in workshops in Turkey and the United sembly, freedom of association, freedom strengthening the capacity of domestic Kingdom that examined the findings from of information and freedom of reli- judiciaries to effectively and efficiently the Office’s National Referral Mechanism gion, as well as on laws addressing hate handle war-crimes cases. assessments and debated the continuing crimes, elections, gender issues, domestic challenges in supporting rights-based violence, trafficking in human beings, Director: Ambassador Janez Lenarcic approaches to trafficking and assisting anti-discrimination policies, judicial in- Budget: €15,399,100 its victims. Also, following research in dependence, criminal matters and consti- www.osce.org/odihr a number of participating States on the tutional amendments. The Office’s Expert return of trafficking victims to countries Panel on Freedom of Assembly — jointly of origin, it organized an expert seminar with the Council of Europe’s Venice to identify practices and gaps in human Commission — provided legal advice on rights protection in the return process. amendments to a number of draft laws on The need to guarantee individuals’ freedom of peaceful assembly. Many of the freedom of movement, the use of public opinions were followed up by in-country

78 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Institutions High Commissioner on National Minorities

High Commissioner on National Minorities

The High Commissioner on National Minorities continued to address ethnic tensions within and between states, examining minority situations in many participating States and advising them on how to improve legislation related to national minorities and interethnic relations in general. The High Commissioner also assisted a number of countries in their bilateral dialogue on national-minority issues. The High Commissioner promoted the Bolzano/Bozen Recommendations on National Minorities in Inter-State Relations as a tool to facilitate such dialogue through a series of regional roundtables, focusing on the Balkan and Baltic regions, as well as Central Asia. The situation of Roma and Sinti continued to be a focus for the High Commissioner, as he took part in a year-long joint activity on the issue of Roma migration in the region with the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency.

Bosnia. The High Commissioner visited have been most reluctant to naturalize, quality of education, and that all short- Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of Europe’s as well as the scope and reasons behind comings identified by educators, as well most diverse and multiethnic societies, in the decreasing motivation to naturalize. as by pupils and parents, be addressed. March. This was the first-ever visit of the Other recommendations included that Moreover, he suggested that parents High Commissioner to the country and citizenship be granted automatically to all play a larger role in the consultation and an indication of his concern about the lat- children born in Estonia after 1991, as well decision-making process concerning edu- est developments there. During the visit, as to those born in future to non-citizens’ cation reform. the High Commissioner paid particular families, and taking a more inclusive ap- attention to the problem of segregated proach to non-citizens and the naturaliza- Georgia. The High Commissioner visited education as a growing number of school tion process in public discourse. Georgia twice, meeting with the Govern- children attend classes divided by ethnic- While the High Commissioner wel- ment in Tbilisi to discuss a number of ity and religion. He also met with repre- comed the Government’s efforts to carry issues, including Georgia’s policy on na- sentatives of different minority communi- out education reforms, he recommended tional minorities and the High Commis- ties residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina that progress be monitored on a regular sioner’s conflict-prevention and integra- and took part in the public launching of a basis, particularly with respect to the tion activities in the regions of Samtskhe- new textbook on the history and culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 17 officially recognized national minorities.

Croatia. The High Commissioner offered assistance on issues such as equitable representation of national minorities in the public sector, procedures to promote minority representation in parliament and the benefits of using education to promote improved interethnic relations, tolerance and reconciliation between different ethnic groups. The High Commissioner stressed that integrated education is particularly important in this regard.

Estonia. Education reform and the natu- ralization process were the focus of the High Commissioner’s visit to Estonia, including the Narva Region, in March. He made a number of recommendations aimed at accelerating the process of natu- ralization, including initiating a socio- A conflict resolution class supported by the High Commissioner in Gvardeiskoy, Crimea logical study to identify those groups that (OSCE/Oleg Smironov)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 79 The Dutch Minister for European Affairs (r) awards the High Commissioner’s prestigious Max van der Stoel award to staff from one of its non-governmental organization partners, Ukraine’s Integration and De- velopment Centre for Information and Research, in The Hague on 14 October. (OSCE/Arnaud Roelofsz)

Javakheti and Kvemo-Kartli, as well as dialogue between Hungary and Slovakia High Commissioner on multiethnic polic- the Meskhetian repatriation process. The in relation to the Slovak State Language ing were subsumed into the OSCE’s wider High Commissioner expressed his support Law. police-reform programmes in the country. for the Government’s efforts to introduce bilingual education. Kazakhstan. The political participation The former Yugoslav Republic of While he was able to travel to Abkhazia, of minorities was the subject of the High Macedonia. The High Commissioner including the Gali District, he was once Commissioner’s visit to Kazakhstan in focused on the need to promote an inte- again unable to cross the administrative May. Talks focused on improving the sys- grated system of education during visits boundary line en route to Tskhinvali. He tem whereby nine parliamentary seats are in January and October. To assist the held talks with the South Ossetian partici- reserved for national minorities. This dia- Government in addressing this issue, the pants on the sidelines of the Geneva Dis- logue continued during a second visit in High Commissioner, in close co-operation cussions, where he received assurances that September, when the High Commissioner with the OSCE field operation, produced he would be able to visit the area in 2010. outlined his recommendations on how a policy paper recommending areas for In Sukhumi, the High Commissioner the role and legitimacy of the Assembly of improvement, including curriculum and conveyed his concerns to the de facto the People of Kazakhstan — a consulta- textbooks, teacher training, language ac- Abkhaz authorities about the situation of tive body on minority issues attached to quisition and the planning of joint activi- Georgians in the Gali District, and their the President — could be strengthened. ties. The paper, publicly presented in Octo- worries about being further separated The issue of education reform was raised ber with the support of the Prime Minister from the rest of Georgia. He urged the au- during both visits, particularly the in- and Minister of Education, was being thorities not to impose Abkhaz passports troduction of multilingual education finalized at year-end by a governmental on Georgians in the Gali District, and to with a view to ensuring the integration working group. allow Georgian students to study in Geor- of minority-language schools. The High The High Commissioner also provided gian. He emphasized the need to avoid any Commissioner took note of the fact that expert assistance in the preparation of practices that could further increase ten- the authorities were paying close attention reports on education in minority languag- sions in the region. to further enhancing interethnic relations es for smaller communities — Serbian, in the country. Bosniak, Roma, Vlach and Turkish — in Hungary. In visits to Budapest in February the country. The High Commissioner and September, the High Commissioner Kyrgyzstan. The High Commissioner and continued to implement projects on extra- raised the issue of ethnic Hungarian mi- the Kyrgyz authorities discussed multilin- curricular activities involving students norities abroad, particularly in Slovakia gual and multicultural education during a from different schools and with students (for more, see Slovakia below). This ques- visit to Bishkek and Osh in November. In of different ethnic backgrounds in order to tion has been an important focus of his Osh, the High Commissioner examined strengthen multiethnic co-operation and work because he feels an effective, peaceful the educational situation of the Uzbek dialogue. and friendly resolution to issues of na- community and offered to continue his tional minorities in inter-State relations in support for the integration of this commu- Moldova. The High Commissioner contin- Central Europe would serve as an example nity through education. The High Com- ued to support the Moldovan authorities for other OSCE regions. The High Com- missioner also urged the authorities to in their efforts to promote the linguistic missioner and the Hungarian authorities take steps to ensure greater participation integration of national minorities. The also discussed how they were dealing with of minority representatives in all aspects Association of European Teachers of the problems facing Roma minorities. of public life. Moldova, sponsored by the High Com- The High Commissioner also facilitated In 2009, programmes launched by the missioner, provided free-of-charge State-

80 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Institutions High Commissioner on National Minorities

An ethnic Albanian and an ethnic Macedonian student perform in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in a project promoting interethnic communication in Kicevo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, on 28 February. (OSCE)

language courses to over 350 civil servants school curriculum and its effects on the officials and civil society leaders took part from minority-populated areas. To address teaching of minority languages. in discussions on ways of dealing with the the underlying problem of insufficient past and how this process could become State-language acquisition through the Serbia. The High Commissioner urged part of a wider public debate. With the education system, Pro Didactica, a partner the Government to address a number of publication of the paper, it is essential that organization funded by the High Com- minority-related issues, such as improve- local actors play a more meaningful role in missioner, conducted a comprehensive ments with respect to access to judicial moving the process forward. needs assessment on language education proceedings in minority languages, as The High Commissioner remained en- in minority schools, and the study was dis- well as access to higher education, dur- gaged with educational issues in Kosovo, tributed to interested schools throughout ing a February visit that included stops especially the question of access to educa- the country. in Belgrade and the regions of southwest tion for Gorani children in the Dragash/ and southern Serbia. In this context, the Dragas municipality and revision of the Montenegro. The High Commissioner High Commissioner commended the deci- Serbian-language curriculum. During assessed the situation of national minori- sion of the Government’s Co-ordination a visit to Kosovo in February, the High ties in the framework of Montenegro’s Body for the Municipalities of Presevo, Commissioner travelled to Dragash/Dra- parliamentary elections. He also provided Bujanovac and Medvedja to conduct a gas in order to discuss a solution to the post-election assistance and expertise to feasibility study on the possible estab- issue of getting all Gorani children to re- the Montenegrin authorities, including by lishment of a multiethnic, multilingual turn to school and allowing them to study participating in a roundtable tasked with higher-education facility in the southern the curriculum of their choosing and in drafting recommendations on the imple- municipalities. In order to provide ex- the language of their choosing. He again mentation of the Constitution, especially pertise on minority-education issues, the raised this issue during his visit in July. with regard to the promotion of the effec- High Commissioner provided an interna- tive participation of national minorities in tional expert to assist the authorities with Slovakia. The High Commissioner closely public life. the research and drafting of the feasibility followed the controversy generated by study. The results of the study are expected the adoption of amendments to the State Russia. The High Commissioner made to be made public in 2010. Language Law, which has caused tension two visits to the Russian Federation, in During his visit, the High Commis- not only within Slovakia but also in rela- March and June, as part of his study of the sioner also delivered a legal analysis of the tions with Hungary. During his visits to educational situation of ethnic Russians Draft Law on National Minority Councils both Bratislava and Budapest, the High in Ukraine and ethnic Ukrainians in Rus- to the Ministry of Human and Minor- Commissioner offered expert advice sia (for more, see Ukraine below). During ity Rights. Many of his comments were aimed at defusing tensions and ensuring the latter visit, the High Commissioner integrated into the subsequent draft of the that the new legislation did not have an presented his findings and recommenda- Law, which was adopted by Parliament in adverse impact on national minorities. The tions to the Russian Government. Discus- September. Prime Ministers of both countries agreed sions with Russian authorities in Moscow to follow all of the High Commissioner’s also focused on a range of other matters, Three years of work on the process of recommendations. including the situation of other national transitional justice in Kosovo led by the In a detailed analysis of the amended minorities in Russia, the status of ethnic High Commissioner culminated with law, the High Commissioner concluded Russians abroad, legislative initiatives in the release of a policy paper during the that it was legitimate to strengthen the Russia, particularly with regard to ethnic Commissioner’s visit to Pristina in July. State language as long as it did not limit Russians abroad, and the reform of the Throughout the process, a number of local the linguistic rights of minorities. To this

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 81 The High Commissioner met with future Russian- language teachers at Narva College in Narva, Estonia, on 3 March. (Eugeni Ashihmin)

end, he suggested that the Slovak authori- The High Commissioner continued to ties develop detailed guidelines for the promote tolerance and interethnic co- interpretation and implementation of the operation on the Crimean Peninsula. A law. Staff from the High Commissioner’s partner organization funded by the High Office worked closely with Slovakia’s Cul- Commissioner, the Integration and Devel- ture Ministry to draft these guidelines, opment Centre in Simferopil, was awarded which were adopted in December. the prestigious Max van der Stoel Award in October for its outstanding achieve- Tajikistan. During his visit to the country ments aimed at facilitating genuine inte- in June, the High Commissioner focused gration and the participation of all ethnic on the language issue. In particular, he communities in the region. discussed with Government officials and representatives of national minorities ways Uzbekistan. During a visit to Uzbekistan to advance the knowledge of the Tajik lan- in April, the High Commissioner focused guage in minority-language schools, while on the implications of education reform maintaining Tajikistan’s record of provid- for minority communities and on ways ing mother-tongue teaching. The High of improving State-language teaching in Commissioner also engaged in dialogue minority schools, as well as on the partici- with the Tajik authorities concerning the pation of national minorities in public life. State Language Act. The High Commissioner also took part in the Review Conference of the Inter-State Ukraine. A study of the educational situ- Dialogue on Social Integration and Na- ation of ethnic Ukrainians in Russia and tional Minority Education in Central Asia, of ethnic Russians in Ukraine was one of in Samarkand, which provided a forum to the main points of focus during the High examine best practices and challenges in Commissioner’s two visits to Ukraine in the areas of textbook development, teacher 2009. During his second visit, in July, the training, language training and distance High Commissioner presented the find- learning. ings and recommendations of his study to the Ukrainian Government. High Commissioner: Knut Vollebaek During the July visit, the High Com- Budget: €3,118,500 missioner also hosted a confidential www.osce.org/hcnm roundtable in Kyiv for political institutions, international organizations and formerly deported communities to discuss legislation concerning the rights of those communities. On the basis of the meeting, the High Commissioner made a number of recommendations for the Ukrainian authorities.

82 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Institutions Representative on Freedom of the Media

Representative on Freedom of the Media

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media continued to observe media developments in the 56 OSCE participating States and promoted full compliance with OSCE commitments on freedom of expression and free media. The Representative intervened with respective governments in 62 instances of serious media-freedom violations, including cases where States continued to tolerate violence against media workers, criminalize speech or otherwise limit pluralism. He also made 44 public statements. In one of the Representative’s most important areas of concern, several States took key steps forward: Romania, Ireland and the United Kingdom decriminalized defamation. Participating States made little progress, however, in ensuring the physical safety of journalists. Most of the murders and violent attacks against journalists, in 2009 or earlier, remained unsolved and their perpetrators at large.

Regional conferences scholars — shared experiences and good international standards and practices, as practices and strengthened personal and well as with OSCE commitments; The Office organized the 11th Central professional contacts. • reviewing the Armenian Law on Broad- Asia Media Conference in Bishkek, Kyr- casting. The Office welcomed the posi- gyzstan, in October, and the sixth South Legal assistance tive amendments incorporated into the Caucasus Media Conference in Tbilisi, newly adopted legislation, but at the Georgia, in November. Both events dis- The Office continued to provide legal as- same time stressed the need for further cussed challenges to journalism in their sistance to participating States throughout reforms. It recommended changes to en- respective regions and issued recom- the year by: sure that a diversity of political opinions mendations on journalism education. The • co-operating with the authorities of was represented and also proposed that conferences are now established venues Kazakhstan to improve the draft law on amendments be made to the system for for meetings among media professionals information and communication net- financing the public broadcaster; who otherwise have little or no profes- works. The Office of the Representative • offering recommendations to the Ukrai- sional interaction due to overriding made recommendations to the drafters nian Parliament on improving the draft political suspicion in an environment of in order to bring their text into line with law on access to information; protracted conflict. The Conference in Central Asia brought together media professionals and government officials from all five states of the region: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmeni- stan, with the latter rejoining after a long absence. Conference participants agreed in a final Declaration that media freedom and pluralism should be at the heart of ongoing reforms of academic and on- the-job training for journalists across the region, and that curricula should be updated hand-in-hand with technological developments to ensure professional and pluralistic media in the future. The South Caucasus media forum provided a platform for constructive discussions of challenges to journalism- education systems in Armenia, Azerbai- jan and Georgia. The delegates — leading media professionals, government offi- Participants at the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation Seminar on Media Self- cials, representatives of civil society and Regulation in Vienna on 19 June (OSCE/Adeline Hulin)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 83 Students of the new Institute for Foreign Relations in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, listen to a lecture by the Representative in April. (OSCE)

• commissioning a legal review of Kyr- but, most importantly, it will also encour- Self-regulation gyzstan’s draft law on mass media. The age many other nations that have not yet draft, despite certain obvious merits, made such reforms. The Office’s Media Self-Regulation contained provisions detrimental to Also during the year, the Irish Parlia- Guidebook, published in 2008, met with the development of media freedom in ment approved the Minister of Justice’s ever-growing demand from participat- Kyrgyzstan, and required additional 2008 initiative to eliminate criminal defa- ing States. The book was translated into revision in accordance with recommen- mation. The new legislation entered into two additional languages during the dations based on international law; force on 1 January 2010. year, making it available, apart from the • preparing a legal review of the draft The Romanian Parliament approved a original English, in Albanian, French, amendments to Moldova’s Broadcast- new Criminal Code that decriminalized Hungarian, Russian and Turkish. Readers ing Code. The Office concluded that defamation on 17 July. Libel and insult, in Azerbaijan, Montenegro and Tajikistan the proposed amendments would not including those committed by the media, can also read it in their local languages. adequately deal with the problems will be handled exclusively by civil courts All versions are available on the Represen- they were meant to resolve, while some after the new Code enters into force, set tative’s website. draft provisions would negatively affect for 2012. The Office endorsed aCode of Conduct pluralism. The Representative also praised the for media professionals in Tajikistan intention expressed by the President of agreed on 21 May. It also welcomed Developments regarding France to decriminalize defamation in a the subsequent establishment of a self- criminal defamation laws 7 January speech. regulatory body in the country. The Code

The year brought some encouraging signs of a re-emerging trend to reform obsolete criminal defamation laws. Following long-standing support from the Office, on 12 November, the United Kingdom decriminalized defamation, sedition and seditious libel, defamatory libel and obscene libel in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Representa- tive commended the UK for this crucial achievement, a first among the OSCE’s Western European participating States. The decriminalization of defamation not Journalists and press secretaries at a training course only eliminated what the Representative on access to information in Belgrade in March called a “chilling effect” on the UK media, (OSCE/Ilia Dohel)

84 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Institutions Representative on Freedom of the Media

Participants at the 11th Central Asia Media Conference in Bishkek in October (OSCE)

was elaborated by independent journalists, journalists in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in including obligations to inform the elec- non-governmental media organizations April, and addressed students of the newly torate, to strictly respect rules on impar- and university lecturers. The largest pro- established Institute for International tiality and balance, and to grant all par- fessional media associations signed the Relations. ties and candidates equitable access. Code, which set important criteria for un- biased and professional journalism. Joint statement on media and The Representative: Miklos Haraszti The Office organized a media self- elections by global media- Budget: €1,312,000 regulation seminar for the Mediterranean freedom rapporteurs www.osce.org/fom Partners for Co-operation in Vienna on 19 June. Initiated by Egypt, this first-of-a- On 15 May, the Representative, together kind event provided a unique platform for with the world’s three other leading mech- multinational dialogue on the practices anisms for the protection of free speech and potential of media self-regulation, — rapporteurs on freedom of expression focusing on enhancing mutual trust and from the United Nations, the Organization understanding. The seminar was financed of American States and the African Com- by the OSCE Partnership Fund. mission on Human and Peoples’ Rights — signed a Joint Statement on the Media and Training activities Elections.

The Office held training courses for jour- The statement called for: nalists and press secretaries in Belgrade, • measures to create an environment in Serbia, to promote effective interaction which a pluralistic media sector can between state officials and journalists in flourish; order to increase public access to official • the repeal of laws that unduly restrict information. The courses were sponsored freedom of expression; by Austria and Karaganda, Kazakhstan. • protection against liability for dissemi- The Office also continued a set of train- nating statements made directly by po- ing courses on media self-regulation that litical parties or candidates; started in 2008. Events promoting media • effective systems to prevent threats and self-regulation as a credible mechanism for attacks against the media; upholding ethical standards and profes- • rules against discrimination in the allo- sionalism were held in Albania, Belarus cation of political advertisements; and Moldova. • any regulatory powers to be exercised The Representative opened an unprec- only by independent bodies; edented one-week training course for • clear obligations on public broadcasters,

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 85

Secretariat

The Vienna-based Secretariat (OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 87 Secretariat

In 2009, the OSCE Secretariat, led by the Secretary General, continued working to ensure implementation of OSCE decisions and to support the process of political dialogue and negotiation among the participating States. It provided operational support to participating States through a wide range of mandated activities across all dimensions. It worked hand-in-hand with the Greek OSCE Chairmanship to fulfil the Organization’s goals and to maintain consistency from one year to the next. It supported all OSCE executive structures in order to ensure coherent and co-ordinated action across the Organization.

Throughout the year, the Secretariat sup- • improving border security and manage- More detailed reports on the activities ported the Greek Chairmanship and all ment, in particular in Central Asia; of the Secretariat in 2009 are provided participating States in their renewed dia- • promoting action against terrorism, in the relevant sections that follow, the logue on current and future challenges to including through public-private structure of which reflects the composi- security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian partnerships; tion of the Secretariat: Office of the Secre- area. This dialogue, which was initiated • police-related activities, including ef- tary General, Conflict Prevention Centre, at the 2008 Helsinki Ministerial Council forts to fight organized crime and illicit Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE meeting and launched by the Greek Chair- drugs; Economic and Environmental Activities, manship as the Corfu process, addressed • promoting economic and environmen- Department of Human Resources and the all dimensions of security. The OSCE tal co-operation, including on good gov- Department of Management and Finance. Secretariat and institutions provided their ernance, transport issues and migration best possible expert support and contribu- management; Budget: €31,514,900 tions to the process driven by the perma- • fighting against trafficking in human nent representatives of participating States beings, including by providing expert in Vienna, including through presenta- support for the prosecution of offenders, tions to Corfu process meetings. protection of victims and prevention of There were increasing requests through- this crime; out the year for the Secretariat to provide • advancing gender equality through- operational support to field operations. out the Organization’s structure and Implementation of the end-of-mandate programmes. procedure for a large field operation in the first half of 2009 was a major test for The Secretariat also made significant -ef the Secretariat. In terms of the complexity forts to enhance dialogue with OSCE of the political and administrative issues Partners for Co-operation, to develop co- involved, the process of closing the Mis- operation with other international orga- sion to Georgia placed great demands on nizations and to promote the public image the Secretariat’s resources. and visibility of the Organization. Major Despite the Mission’s closure, the OSCE developments in this regard included continued to be actively engaged in inter- the Decision by the Ministerial Council national negotiations launched after the to make Australia the most recent OSCE 2008 conflict in Georgia. The Secretariat Partner for Co-operation, as well as inten- contributed to the Geneva Discussions by sive preparatory work for the planned 2010 providing all possible support to the Greek launch of a renewed OSCE website. Chairmanship in its work as co-Chair on The Secretariat continued to ensure behalf of the OSCE. the effective and efficient management of The Secretariat continued to lend as- the Organization’s human and financial sistance to participating States in a wide resources, to promote greater strategic range of thematic areas, focusing on mul- and impact-oriented planning of activities tidimensional responses to security threats using results-based management, and to and challenges throughout the OSCE ensure the sound implementation of the region. These included projects and other OSCE regulatory framework. In an overall activities for the benefit of all participating context of declining resources within the States in such areas as: Organization and challenging external fi- • disposal of small arms and light weap- nancial and economic factors, these efforts ons and stockpiles of conventional are crucial to the Organization’s ability to ammunition, including the rocket fuel deliver the results expected by its partici- melange; pating States.

88 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Secretariat

Office of the Secretary General

The Office of the Secretary General (OSG) includes Executive Management, the Press and Public Information Section, the Section for External Co-operation, Legal Services, the Gender Section, Security Management, the Strategic Police Matters Unit, the Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the Action against Terrorism Unit, as well as the Office of Internal Oversight.

proposals to the participating States. carried out in preparation for the relaunch Executive Management Another major achievement of 2009 of the public website, scheduled for 2010. Executive Management supported the was the launch of a project to dispose In addition, the Section expanded its work of the Secretary General and the of the rocket fuel melange in Ukraine, presence on major social media sites by Greek Chairmanship, providing leadership which, as the Organization’s largest-ever launching new presences on Facebook and and co-ordination to ensure the coher- project, represents a technical, financial Twitter and through its existing YouTube ence and continuity of the Organization’s and managerial challenge. This multi-year channel. multifaceted and often long-term ac- activity will require concerted and well- For the first time, the introduction to tivities. As the focal point for internal co- co-ordinated efforts by a wide range of the OSCE Annual Report was made avail- ordination and day-to-day co-operation Secretariat units under the direct supervi- able in laid-out versions of publishable between the Chairmanship and the sion of the Secretary General. quality in all the Organization’s official Secretariat, Executive Management’s languages. The quarterly OSCE Maga- work is as always heavily influenced by zine, published in English and Russian the OSCE’s current agenda, based on Press and Public and translated into French and German, tasks set by the participating States, ma- Information Section enlisted prominent guest writers and com- jor developments in the OSCE area and mentators to help provide an in-depth the priorities of the Chairmanship. look at major themes, including the Corfu Landmark 2009 events — the launch of process, gender considerations in compre- a rejuvenated dialogue on the future of hensive security and the role of the OSCE During 2009, Executive Management European security, the 20th anniversary in resolving the Transdniestrian conflict. ensured proactive and well-co-ordinated of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Athens support on the part of the Secretary Gen- Ministerial Council meeting — provided The year’s highlights included: eral for the efforts of the Greek Chairman- opportunities for the Press and Public ship in launching and steering the Corfu Information Section to raise awareness Corfu process. The Greek Chairmanship’s process, and for the participating States’ about the OSCE and generate support for initiative to launch a debate on European deliberations leading to the Corfu-related its mission. security caught the attention of the world’s outcomes of the Athens Ministerial Coun- media. The Section raised awareness cil meeting. The Section also pressed ahead with its about the process through media work at Among other activities, Executive Man- own outreach agenda. Extensive work was the first-ever informal OSCE Ministerial agement assisted the Chairmanship and At a 6 November commemoration the Secretary General in their political and of the 20th anniversary of the fall of administrative oversight of the implemen- the Berlin Wall, the Austrian Foreign tation of the end-of-mandate procedure of Minister (c) and the Greek Alternate Foreign Minister (r) paid tribute to the OSCE’s field operation in Georgia. In the courage and perseverance of addition, Executive Management, together individuals who made the events of with the Conflict Prevention Centre, sup- 1989 possible, including former Ger- man Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich ported the Chairmanship in its role as the Genscher (l). (OSCE/Susanna Loof) co-Chair of the Geneva Discussions. Executive Management continued to support the Secretary General in implementing the 2007 Ministerial Council De- cision on OSCE Engagement with Afghani- stan. This long-term endeavour required considerable work and effective co-ordination among various parts of the Orga- nization to enable the Secretary General to deliver targeted and coherent project

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 89 Meeting in Corfu, at briefings in Vienna and later also at the Athens Ministerial Council meeting. The Section organized press centres for the meetings in Corfu and Athens, each of which drew more than 300 journalists. Key events from the two Ministerial Meetings were broadcast live on the web, and video highlights were published on the OSCE YouTube channel.

20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Former German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who played a leading role in developing the OSCE forerunner, the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, addressed some 600 guests at the anniversary celebration. The French Foreign Minister speaks with the media at the informal Ministerial Meeting of OSCE foreign ministers in Corfu on 28 June. (OSCE/Jonny Perfect) The Section organized a media briefing, as well as a question-and-answer session with students from the Diplomatic Academy security at the Annual Security Review Section for of Vienna. The OSCE Magazine, through Conference, the continuing Geneva several voices spanning generations, ex- Discussions following the 2008 conflict External Co-operation amined the impact of the historic events in Georgia, visits by the Greek OSCE 20 years ago on the OSCE area and the Chairperson-in-Office, as well as accel- The Section for External Co-operation current debate on European security. The erating OSCE field work to destroy toxic acts as the first point of contact for rela- OSCE website and YouTube channel car- stocks of the former rocket fuel melange; tions with the 12 OSCE Partners for Co- ried multimedia content on the event. • providing, through the OSCE Magazine, operation, both Asian and Mediterranean, an in-depth approach to topical OSCE and other international, regional and sub- Preparatory work for the web relaunch. themes, as well as interviews and a di- regional organizations and initiatives. The The new site, scheduled for launch in 2010, versity of first-person accounts to reflect Section provides the Secretary General, will be based on a new content manage- the depth and breadth of the OSCE’s Chairmanship and Troika with substantive ment system that enables publishing in activities; advice and organizational support, en- languages other than English. It will also • organizing a study trip to the OSCE sures co-ordination on external-relations allow for a greater variety of content, such Secretariat for Central Asian journalists issues within the OSCE Secretariat and as multimedia, and integration with social in May with funds from Kazakhstan; with the OSCE institutions and serves as media sites. At year-end, the website was • expanding the POLIS online system by a source of relevant information. undergoing usability testing. creating two thematic portals: one on organized crime and another on com- Throughout the year, the Section for Ex- Expanded OSCE presence on social net- bating sexual exploitation of children on ternal Co-operation continued to facilitate working sites. The Section published over the Internet; increased dialogue and interaction be- 1,000 tweets, reaching more than 1,400 • highlighting positive examples of civil tween the OSCE participating States and Twitter users. A leading international- society in action through the Section’s the Asian and Mediterranean Partners affairs magazine listed the OSCE as one of Taking Part video contest, initiated and for Co-operation, in line with the Madrid the “100 best Twitter users in international financed by Germany with the support Ministerial Declaration on the OSCE affairs”. In its first year, the Organiza- of the Greek Chairmanship. The win- Partners for Co-operation. It provided tion’s Facebook page attracted over 14,000 ners travelled to Vienna to take part substantive and administrative support subscribers. The OSCE YouTube channel in the 20th-anniversary celebration of to the work of the two Contact Groups, remained popular, with more than 36,000 the fall of the Berlin Wall. The winning and contributed to the OSCE Ministerial video, and 22,000 channel, views. videos were made available on the OSCE Troika meetings with the Partner States YouTube site; during the Athens Ministerial Council in Other work during the year involved: • presenting the OSCE to more than 60 December, where Australia was welcomed • adding and updating thousands of items visitor groups, or over 1,850 people from as a new Partner for Co-operation. on the website, reaching over 800,000 30 OSCE participating States, Partners The Section organized the two key visitors who made 2.5 million visits and for Co-operation and others; annual events with the Partners for Co- viewed 9.3 million items; • producing the monthly OSCE Highlights operation: the OSCE-Japan Conference • providing press releases, opinion pieces, newsletter to provide journalists with on Sharing Knowledge and Experiences interviews and media opportunities for targeted information on upcoming between the OSCE Participating States other high-profile events, including Rus- events and OSCE work on the ground. and Asian Partners - Co-operation to ad- sian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s dress Common Challenges, held in Tokyo contribution to the debate on European in June, and the OSCE Mediterranean

90 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Secretariat

Conference on Co-operation towards the League of Arab States (LAS) and the common regulatory management system. Enhanced Security and Stability, held in Organization of the Islamic Conference, Significant contributions were made by Cairo in December. including by hosting an LAS delegation issuing an Administrative Instruction on The Section served as the Partnership visit to the Secretariat aimed at presenting Documents of a Legal Nature, and provid- Fund’s master project manager, liaising a comprehensive overview of OSCE’s work ing substantive input to the Guidelines for with individual project managers and in the three dimensions of security. Extra-budgetary Contributions from Non- donors. During the year, four new projects Finally, the Section continued to act as governmental Sources and a provisional were developed under the Fund’s umbrel- the focal point for contact with the UN financial administrative instruction that la, in areas such as media self-regulation, Alliance of Civilizations initiative and regulates the Organization’s engagement multilateral security in Northeast Asia, supported the participation of the Secre- with implementing partners. In addition, tolerance and non-discrimination and tary General in the second Forum of the the Unit provided legal opinions on a supply-chain security for the Mediter- Alliance of Civilizations held in Istanbul broad scope of issues, assisting on matters ranean region. Additionally, two projects in April, in accordance with the Helsinki such as bilateral agreements with host addressing election assistance to Afghani- Ministerial Decision on the OSCE contri- countries, taxation of local staff, court stan and migration issues were completed bution to the Implementation Phase of the requests, interpretations of Staff Regula- in 2009. Alliance of Civilizations Initiative. tions and Rules and several contractual The Section ensured regular contacts and project-related matters. and consultations with other interna- Legal Services continued to reach out tional, regional and sub-regional organiza- Legal Services to the wider OSCE community. The unit tions and initiatives, as stipulated by the held its annual Legal Roundtable on 24 1999 Platform for Co-operative Security. Legal Services played an essential role and 25 September in Vienna. Participants Interaction with key partner organiza- in the launch of the OSCE’s largest- from across the Organization discussed tions, such as the United Nations (UN), ever assistance programme, destroy- topics ranging from the feasibility of an European Union (EU), Council of Europe ing Ukraine’s stockpiles of the toxic OSCE-wide safe driving code to copy- and the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza- rocket fuel melange. In collaboration with right ownership. To keep staff and mis- tion (NATO), was maintained through the the Department of Management and sion members up-to-date, a quarterly Le- established frameworks for co-operation Finance, the Unit ensured that the pro- gal Services newsletter was launched, and at a high and expert level, focusing on curement process was transparent and the first three issues were well received. common issues of importance, including in accord with international law and the The unit also raised its external profile by the dialogue on the future of European Organization’s regulatory framework. At participating in conferences on national security and the Corfu process, protracted year-end, the team remained active in the court challenges to acts of international conflicts in the OSCE area, as well as some project’s first stage. organizations, awards from arbitration, issues new to the OSCE agenda, such as and the annual conference of UN and in- energy security. In implementation of the Another highlight of the year was the ternational organizations’ legal advisers. Madrid Ministerial Council Decision on team’s assistance in the smooth and timely OSCE Engagement with Afghanistan, the closure of the Mission to Georgia, provid- Section supported consultations with rel- ing advice on a wide range of resulting Gender Section evant international and regional organiza- legal implications. The team also played tions, such as the UN, EU, NATO and the a key role in establishing the OSCE’s The Gender Section continued to sup- Collective Security Treaty Organization. information-sharing guidelines with the port the promotion of gender equal- The Section also supported the partici- Independent International Fact-Finding ity at the OSCE and worked towards pation of the OSCE in summits and minis- Mission on the Conflict in Georgia (IIFF- the integration of men’s and women’s terial meetings and/or bilateral high-level MCG), a Mission commissioned by the perspectives in all three of the OSCE’s meetings with other regional and sub- Council of the European Union; the IIFF- dimensions of security, especially in the regional organizations within the OSCE MCG’s report was issued on 30 September. politico-military and the economic and area, such as the Central European Initia- Legal Services also supported the environmental. tive, the Commonwealth of Independent Chairmanship-in-Office in strengthening States, the GUAM Organization for De- the international legal status of the Or- The implementation of the OSCE Action mocracy and Economic Development, the ganization, assisting with three informal Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality Organization of the Black Sea Economic roundtables and several working meetings showed some advances: the representa- Cooperation, the Regional Cooperation with participating States, organized by tion of women in management positions Council and the South East European Co- the Personal Representative on the Legal reached 24 per cent, up from 19 per cent operation Process. Framework of the OSCE, Dr. Zinovia in 2008; five Deputy Heads of Mission Efforts continued to share the OSCE Stavridi. The work culminated in a draft were appointed as gender focal points; experience and best practices with re- decision on Strengthening the Legal and gender issues were integrated into gional organizations outside the OSCE Framework of the OSCE and a report by more than 70 projects undertaken by field area, in particular with the African Union, the Personal Representative. operations, such as police programmes. the Association of Southeast Asian Na- Legal Services also continued to facili- Roundtables on gender and security were tions, the Conference on Interaction and tate the implementation and improvement organized at the Forum for Security Co- Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, of the OSCE’s regulatory framework, the operation (FSC).

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 91 The Gender Section brought out this publication Sixth Annual Meeting of OSCE Security during a symposium in Vienna in June in a project funded by Austria, Finland, France, Germany and Officials held in Vienna on 20 November Greece. enabled participants to keep abreast of the latest security and safety developments, to brief one another on the situation in their respective field operations and countries, to exchange views and to discuss issues of common concern. The Security Manage- ment Doc.In area was further developed and updated.

In 2009, Security Management: • continued to inspect institutions and field operations to facilitate compliance In the field, the Section helped the Spill- to increase women’s presence in projects of with the Organization’s basic security over Monitor Mission to Skopje integrate this first dimension. and safety guidance documents; a gender perspective in policing projects, To promote the OSCE’s work on gender • assisted field operations in the assess- preparing both a gender assessment and equality, the Section presented its work ment of potential premises; a plan for gender mainstreaming. It sup- and provided input to technical meet- • trained field operations’ security ported the Office in Yerevan with techni- ings with the United Nations, European personnel; cal assistance to further improve its work Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty • conducted training to raise awareness on women’s economic empowerment. The Organization, such as the European Secu- about mines and improvised explosive Section also delivered technical assistance rity Defence Policy and Gender Advisers devices; to field operations in Kyrgyzstan, Monte- meeting in Brussels, the United Nations • made recommendations in negro and Turkmenistan during visits. Economic Commission for Europe-UNECE co-ordination with the Department of The Section continued to organize Beijing +15 Review Meeting in Geneva Human Resources’ Training Section awareness-raising events, develop tools and several gender-equality conferences concerning priorities of outsourced and publish guidelines to improve the organized by the EU Presidency and the security and safety training and the skills and professionalism of staff and Council of Europe. selection of participants. stakeholders on gender mainstreaming. In January, it published a guide called www.osce.org/gender Over the year, the Crisis Management Integrating a Gender Approach into Police- Team met four times, dealing predomi- Public Partnerships. In collaboration with nantly with preparedness for a swine flu the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE pandemic. One meeting of the Security Economic and Environmental Activi- Security Management Management Committee was convened. ties and the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking Security Management continued as the Security Management also: in Human Beings, a policy guide called Organization’s focal point for all security- • regularly issued hazard-pay Gender-Sensitive Labour Migration Poli- related issues. A major security challenge recommendations; cies was prepared and launched in May at in 2009 was the issue of preparedness for • participated in other meetings where the Athens Economic and Environmental an A(H1N1) swine flu pandemic and the security and safety issues were on the Forum. The Section organized the annual alleviation of its consequences for OSCE agenda (Georgia, Kosovo, Afghanistan OSCE Gender Focal Point Meeting, where staff. Task Force); 48 staff members were coached on com- • contributed to the smooth and secure municating about gender equality. Meetings were arranged on the issue with discontinuation of the Mission to Geor- In order to promote the role of women officials from the Austrian Health Minis- gia and participated in discussions on in conflict prevention, crisis manage- try and with the Medical Director of the the potential reestablishment of an ment and post-conflict rehabilitation, the United Nations Office in Vienna. Swine flu OSCE presence in the country. French and British Chairmanships of the advisories were issued to the Secretariat, FSC organized two roundtable discussions institutions and field operations. Security Management regularly met with on gender issues in co-operation with Security Management delivered pre- representatives of law-enforcement author- the Section. During one of these events, sentations on Security and Safety of OSCE ities and other international partner orga- international experts on gender and small Staff and the OSCE Security Management nizations both in Vienna and in the coun- arms and light weapons shared ideas on System at the General Orientation Pro- tries where the OSCE has field operations increased involvement of women in the gramme for new OSCE staff members and for the purpose of sharing information on politico-military dimension. The Gender continued to provide individual briefings issues of security and physical safety. Section itself, with funds from Norway, to staff and mission members bearing developed GenderBase, a databank to at- security responsibilities. Participants at tract and store profiles of qualified female the Regional Heads-of-Mission meetings military and police experts in an attempt were updated on security and safety. The

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Strategic Police management of participating States on the participating States to combat illicit drugs issue of preventing and responding to hate trafficking and foster international and Matters Unit crimes. regional law. During the year, the Unit The Unit, the Organization’s cen- organized regional workshops and a num- The Strategic Police Matters Unit contin- tral contact point for the fight against ber of on-the-job training courses for the ued to promote democratic and account- organized-crime-related activities, worked law-enforcement agencies of participating able policing with a particular emphasis hard to further enhance law-enforcement States. on the importance of commitment to the co-operation across the OSCE area in com- In addition, the Unit, together with rule of law, police ethics and human rights bating transnational organized crime, illicit the Southeast European Co-operative standards and the benefits of police-public drugs trafficking, trafficking in human be- Initiative Regional Centre for Combating partnerships. ings and the sexual exploitation of children Transborder Crime, published a Controlled on the Internet. A landmark achievement Delivery Manual for South East European 2009 was the year of putting into practice in this regard was the first-ever meeting Countries. This manual responds to the the guidelines in the Unit’s benchmark doc- of deputy interior ministers from Central needs expressed by practitioners at the uments on democratic policing, police-pub- Asia, Afghanistan and Mongolia in Astana Drugs Experts Meeting held in Istanbul, lic partnerships and basic police training, on 1 July. The event was funded by Belgium Turkey, in 2008. The manual provides all some of which have already been translated and Norway. The deputy ministers dis- the necessary information about legisla- into more than six languages. The Unit held cussed the growing impact of transnational tion and rules governing requests related a number of practical events aimed at em- organized crime on individuals and societ- to controlled deliveries in each of the bedding these guidelines in the daily work ies and strategies to enhance international countries in the region. of the police — events that received the full law-enforcement co-operation. During the year, the Unit made sig- support of senior law-enforcement manage- The Unit organized a regional work- nificant progress in the implementation ment. One of the workshops of this kind shop in Almaty, Kazakhstan, that brought of projects developed in response to the held in 2009 in Minsk, Belarus, was funded more than 30 high-level experts from the OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on by Germany and Sweden. A significant criminal justice sector together for discus- OSCE Engagement with Afghanistan, with increase in the number of requests for the sions on how Central Asian law enforce- Japan funding two training projects. The Unit’s training development programmes, ment agencies can co-operate to seize and Unit, in close co-operation with the OSCE its assistance in developing community- recover the illegal proceeds of organized Mission to Tajikistan, completed the refur- based policing and in supporting ongoing crime. Liechtenstein and the United States bishment of two classrooms and handed police reforms further underscored the provided financial support. over the necessary equipment to the na- value of these documents to the participat- The Unit, whose core work includes as- tional authorities. ing States. sisting participating States to develop skills To improve co-ordination and facilitate The Unit embarked on a project to com- and knowledge in law-enforcement agen- the easy retrieval of information by insti- pile good practices in building trust and cies, concentrated its efforts during the year tutions and experts across the OSCE, the understanding between the police and on providing training in various areas of Unit developed, within its online expert Roma and Sinti, in close co-operation with policing, tailored to national needs, and tool POLIS, two specific portals devoted to other relevant OSCE structures, police creating a cadre of trainers who cascade combating organized crime and combat- agencies and non-governmental organiza- down the know-how gained, bringing long- ing the sexual exploitation of children on tions. The document will be published in term sustainability. A perfect example was the Internet. 2010. the training for Tajik police on investigat- The effectiveness and efficiencyPOLIS of The year’s Annual Police Experts Meet- ing trafficking in human beings. as an outreach tool were proven during ing, held in Vienna on 29 and 30 October, The Unit, together with other relevant the organization and implementation of focused the attention of senior police organizations, also supported the work of a regional Central Asian online forum on Basic Police Training from 5 to 9 October. The Unit continued to enrich the digital library of POLIS by uploading new documents. Titles, descriptions and summaries of 340 documents, amounting to 200 standard pages, have also been translated into Russian, with the financial contribution of Belgium. The Permanent Council, in a Decision taken in the context of the Athens Ministe- rial Council, tasked the Unit with providing an assessment of the OSCE’s police assistance and strategic recommendations for the participating States, underscoring the importance of the Unit’s work to date Officials attending an OSCE-supported meeting to promote co-operation between Central Asian and in future. The Secretary General will law-enforcement bodies in combating organized crime in Astana on 1 July (OSCE/William Metzger) present the report in spring 2010.

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 93 Office of the Special best practices, the Special Representative project led to the development of recom- selected trafficking for labour exploita- mendations on the identification of child Representative and tion in the agriculture sector as the theme victims of trafficking and on the prevention for a technical conference in April, which of child trafficking. In order to better assist Co-ordinator for served as the background for a third Oc- participating States, the Special Represen- Combating Trafficking casional Paper, the first such analysis and tative finalized the first country assessment compilation of data and challenges for on Spain, while additional assessments on in Human Beings participating States on this important as- Romania and Kazakhstan were in progress pect of trafficking. at year-end. These assessments serve to The Special Representative and Co- Within the framework of the Alliance catalyze action and political will to fur- ordinator for Combating Trafficking in against Trafficking in Persons, the Special ther enrich the OSCE knowledge base on Human Beings, who completed her Representative held a high-level confer- national implementation of commitments three-year term at year-end, success- ence focused on the prevention of human and best practices. fully assisted participating States in trafficking. US Secretary of State Hillary To enhance its public outreach and the their anti-trafficking efforts through the Clinton opened the conference with a transparency of its activities, the Office provision of support at four levels: policy- video keynote statement addressing some continued with daily website updates and making; technical expertise; field work 300 prominent experts and practitioners increased its audio-visual and photographic and country visits; and co-ordination with from national capitals and international material by more than 50 per cent. The international actors. organizations, as well as journalists, non- number of website visits rose by 12 per cent. governmental organizations (NGOs) and Eva Biaudet’s term of office came to an From the beginning of her mandate, the researchers. The conference focused on end in December and she gave a full and Special Representative repeatedly stressed trafficking in human beings in the context comprehensive report on her mandate to the importance of actions at the national of the global financial crisis, studying the the Permanent Council. level and in particular the establishment business of the crime in order to prevent it, of national rapporteurs, who evaluate anti- and featured speeches by all three relevant Special Representative: Eva Biaudet trafficking work and track trends in order United Nations special rapporteurs. For www.osce.org/cthb to improve policies and programmes. In the first time, the conference addressed the March, the Office co-organized a confer- importance of the media in raising aware- he Special Representative has made ness and changing attitudes towards traf- ence on European Union (EU) national “Tan extraordinary contribution to rapporteurs in conjunction with the Czech ficking. This was underlined by a special our common fight on human trafficking. EU Presidency. The Special Representative photo exhibition and the screening of an She has chosen the themes well, first in further underscored the importance of the Emmy Award-winning film. It was further focusing on labour exploitation, then on national rapporteurs on her official visits to highlighted by videos published on the economic dimensions and specific sectors, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Kazakhstan, OSCE YouTube site. like agriculture. We are getting more real, Romania, the Russian Federation, Spain, Technical expertise to prevent child more direct and we are more likely to have Turkmenistan and the United Kingdom, trafficking was provided in a project practical results and outcomes after this as well as during other events. To encour- implemented by the St. Petersburg-based conference.” age the dissemination of knowledge and NGO Stellit and funded by Monaco. This — Roger Plant, then-head of the anti- trafficking programme at the International Labour Organization at the Alliance Conference in Vienna in September

Action against Terrorism Unit

The Action against Terrorism Unit pursued initiatives across 10 cutting-edge programmatic areas in 2009, responding to requests by the Chairperson-in-Office, participating States and the Secretary General, and covering issues such as travel-document security, cyber-security and public-private partnerships (PPP) in countering terrorism.

Overall, the Unit organized, supported or otherwise facilitated over 20 capacity- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers a video address at the opening of a conference on the building activities in the anti-terrorism prevention of human trafficking in Vienna on 14 September. (OSCE/Blanca Tapia) field at the OSCE-wide, regional and

94 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Secretariat

national levels, co-operating with all per- by raising awareness, assessing needs and ing, programmes set objectives and ex- tinent United Nations (UN) structures, building political will for follow-up action. pected results that assisted the Office in international, regional and sub-regional Promoting partnership with the media. its audit and evaluation work. The Office’s organizations and specialized agencies to To help ensure the dissemination of accu- oversight work in 2009 revealed that, to support their counter-terrorism activities, rate and objective information to the public help demonstrate the impact of OSCE share experiences and facilitate contacts in the event of a terrorist attack, the Unit activities, more must be done throughout among national authorities and interna- organized an OSCE-wide expert workshop the Organization on carrying out needs tional experts. Whenever appropriate, the on engaging with the media in counter- assessments and establishing benchmarks. Unit engaged with the business sector and ing terrorism. The workshop, part of the The Office’s lessons learned also showed civil society. Unit’s programme on PPPs in countering that there was a need to further focus on terrorism, provided a forum for public- projects, particularly in the field of moni- Thematic highlights included: private dialogue on options for voluntary toring and evaluation. In addition to its engagement between government and the work on audits, evaluations, and investiga- Enhancing travel-document security. news media in reporting on terrorism and tions, the Office continued to provide -ad The Unit has been actively promoting the counter-terrorism and showcased policy visory services in response to formal and use of biometrics and modern technolo- options for improving relations between informal requests. gies allowing for a more advanced and the two through such partnerships. The With the introduction of changes for harmonized border, travel and identity- event was funded in part by the Moscow procedures regarding the management of management environment. In addition to City Government. partners contracted to implement projects, existing programmes, the Unit identified the Office noted an increased awareness in and promoted pioneering initiatives in www.osce.org/atu proper selection and monitoring, although emerging areas, such as the International it will take more time for these procedures Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Pub- to take hold and for the evaluation of their lic Key Directory, established to support activities to become properly institutional- the global interoperability of electronic Office of Internal ized in OSCE practice. travel-document validation. It also worked Oversight The Office followed up on previous to secure the identity chain during en- years’ audit recommendations to ensure rolment and issuance by promoting the The Office of Internal Oversight launched that management had addressed them relevant ICAO standards. The Unit also its first pilot evaluation of police training effectively. More than 92 per cent of the co-operated closely with INTERPOL on activities, examining three case stud- recommendations of the past two years technical assistance projects providing ies in the OSCE area, to develop best were accepted, and 83 per cent had been hardware, software, web services and the practices and lessons learned. The Office implemented by year-end, testimony to requisite skills and technical enhancements carried out its first end-of-mission audit. the quality of the Office’s work. Further, needed to connect participating States to The emphasis of oversight work in 2009 management was making good progress the INTERPOL Databases for Stolen/Lost continued to shift towards the OSCE’s towards implementing the remainder of Travel Documents, Stolen Motor Vehicles programme and project activities. the recommendations at year-end. and Wanted Individuals. The programme The Office was instrumental in enhanc- was funded by Canada, the Czech Repub- The Office carried out 14 audits of field ing the Organization’s ethical framework, lic, Germany, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Nor- operations, the Secretariat and institu- through preparing classroom and online way, Spain and the United States. tions, delivering over 200 recommenda- ethics training packages and through for- tions for programmatic and administrative mulating recommendations to the Secre- Promoting cyber-security. Growing improvements. In line with its profes- tary General for amendments to the Code dependence on information technology sional standards, the Office assessed risks of Conduct. and the increasing interconnection of potentially affecting the Organization in OSCE management regularly consulted critical infrastructure has made a secure selecting subjects for its audits to prioritize with the Office on other issues such as risk cyberspace vital to the functioning of a the use of its limited resources. The areas management, verifications requested by modern state. For cyber-security efforts to audited included financial and human third parties, the revision of instructions, be effective, a comprehensive approach is resources management, information tech- cost savings and investigations. needed. This approach includes: tackling nology processes and programme manage- The Office’s work continued to be closely cyber-crime and the use of the Internet for ment, including project management in scrutinized by the OSCE Audit Commit- terrorist purposes; responding to a wide field operations. The Office also continued tee. In its annual report to the Permanent variety of risks and cyber-security threats; investigations into several matters. Three Council covering the period October 2008 and thereby enabling countries to protect a in-depth investigations were concluded to September 2009, the Audit Committee wide spectrum of targets, ranging from the and the recommendations accepted in full. underlined the relevance and the quality individual Internet user to critical infra- A fourth investigation was closed due to of the Office’s work and acknowledged the structure. At an OSCE-wide event in Vien- insufficient evidence. In addition, the -Of significant improvements in the quality na — supported by Austria, Estonia, Greece fice’s investigative expertise was employed of activities in the Office as a result of the and Lithuania — and two national training during two audits to assess fraud risk. recruitment of professionals to carry out workshops — supported by Spain and Es- With the implementation of internal audit, evaluation and investigation tonia — the Unit promoted this approach Performance-Based Programme Budget activities.

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 95 Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC)

The Conflict Prevention Centre’s work focuses on early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post- conflict rehabilitation. In 2009, the CPC contributed to overall OSCE efforts to move the Transdniestrian conflict settlement process forward, supported the Geneva Discussions in the wake of the conflict in Georgia and assisted the Chairmanship in continuing a consistent and comprehensive OSCE policy in Kosovo. The CPC prepared, participated in and provided follow-up to visits by the Chairmanship to South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, as well as two trips by OSCE ambassadors to Central Asia. Other priorities included the further development of its mediation support capacity as well as borders- and customs-related initiatives, particularly in Central Asia. The CPC also supported the establishment of the OSCE- wide Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe and contributed to its first activities. The CPC continued to support the work of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), and successfully completed projects related to small arms and light weapons (SALW), conventional ammunition (CA) and cleaning up the highly toxic rocket fuel melange. The OSCE also launched its largest-ever melange disposal project in Ukraine, managed by the CPC. Furthermore, the CPC continued to be the Organization’s central reference point in the development and upholding of programme- and project-management methodology.

Policy Support Service The Desk assisted the Office in Minsk October, as well as several trips by the in helping the host country fulfil its Secretary General and the Director of The Policy Support Service assisted the OSCE commitments in all mandate- the Conflict Prevention Centre. The Desk Chairmanship, the Secretary General related issues. It supported the work of provided input for the 10th anniversaries and other high-level officials to ensure the Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine in of the Centres in Astana and Ashgabat, the Organization’s effective engage- meeting the demand from government as well as the 15th anniversary of the Of- ment in their areas of responsibility. It authorities for projects and in further fice in Tajikistan. It took an active part co-ordinated the activities of the OSCE’s streamlining his office’s project portfolio. in a task force to implement the 2007 field operations and assisted them in the Finally, the Desk took part in the Secre- Ministerial Council Decision on OSCE implementation of their mandates. tary General’s visit to Kyiv for the sign- Engagement with Afghanistan. It contin- ing ceremony to inaugurate the OSCE’s ued to deliver lectures to students at the The South East Europe Desk prepared, largest-ever melange disposal project. OSCE Academy in Bishkek and to stu- participated in and provided follow-up The Caucasus Desk continued to assist dents involved in the Central Asia Youth to high-level visits by the Chairmanship field operations in activities related to the Network. to the region in February and November. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement It also supported the Mission in Kosovo process. It also assisted the OSCE un- The Programming and in its response to the reconfiguration of armed military monitoring officers who Evaluation Support Unit the international presence on the ground. operated in Georgia until the end of June. It continued to assist in facilitating a It was closely involved in the preparation The Unit focused on ensuring the quality, refugee-return dialogue in the region, and conduct of the Geneva Discussions, coherence and sound management of in particular by pursuing dialogue with and participated in the meetings of the projects and programmes across the partner organizations such as the United joint Incident Prevention and Response Organization. It continued to serve as Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Mechanism held on site. the main point of reference for project, and the European Commission. It also co- The Desk accompanied and provided programme and fund managers working ordinated the activities of the relevant field support to the Special Representative of to plan, develop, implement and evalu- operations in the context of preparations the Chairperson-in-Office during regu- ate their work more efficiently and more for a regional refugee conference in 2010. lar visits of the Co-Chairs of the Geneva effectively. The Eastern Europe Desk contributed Discussions to Tbilisi, Tskhinvali and to overall OSCE efforts to make progress Sukhumi. The Unit developed new tools to further in the Transdniestrian conflict settle- The Central Asia Desk, the OSCE Of- strengthen Performance-Based Pro- ment process. It continued to support fice in Tajikistan and the Government gramme Budgeting and to support its the ongoing work of the mediators and of Tajikistan convened the third annual harmonization across the Organization. observers, facilitated a number of meet- joint OSCE-Tajikistan Task Force Meeting It continued to provide tailored on-site ings in Vienna of all the key actors in this in Dushanbe to discuss common goals. support to the executive structures as well process and contributed to the organiza- The Desk supported an ambassadors’ as to co-ordinate the assessment of project tion of seminars designed to build trust trip to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turk- proposals eligible for external funding, and confidence between the two sides to menistan in May and June, and a second in this way providing effective channels the conflict. trip to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in for sharing views and technical expertise

96 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Secretariat

among the field operations, institutions and Secretariat. During the year, the Unit provided on- site support to field operations in Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Skopje, Moldova, Astana and to the High Commissioner on National Minorities. In 2009, as per the Secretary General’s instructions, the process of co-ordination of the assessment of extra-budgetary proposals was broadened to include the thematic units of the Secretariat. Overall, throughout the year the Unit co-ordinated the assessment of 98 project proposals, with a value in excess of €13 million.

Operations Service

Operational planning and analysis. The Planning and Analysis Team assisted in the planning and implementation of the The OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities gives the keynote address at a mediation retreat held in closure of the Mission to Georgia, the dis- Vienna on 22 and 23 October. (OSCE/Heather Cantin) continuation of its military monitoring officers, the planning of potential follow-on consultations on ways to enhance media- Border security and management. The options in Georgia as well as possible option support, and it contributed OSCE Service worked in close co-operation with tions for strengthening OSCE involvement lessons learned and best practices to the border guard/police agencies and sup- in the Incident Prevention and Response United Nations Secretary-General’s report ported a number of customs-related initia- Mechanism. on mediation. tives across the OSCE area, with a focus The Service also continued to imple- The Service provided analytical support on Central Asia. Some of those activities ment a systematic approach to learning to the Chairmanship in the organization were conducted within the OSCE Border from past activities by co-ordinating the of the 2009 Annual Security Review Con- Management Staff College, established debriefing process of outgoing senior of- ference and, in order to facilitate discus- in 2009 in Dushanbe. The Service closely ficials from field operations and preparing sions, prepared a comprehensive summary involved Afghan border agencies in several recommendations to enhance the OSCE’s of OSCE documents focusing on the con- border-related training events in Central effectiveness. During the year, the Service cept of comprehensive and co-operative Asia, helping to put into practice a 2007 took the initial steps towards extending security. The Service also assisted the Ministerial Council Decision on OSCE En- that process to outgoing OSCE Chairman- Permanent Council’s Security Commit- gagement with Afghanistan. ships and assisted in the drafting of the tee on organizational and content-related The Service provided advice to par- After Action Report on the closure of the matters. ticipating States on border-security and Mission to Georgia. At year-end, the Ser- -management issues and supported, on vice was also in the process of completing 24-hours-a-day/7-days-a-week request, the drafting of strategic concepts operational guidelines on the closure or operational link. Through its Situation/ and the revision of legislation. restructuring of an OSCE field operation. Communication Room, the Service con- The Service promoted dialogue and the To help enhance the early-warn- tinued to provide an around-the-clock exchange of lessons learned and best prac- ing, conflict-prevention and crisis- operational link and point of contact tices between relevant border-security and management capacity of the OSCE, the among OSCE structures, especially out- -management experts and practitioners, Service continued to provide analytical side working hours. It provided real-time notably through the OSCE Border Secu- support and advice to the Secretariat’s reporting via text messages and breaking- rity and Management National Focal Point senior management and the Chairman- news e-mails on the OSCE area with a par- Network. It also launched a web platform ship. Moreover, it actively supported ticular focus on emerging crisis situations, designed to increase interaction among the Corfu process by means of food-for- such as in the Caucasus and Moldova, Network members. thought and discussion papers. enabling senior management to take ap- The Service conducted a retreat aimed propriate decisions as situations unfolded. FSC Support Section at improving the Secretariat’s mediation The Situation Room continued to produce work by sharing experiences and lessons daily briefings, special briefings, weekly In 2009, the Section continued to sup- learned and familiarizing the two incom- regional summaries and calendars of port the FSC in its activities. It monitored ing Chairmanships with OSCE mediation upcoming events. It also provided opera- the implementation of confidence- and experiences. It continued its co-operation tional assistance for emergencies in the security-building measures (CSBMs) and with the United Nations Department field, such as security incidents and medi- other politico-military commitments and of Political Affairs as a follow-up to cal evacuations. produced monthly and quarterly reports

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 97 Turkmen border guards during field exercises on patrolling skills at a Turkmen-Afghan border-crossing point in October, part of an OSCE- implemented training course. (OSCE/ Yhlas Babajanov)

on information exchanged between par- tons of melange. In Ukraine, the Section of the FSC Chair’s progress reports to the ticipating States. To facilitate discussion is managing the disposal phase of a me- Ministerial Council. at the Annual Implementation Assessment lange project, which in its first phase aims The OSCE Communication Network, Meeting (AIAM), the Section published a to eliminate 3,000 tons of this substance. which connects 51 of the 56 participating Summary Report on Recent Trends in the The first train with 470 tons of melange States, as well as the OSCE and the North Implementation of the Vienna Document was shipped out for recycling into chemi- Atlantic Treaty Organization, facilitates 1999 and Other Measures Addressed dur- cal products for civilian use at specialized the exchange of information to further ing the AIAM. The Section also chaired the enterprises in the Russian Federation. To openness and transparency in military third Meeting of the Heads of Verification ensure implementation of the two joint affairs. In 2009, the Support Section im- Centres, where views were exchanged on OSCE-United Nations Development Pro- proved and expanded the system and the the practical implementation of CSBMs. gramme projects in Belarus and Montene- custom software used to generate treaty Together with the Mission to Bosnia gro, a financial agreement was negotiated notifications. The robust network made and Herzegovina and with the support that allows for the smooth transfer of possible the exchange of approximately of Switzerland and Austria, the Support funds between the organizations. 265,000 messages between participating Section organized a regional seminar on During the Athens Ministerial Council, States in 2009 and suffered from virtually the Implementation of the OSCE Code the Section supported the organization of no downtime. The Section also contin- of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects a side event and prepared an exhibition ued to chair the OSCE Communications of Security in South Eastern Europe. In highlighting its assistance projects. The Group, which provides valuable oversight co-operation with the Centre in Astana, Section also contributed to the preparation by and for delegations. it also organized a seminar on the Imple- mentation of the OSCE Handbook of Best Practices on Conventional Ammunition, gathering experts from Central Asia and In the OSCE’s largest-ever project, Ukranian Armed the South Caucasus. In Turkmenistan, a Forces personnel check training workshop on Confidence- and pipes used to load the Security-Building Measures and the Imple- toxic rocket fuel component melange onto railway tanks mentation of the FSC Documents, includ- in Kalinivka, Ukraine, in ing the use of the OSCE Communications November. (Ukrainian Min- Network, was organized together with the istry of Defence) Centre in Ashgabat. Three assistance projects were successfully completed. The comprehensive small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition programme in Tajikistan was concluded, and the joint Cyprus-OSCE project resulted in the destruction of 324 man-portable air defence systems. In Albania, the OSCE eliminated some 30

98 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Secretariat

Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA)

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities focused its work during the year on migration management, which was also the subject of its signature meeting, the annual Economic and Environmental Forum. Supporting activities focused on such issues as economic aspects of migration and related gender issues. Other important work was conducted on energy security and the environment and security.

Economic and Environmental To enhance the skills and professional- potential that migrants’ savings could have Forum ism of policymakers and practitioners, the for longer-term economic development in Office, in co-operation with the Interna- countries of origin. Migrant Savings, In- The 17th Economic and Environmental tional Organization for Migration (IOM), vestment, Return and Economic Reintegra- Forum addressed the opportunities and developed a trainer’s manual on Training tion for Development in the South Eastern challenges of increasing international Modules on Labour Migration Manage- Europe and Central Asian Regions took migration and the need for closer bi- ment and tested the manual by organiz- place in Vienna on 10 and 11 December lateral, regional and inter-regional co- ing regional train-the-trainer seminars with financial support from Austria. operation. Migration management and in Bishkek and Tirana. The project was its linkages with economic, social and financed by Greece and the IOM. The -Of Energy security environmental policies to the benefit of fice also teamed with the Office for Demo- stability and security in the OSCE region cratic Institutions and Human Rights to The Office, in co-operation with the OSCE built on discussions and work done develop a trainer’s manual on Gender and Chairmanship and Slovakia, organized a since the 13th Forum, which introduced Labour Migration. conference in Bratislava aimed at identify- migration and security issues to the The Office, in co-operation with the ing ways to strengthen dialogue on energy agenda of the economic and environ- IOM and Austria, organized a regional security within the OSCE area. Gathering mental dimension. conference to draw attention to the more than 30 OSCE participating States The Forum’s outcome and recommendations led to a new Decision on Migration Management by the Athens Ministerial Council.

Migration

The Office undertook a number of activities to support Forum discussions, including overseeing the preparation by the International Labour Office of the Review of the Implementation of OSCE Com- mitments related to Migration by OSCE participating States, the first such review since the conclusion of the Helsinki Final Act and funded by Greece. The Office also drew attention to gender aspects of migration by organizing, in co-operation with the Special Representative and Co- ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the Gender Section, a Seminar on Gender-Sensitive Labour Migration Policies in Brdo, Slovenia, on 16 and 17 February and by publishing a Guide on Gender-Sensitive Labour Migra- tion Policies with funding from Finland, There are several transboundary water bodies in the OSCE region, including Skadar Lake, pictured Greece and Slovenia. here, between Albania and Montenegro. (OSCE/Saba Nordstrom)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 99 The Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (r) and the Special Representative and Co- ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings launch an OSCE guide at the OSCE 17th Economic and Environmental Forum in Athens on 18 May. (OSCE)

and relevant international organiza- operation on environmental and security has an important role to play in address- tions, the event triggered discussions on a issues in Central Asia, South-Eastern Eu- ing the security implications of climate number of crucial energy issues, includ- rope, the South Caucasus and Eastern Eu- change by monitoring and examining how ing energy-related legal frameworks, co- rope. In 2009, the Initiative had a portfolio climate change may act as a threat mul- ordination of energy policies, challenges of over 50 projects and a budget of about tiplier across the OSCE area, in specific of energy efficiency and development of €8 million with financial support from sub-regions and in disputes over critical renewable energies. Financial support was Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Ger- natural resources. provided by the United States. many, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The Office began collaboration with The OCEEA also organized a number The Office provided leadership for the the International Atomic Energy Agency of regional events aimed at enhancing ENVSEC work programme in the South (IAEA) and the UNDP on the issue of ura- regional co-operation with respect to se- Caucasus region managing projects in the nium tailings in Central Asia, and it also lected aspects of energy security. fields of wildfire management training and organized an OSCE Economic and Envi- transboundary water co-operation. The ronmental Committee meeting on 7 May Good governance Office also continued to support an -EN on Support to Central Asia in Mitigating VSEC assessment in the Amu Darya river Radioactive Waste Problems. As a follow- To promote transparency, combat cor- basin in Central Asia, as well as a water- up, the Office provided technical advice ruption and fight money laundering and management project between Kazakhstan and expertise to the IAEA’s finalization of the financing of terrorism, the OCEEA and Kyrgyzstan. its baseline document on actions needed contributed to organizing a number of The OCEEA, in co-operation with to mitigate some of the problems in the workshops, aimed in particular at facilitat- OSCE field operations and with the finan- region. ing harmonization of national legislation cial support of Belgium, Canada, Norway, with international legal frameworks and Spain, Sweden and the United States, standards. These activities were organized continued its promotion of the Aarhus in close co-operation with international Convention principles, which are designed partner organizations, such as the United to promote transparency, fairness and Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the democracy in environmental decision- Organisation for Economic Co-operation making. and Development, the World Bank, and The OCEEA also supported the launch the United Nations Development Pro- of Civic Action for Security and Environ- gramme (UNDP), as well as the OSCE’s ment in Armenia and Azerbaijan — a anti-terrorism and policing units. Events small-grants programme for civil society took place in Austria, Kazakhstan, Serbia organizations to enhance their capacities and Uzbekistan, among others. Finan- for addressing environment and security cial support was provided by Germany, challenges with the financial support of Liechtenstein and the United States. Canada through ENVSEC, Austria and StatoilHydro. The Office provided support Environment and security in organizing the Chairmanship’s Confer- ence on Security Implications of Climate The Office continued its involvement in Change in the OSCE region, which took the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) place in Bucharest on 5 and 6 October. Initiative, promoting transboundary co- The conference highlighted that the OSCE

100 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Secretariat

Department of Human Resources

The Department of Human Resources concentrated its efforts in 2009 on maintaining competitive conditions of service at the OSCE, including through promoting a professional working environment, integrating gender issues and introducing flexible working arrangements. Highlights also included further developing recruitment tools, implementing OSCE-wide standard payroll operating procedures and presenting proposals for the amendment of the staff regulations and rules, as necessary.

Key achievements in 2009 included: higher-level posts, including through a • continuing the Junior Professional Of- review of gender balance on interview ficer programme, which provides young • maintaining competitive conditions of boards; conducting a project to define professionals from participating States service in the OSCE through close dia- gender sensitivity in the OSCE and with an opportunity to gain an overview logue with the Organization’s decision- by further integrating gender aspects of the Organization. Building on the making bodies; into human resource procedures and programme’s success over the preced- • further developing recruitment tools policies, including when formulating ing four cycles, with the support of the and procedures aimed at securing the possible amendments to the regulatory participating States, the Department highest standards of efficiency, com- framework; will expand the programme from April petence and integrity when recruiting • improving the Integrated Resource 2010, enabling six additional partici- staff from all participating States on a Management System (IRMA) human pants to be seconded by their nominat- fair basis and with a focus on achieving resources module for more timely and ing authorities; gender balance; accurate reporting functionality, includ- • introducing a modular approach for • implementing standard payroll operating enhancement of the iRecruitment certain training events, including super- ing procedures across the Organization module, and contributing to the imple- visory skills and gender-mainstreaming and making significant progress in im- mentation of the International Public courses; plementing the few outstanding Internal Sector Accounting Standards in the • strengthening regional training activi- Oversight recommendations mainly OSCE; ties, including regional meetings for related to the maintenance of payroll • encouraging improvement of the profes- training focal points; processes and system set-up; sional working environment across the • developing step-by-step guides for a • preparing, in co-ordination and con- OSCE, including through continuation number of administrative processes; sultation with all relevant stakeholders, of mandatory exit interviews in the • supporting the Chairmanship-in-Office proposals on amendments to Staff Regu- OSCE Secretariat and the review, rede- in recruiting senior management for the lations and Rules, including those on sign and wider distribution of a booklet Organization; streamlining and harmonizing condi- called Professional Working Environ- • increasing interaction and co-operation tions of service in the OSCE, for consid- ment Guide on the OSCE Policy against with other international organizations eration by the participating States; Harassment, Sexual Harassment and on a variety of human resources issues, Discrimination; including payroll procedures, staff enti- A view by gender • assuming the ethics co-ordination role tlements and benefits, periods of service, Number of candidates and Number of candidates and hires for international contracted staff hires for international seconded staff within the OSCE and undertaking ini- training and recruitment. 100% male tial efforts to further encourage ethical female conduct of all OSCE officials in part by 80% reviewing and strengthening the ethical framework and training in the OSCE; 60% • introducing flexible working arrangements in the OSCE Secretariat, includ- 40% ing staggered working hours, telecom- muting, part-time jobs and job sharing, 2009 OSCE Post Table 20% to create a more family-friendly and 2000 1783 gender-sensitive working environment; 0% • reviewing the network of mediation 1500 Candidates Hires Candidates Hires focal points and mechanisms available • continuing efforts to integrate gender for recognizing and addressing con- 1000 into human resource areas by conduct- flicts in the workplace; preparing for an 590 500 366 ing a systematic campaign to boost awareness-raising campaign to increase 281

the number of qualified female ap- all OSCE officials’ knowledge of policies 0 International International Local Local General plicants and nominees particularly to and procedures; Contracted Seconded Professional Services

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 101 Department of Management and Finance (DMF)

The Department of Management and Finance provides managerial, financial and administrative services to OSCE participating States, the Secretariat, institutions and field operations. The DMF comprises Conference Services; Financial Accounting and Treasury Services, Budget and Internal Control Services; Mission Support including Supply Chain Management; Information and Communications Technology; and the Prague Archives Office. The Department fulfilled its 2009 obligations regarding the Organization’s planning and budget cycles and supported the conduct of all OSCE meetings and conferences, including the 17th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Athens, the Corfu informal Ministerial Meeting and the Athens Ministerial Council. It continued to enhance the Organization’s regulatory framework, the common regulatory management system,1 through the issuance of guidance on the use of implementing partners assisting with OSCE projects. The Department helped to further enhance and embed Performance-Based Programme Budgeting across the OSCE and provided extensive support and functional training to relevant field units, including risk-assessment training.

1 A governance structure comprising financial regulations, rules and administration instructions.

In 2009, the Department successfully: • developed a new initiative for the Green Prague Office Disposal of OSCE Assets as part of the • received an unqualified (positive) exter- greening of supply-chain management Following the closure of the Mission to nal audit opinion on the 2008 financial practices; Georgia, substantive paper records re- statements; • replaced the bar-coding system, contrib- tained by the Mission from 1993 to 2008 • progressed further towards adoption uting to more reliable and timely track- were transferred to Prague from Tbilisi. of Internal Public Sector Accounting ing of OSCE assets in all locations; The Prague Office hosted, as part of its Standards for the 2009 financial year; • played a pivotal role in the complex Researcher-in-Residence programme, eight • heightened system monitoring to safe- planning and procurement process long- and short-term researchers from the guard treasury activities in light of the associated with disposal of melange OSCE area, including Asian Partners for global financial crisis; rocket fuel in Ukraine; Co-operation, working on topics pertain- • continued to meet commitments for de- • negotiated a global contract with a ma- ing to OSCE activities. The Office also -wel livery of planning and budget-cycle doc- jor airline to reduce travel expenses. comed visits from 27 groups of students. uments and provision of guidance and The Office began work on a handbook assistance to the Chair of the OSCE’s for archivists and record managers deal- Advisory Committee for Management ing with records of historic or legal value. and Finance; It was also involved in an Oral Memory • completed the first phase of a formal- Project that consisted of a series of inter- ized risk-management programme views with prominent personalities who and continued to provide training and witnessed the making of the 1975 Helsinki support across the Organization on the Final Act and the 1990 Charter of Paris for enterprise resource planning system and a New Europe. related business process issues; • improved internal controls through au- tomated monitoring of systems’ access and approvals; • completed on target and within budget a two-year project to replace the Oracle hardware platform; • presented the Advisory Committee with a multi-year strategic plan for the replacement of the Organization’s network operating system and desktop platform; • continued rationalization of informa- Participants at the Chief of Fund tion technology equipment and the Administration Conference in Yerevan in OSCE vehicle fleet; May (OSCE/Ross Blackwell)

102 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Partnerships for Security and Co-operation

The Co-Chairs of the Geneva Discussions: (l-r) the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson- in-Office; the European Union Representative for the crisis in Georgia; and the Special United Nations Representative to Georgia in Vienna on 17 June (OSCE/ Vasileios Gkinopoulos)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 103 Interaction with organizations and institutions in the OSCE area

Under the guidance of the Greek Chair- Mechanism (which held its meetings in Commission for Europe (UNECE), the manship and supported by the Section for Ergneti and Dvani). The importance of this UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Direc- External Co-operation, the OSCE main- co-operation was illustrated by repeated torate (UNCTED), the UNHCR, the Inter- tained close contacts and co-operation joint appearances of the three Co-Chairs national Atomic Energy Agency and other with other international, regional and sub- and the Head of the EUMM before the international organizations such as the regional organizations and initiatives in OSCE Permanent Council. International Civil Aviation Organization, the OSCE area. The OSCE took part in the annual high- the IOM, the International Centre for Mi- 2009 was an important year, as it level consultations in the “Tripartite-Plus” gration Policy Development (ICMPD) and marked the 10th anniversary of the adop- format with the UN and the Council of Borderpol. The Borders Team also inter- tion of the Platform for Co-operative Secu- Europe (CoE), hosted by the UN Office at acted with other organizations as potential rity, the operational document of the 1999 Geneva in June, to discuss the importance affiliates to the new OSCE Border Manage- Istanbul Summit Charter for European of strengthening democratic institutions ment Staff College in Dushanbe. Security, and the basis of the OSCE’s inter- to prevent conflicts. The Gender Section engaged in dialogue action with other organizations concerned In April, a session on co-operation with with a number of international and non- with the promotion of comprehensive se- local representatives of international or- governmental organizations (NGOs), as curity in the OSCE area. ganizations was held back-to-back with well as think-tanks, on gender issues in the Partner organizations were invited to the OSCE Regional Heads of Mission for politico-military and economic and envi- the Ministerial Council meeting in Athens Central Asia meeting in Dushanbe. Rep- ronmental dimensions as well as on rais- and other regular high- and expert-level resentatives of the European Commission ing awareness violence against women. OSCE events, including the Human Di- (EC), NATO, the UN Regional Centre for The Senior Police Adviser continued to mension Implementation Meeting, the Preventive Diplomacy, the UN High Com- represent the OSCE at the troika of Senior Economic and Environmental Forum, and missioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Police Advisers from the UN, EU and the Annual Security Review Conference. International Organization for Migration OSCE in order to discuss current trends, Likewise, the OSCE Chairmanship, the (IOM), the Conference on Interaction and challenges and programmatic areas that Secretary General and other senior of- Confidence-Building Measures in Asia require close co-ordination. ficials represented the Organization, upon and the International Foundation for Elec- The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE invitation, at various summits and meet- toral Systems attended. Economic and Environmental Activities ings of other international, regional and Similarly, an information-sharing event (OCEEA) continued to participate in the sub-regional organizations. with other organizations was held during Environment and Security Initiative, in Within the framework of the Corfu pro- the Regional Heads of Mission for South co-operation with the UNDP, the UN cess, the European Union (EU), the North Caucasus meeting in Yerevan on 24 and Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 25 September. Participants included rep- UNECE, the Regional Environmental the Commonwealth of Independent States resentatives of the UN Development Pro- Centre for Central and Eastern Europe (CIS) and the Collective Security Treaty gramme (UNDP), the UNHCR, the CoE, and NATO. Organization (CSTO) were invited to the the EC, the EU Special Representative The Alliance against Trafficking in -Per first informal OSCE Ministerial Council for the South Caucasus, the International sons, chaired by the Special Representative meeting, held in Corfu in June. Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and and Co-ordinator for Combating Traffick- The OSCE, together with the United the CSTO. ing in Human Beings, brought together Nations (UN) and the EU, co-chaired five The Conflict Prevention Centre’s Bor- the UNODC, the UN Office of the High rounds of the Geneva Discussions, foreseen ders Team worked closely throughout Commissioner for Human Rights (UNH- in the 12 August six-point agreement, which the year with a number of international CHR), the IOM, the International Labour addresses security and stability, as well as organizations and agencies dealing with Organization (ILO) and others to ex- humanitarian questions, including inter- issues affecting border security and change experience, best practices and les- nally displaced persons and refugees. It also management. In particular, information sons learned in a time of decreased fund- co-facilitated, together with the EU Moni- was exchanged with several UN agen- ing due to the global economic crisis. toring Mission (EUMM), six meetings of the cies, including the UN Office for Drugs The Representative on Freedom of the second Incident Prevention and Response and Crime (UNODC), the UN Economic Media, together with the International

104 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Partnerships for Security and Co-operation

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly fostered interaction and co-operation with the parliamentary assemblies of the CoE and NATO, as well as the European Par- liament, particularly in connection with election-observation missions.

United Nations

The OSCE, as the largest and most inclusive regional organization under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter, continued to work closely with the UN, both through political consultations and practical co- operation. Georgia, Kosovo and Afghanistan provided the main focus of OSCE-UN interaction in 2009. Co-operation also continued in all three security dimensions on issues such as counter-terrorism, The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office addresses the UN Security Council in New York on 27 February. (OSCE/Antonios Doykas) small arms and light weapons, trafficking in human beings, as well as economic and Freedom of Expression Rapporteurs of election-support team to the presidential environmental issues, including climate the United Nations, the Organization of and provincial council elections in Af- change and energy security. American States and the African Com- ghanistan in August. The team co-operat- There were a number of institutional mission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, ed closely with the UN Assistance Mission contacts between the two organizations signed a Joint Statement on the Media and in Afghanistan, the EU and NATO. during the year. On 27 February, the Elections on 15 May. On International Roma Day on 8 April, Chairperson-in-Office briefed the UN The Office for Democratic Institutions ODIHR, together with the OSCE’s High Security Council on the Greek Chair- and Human Rights (ODIHR) hosted the Commissioner on National Minorities manship’s priorities for the year. In her fourth meeting on the Declaration of Prin- (HCNM), the CoE’s Commissioner for presentation, she highlighted the need ciples for International Election Observa- Human Rights and the EU’s Fundamen- to strengthen the OSCE’s field activities, tion in Warsaw on 10 and 11 September, tal Rights Agency (FRA), issued a joint particularly in Georgia and Kosovo. She bringing together major organizations statement calling for concerted action to stressed that the OSCE would continue to endorsing the Declaration, including the combat hate crimes and extremism target- support Afghanistan, and she expressed UN, the EC, the International Institute for ing Roma and Sinti. Moreover, ODIHR her willingness to carry forward a stra- Democracy and Electoral Assistance, the provided financial support for an inter- tegic discussion on European security. Carter Center, the National Democratic national conference on Roma migration Finally, she underlined the need for closer Institute and the Electoral Institute of and freedom of movement in Vienna in international co-operation in the context Southern Africa. November that was jointly organized with of the global economic crisis. Following a request from the Govern- the FRA, the CoE’s Office of the Commis- The Chairperson-in-Office participated ment of Afghanistan, the OSCE sent an sioner for Human Rights and the HCNM. in the UN International Conference on

10th anniversary of the Platform for Co-operative Security The Platform for Co-operative Security was adopted by the OSCE The Platform outlined general modalities of co-operation, both Summit in Istanbul in November 1999 as the “operational docu- at headquarters level and in the field, as well as in responding to ment” and “essential element” of the Charter for European Secu- crises, and thus promoted a culture of co-operation among orga- rity. nizations in the OSCE area. The Platform’s main goal was “the strengthening of the mutu- “Recognizing the key integrating role the OSCE can play,” the ally reinforcing nature of the relationship between those organiza- Charter offered the OSCE, when appropriate, a “flexible co-ordi- tions and institutions concerned with the promotion of compre- nating framework to foster co-operation, through which various hensive security within the OSCE area”. organizations can reinforce each other drawing on their particular The Platform promoted the concept of mutually reinforcing strengths.” security institutions, and ruled out a hierarchy of organizations The Platform and the Charter recognized the growing impor- and a permanent division of labour among them. Its approach was tance of sub-regional co-operation and sub-regional groupings, inclusive, open and designed to further co-operation “on the basis and the Charter offered the OSCE as “a forum for sub-regional co- of equality and in a spirit of partnership”. operation” The Platform identified a set of principles that members of The Platform was instrumental in enhancing the OSCE’s external other organizations and institutions should adhere to individu- co-operation and the establishment of a greatly improved network ally and collectively in order for the OSCE to work co-operatively of interaction with other international, regional and sub-regional with them. organizations.

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 105 Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Strategy in the UN Steering and Technical Committees in September and participated in the a Regional Context hosted by the Dutch for the UN Convention on Transnational UN.GIFT Expert Group Initiative Project government in The Hague on 31 March. Organized Crime, a platform facilitating on Stakeholder Co-operation with Law On 1 December, the Executive Secre- co-ordination among international and Enforcement. tary of the UNECE, representing the UN regional organizations. ODIHR organized a training session Secretary-General, addressed the OSCE The OCEEA continued to work closely on the monitoring and reporting of hate Ministerial Council in Athens and met bi- with the UNODC’s Global Programme crimes for field staff from the OSCE, the laterally with the OSCE Secretary General. against Money Laundering and the Global IOM and the UNHCHR in Warsaw from 9 Issues discussed included OSCE-UN co- Programme against Corruption, sup- to 11 March. operation in conflict prevention and settle- porting regional and national activities. ment, democratization and human rights, In Almaty in July, the OCEEA, in close European Union counter-terrorism and the environmental co-operation with the SPMU, the Centre aspects of security, as well as the progress in Astana and together with the UNODC The OSCE continued its close co-operation of the Corfu process. and the World Bank, organized a regional with the EU throughout the year. In April, the Secretary General, accom- workshop on asset forfeiture and recov- On behalf of the EU Presidency, the panied by the Special Representative on ery for officials from Central Asia and Swedish Foreign Minister spoke at the Trafficking in Human Beings and other Russia. Ministerial Council in Athens and wel- senior representatives from the OSCE Sec- The OCEEA further expanded its co- comed the expansion of co-operation retariat, participated in the annual OSCE- operation with the UNECE Aarhus Con- between the OSCE and EU. He reaffirmed UNODC co-ordination meeting, aimed vention Secretariat within the framework the EU’s full support for the Corfu pro- at effective co-operation on issues such as of the OSCE Aarhus Centres Initiative, cess. Complex transnational challenges, the fight against human trafficking and while continuing to work with the UNECE such as terrorism, climate change, human transnational organized crime, both at the to facilitate transport and trade. Various trafficking and organized crime were programmatic level and in the field. seminars on the implementation of a num- highlighted as important issues for joint The annual OSCE-UN staff-level ber of UNECE legal instruments and con- efforts. meeting was hosted by the Secretariat in ventions were held across the OSCE area, The Chairperson-in-Office participated Vienna on 21 May. Special attention was particularly focusing on Central Asia. in the regular OSCE-EU Ministerial Troika paid to the situation in Georgia and the The OCEEA co-operated with the ILO Meetings held in March and November. UN and OSCE presences on the ground. in preparing a review report on Implemen- Meetings of the ambassadorial troikas Also discussed were co-operation in Koso- tation of OSCE Commitments related to took place in June and November. Top- vo, Central Asia and Afghanistan, includ- Migration for the OSCE’s 17th Economic ics discussed included the Corfu process, ing in support of the August presidential and Environmental Forum in Athens. Central Asia, protracted conflicts and the elections and the implementation of the The Special Representative and Co- Eastern Partnership. Madrid Ministerial Council Decision on ordinator for Combating Trafficking in The OSCE was invited to become a per- OSCE Engagement with Afghanistan. Human Beings continued working with manent participant in the EU’s Eastern The OSCE contributed to the UN the ILO in the field of labour exploitation Partnership Initiative’s Platform I on De- Secretary-General’s report on enhancing in the agricultural sector through the Al- mocracy, Good Governance and Stability. mediation and its support activities, which liance against Trafficking in Persons. They The year saw a rise in bilateral contacts. was discussed in the Security Council in also worked together within a Tripartite A number of senior EU representatives ad- April. The operations service of the Con- Regional Conference in Tbilisi, co-orga- dressed the Permanent Council, including flict Prevention Centre (CPC) intensified nized with the ICMPD, the ILO and the the Czech Foreign Minister and the Dep- its interaction with the UN Mediation OSCE. Staff from the Office of the Special uty Foreign Minister of Sweden, on behalf Support Unit. Representative participated in the 53rd of the Czech and Swedish EU Presidencies, The Gender Section contributed to the session of the Commission on the Status of respectively, the President of the EU’s UNECE-Beijing +15 Review Meeting in Women at UN headquarters in New York General Affairs and External Relations Geneva in November, which looked at in March. Council, the High Representative and challenges and opportunities for gender The Office of the Special Representative EU Special Representative in Bosnia and equality in the Eastern and Central Euro- continued working together with several Herzegovina, the Personal Representative pean region. UN agencies to promote the implementa- of the Secretary-General of the Council of The Strategic Police Matters Unit tion of the UN Convention against Trans- the European Union/High Representative (SPMU) maintained effective co- national Organized Crime and the associ- for Common Foreign and Security Policy, ordination with the UNODC in preparing ated Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and the EU Council Secretariat, the Chairman and implementing its organized-crime- Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially of the EU Military Committee and the related activities. Regular meetings at the Women and Children. Head of the EUMM. senior and technical level in Vienna and The Office continued to represent the The Secretary General addressed the across the field offices, as well as a -num OSCE within the United Nations Global EU Political and Security Committee in ber of joint OSCE-UNODC workshops, Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN. May and November, under the respective seminars, training courses and confer- GIFT), worked closely with three UN spe- Czech and Swedish Presidencies, and held ences, were held in the course of 2009. The cial rapporteurs during the ninth Alliance a number of bilateral meetings with rep- SPMU also continued its membership of against Trafficking in Persons conference resentatives of the EC and the EU Council

106 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Partnerships for Security and Co-operation

Secretariat on the margins. Council of Europe organized a workshop in Vienna in Sep- The annual OSCE-EU staff-level meet- tember for experts from both the public ing was hosted by the OSCE in Vienna The OSCE and the CoE worked together in and private sectors on Preventing the on 19 October, allowing for constructive a number of priority areas. In his address Abuse of Non-Profit Organizations for Ter- exchanges of views and expertise on topics to the Permanent Council in June, the Slo- rorist Financing. including the Corfu process, the situation venian Foreign Minister and Chairman of The Gender Section contributed to the in Georgia, the international presence the CoE’s Committee of Ministers stressed CoE’s initiative to prepare a European in Kosovo, the conflict dealt with by the that co-operation between the two orga- convention on violence against women by Minsk Conference, the Eastern Partner- nizations and respect for the values they participating in the related task force. ship and economic and environmental share — democracy, human rights and the The OCEEA and the CoE worked to- issues. rule of law — were essential for achieving gether on issues of migration, good gover- The CPC intensified its co-operation long-term and sustainable security and nance and combating money laundering with the EU Council Secretariat in the stability in Europe. and terrorist financing. area of mediation support. Representatives The CoE’s new Secretary General ad- In its capacity as an observer, the Of- of the Operations Service participated in dressed the OSCE Ministerial Council in fice of the Representative on Freedom of the EU high-level meeting on mediation Athens on 1 and 2 December, while the the Media maintained its working-level support in March, and in a workshop CPC Director represented the OSCE at the contacts with various CoE bodies on com- on Dialogue and Mediation as European 119th Session of the CoE’s Committee of mon thematic and regional activities. The Union Tools to Address and Prevent Con- Ministers in Madrid on 12 May. Representative contributed to discussions flict in October, both held in Brussels. Co-operation in the format of the Co- on the establishment of a mechanism The CPC Borders Team co-operated ordination Group in the four priority within the CoE to monitor states’ compli- with the EU on border-related issues, areas — the fight against terrorism, the ance with Article 10 of the European Con- particularly its Border Management protection of rights of persons belonging vention on Human Rights, which protects Programme for Central Asia (BOMCA) to national minorities, combating traffick- freedom of expression. and Frontex, a Warsaw-based EU agency ing in human beings, and promoting toler- ODIHR and the CoE’s Venice Commis- tasked with co-ordinating operational co- ance and non-discrimination — continued sion continued their joint legal reviews, operation among its member states in the during the two regular meetings of the while the CoE’s Parliamentary Assembly field of border security. Co-ordination Group, held in Vienna and and its Congress of Local and Regional The OCEEA continued its close in- Strasbourg on 13 March and 11 Septem- Authorities took part in a number of elec- teraction on issues related to migration ber, respectively. Having reviewed its work tion-observation activities with ODIHR. management with the EC, the CoE and for at least the last four years, the Group The Presidents of the two organizations’ the Global Forum on Migration and decided to streamline the future agenda of Parliamentary Assemblies met in Madrid Development. each meeting to two areas of co-operation in April to discuss co-operation in the The OSCE Special Representative and from four to allow for a more strategic and field of election observation. In November, Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in-depth examination. the President of the OSCE Parliamentary in Human Beings worked closely with The two organizations exchanged Assembly addressed the meeting of the the 2009 EU presidencies, the EC and in views on current and planned activities Standing Committee of the CoE’s Parlia- particular with its Directorate-General for in South-Eastern Europe, the South Cau- mentary Assembly in Bern. Justice, Freedom and Security. Together casus and Eastern Europe, as well as on with the Czech EU Presidency and the EC, co-operation on migration-related issues, North Atlantic Treaty the Office of the Special Representative at the regular meeting of senior officials Organization co-organized the conference Joint analysis, hosted by the OSCE in Vienna in June. joint action: EU National Rapporteurs on Experts from both organizations met at The OSCE and NATO developed relations THB [trafficking in human beings], which the annual meeting on the implementa- through regular political dialogue and was held in Prague in March. At the invi- tion of the Co-operation Agreement on expert-level co-operation. At the meeting tation of the Swedish EU Presidency, the Local Government Assistance in South East of the North-Atlantic Council, in Stras- Special Representative contributed to the Europe, held in December in Strasbourg, bourg-Kehl on 4 April, NATO heads of Ministerial Conference Towards EU Global where they exchanged information on state and government highlighted the role Action against Trafficking in Human Be- programmes aimed at supporting local of the OSCE, which “provides an appro- ings. The EU Anti-trafficking Day was self-government in the region. priate, inclusive format” for dialogue on commemorated with a joint statement by In response to the CoE’s motion for a a broad, co-operative approach to Euro- the Special Representative and the Direc- resolution on the need for a Council of Atlantic security. tor of ODIHR. Europe neighbourhood policy, the OSCE The Chairman-in-Office addressed the The Office of the Representative on shared its experience on dialogue and co- North-Atlantic Council in Brussels in No- Freedom of the Media continued to con- operation with its Mediterranean Partners vember, focusing on the Corfu process and tribute to EuroDIG, a European forum on for Co-operation during a visit in March co-operation on issues of wider European Internet dialogue, which aims to formulate by the Rapporteur of the CoE’s Parliamen- security. common European input to the UN-initi- tary Assembly. The Secretary General delivered a state- ated Internet Governance Forum. The Anti-Terrorism Unit, the OCEEA ment to the Euro-Atlantic Partnership and the CoE’s Moneyval Committee Council (EAPC) in October. Topics of

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 107 discussion, both at the EAPC and dur- Council meeting on 26 March, the Sec- Migrant Investment, Return and Economic ing subsequent bilateral meetings with retary General stressed the need for co- Reintegration for Development in South high-ranking NATO officials, included the operation between different international East Europe and Central Asia. The OCEEA Corfu process and NATO deliberations on and regional actors engaged in assisting and the Organisation for Economic Co- a new Strategic Concept, security in Af- Afghanistan. He also held bilateral meet- operation and Development organized a ghanistan and developments in Georgia, ings with the CSTO Secretary General and regional seminar in Belgrade in October Kosovo, Moldova and Central Asia. exchanged views on issues such as border on Asset declarations for public officials as The Forum for Security Co-operation security and border management in Cen- a tool against corruption. was addressed by a number of senior tral Asia, as well as on OSCE engagement The Office of the Special Representative NATO officials, including the Deputy with Afghanistan. and Co-ordinator for Combating Traf- Supreme Allied Commander Europe, the The Secretary General and the CIS ficking in Human Beings, together with Deputy Commander International Secu- Executive Secretary met in December to the IOM and Austria’s Interior Ministry, rity Assistance Force and the Deputy As- exchange information on the latest devel- developed guidelines for collecting data sistant Secretary General for Weapons of opments within the two organizations. on human trafficking. In September, the Mass Destruction Policy for NATO. The Secretary General and the Secretary Special Representative presented proposals Regular OSCE-NATO staff-level meet- General of the Organization for Democra- and recommendations to the CIS Execu- ings, held in Vienna in February and in cy and Economic Development — GUAM tive Committee for a draft programme Brussels in September, addressed politico- met on the margins of the OSCE’s Annual for co-operation on combating human military activities and co-operation on Security Review Conference in June, and trafficking. At the Baltic Sea Parliamen- regional matters. later during the Secretary General’s tary Conference’s (BSPC) annual political In February, the Special Representative visit to the GUAM Secretariat in Kyiv in debate on security in Nyborg, Denmark, and Co-ordinator for Combating Traffick- September. from 30 August to 1 September, the Spe- ing in Human Beings attended the EAPC The Director of the CPC took part in cial Representative urged participants to Ambassadorial Meeting in Brussels, and the Summit of the Heads of Government of place human trafficking at the top of their a representative from her office contrib- the Member States of the Central European political agendas. uted to the discussion of the first report Initiative in Bucharest in November. Parliamentarians and staff from the on the implementation of NATO’s policy The Director of the Office of the Secre- Parliamentary Assembly took part in a on combating human trafficking. During tary General represented the OSCE at the number of parliamentary conferences, the meeting, NATO’s Secretary General 20th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of including those of the BSPC, and of the highlighted the fact that the OSCE “is one Foreign Affairs of the Organization of the Parliamentary Assembly meeting of the of [NATO’s] most important partners in Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in BSEC in Moscow. the field of anti-trafficking and in promot- Yerevan in April. ing [a] policy of zero tolerance to modern The Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic International financial slavery”. and Environmental Activities represented institutions the OSCE at the 12th Meeting of the Heads Other international, regional and of State and Government of the South East The OCEEA continued its collaboration sub-regional organizations and European Cooperation Process in Chisinau with the Eurasian Group on Combating initiatives in June. He also attended the annual meet- Money Laundering and the Financing ing of the Regional Co-operation Council of Terrorism, the Council of Europe’s In accordance with the Helsinki Ministe- in Chisinau, where he presented OSCE Moneyval Committee, the World Bank, rial Decision of 2008 on the OSCE con- activities in the field of good governance the International Monetary Fund and the tribution to the Implementation Phase of and the environment. Financial Action Task Force through con- the Alliance of Civilizations Initiative, the The OCEEA continued its close co- sultations, participating in relevant meet- Secretary General and the Senior Gender operation with the IOM in the areas of ings, contributing to joint activities and Adviser attended the Second Forum of the migration management, raising awareness promoting international standards and Alliance of Civilizations in Istanbul on 5 of the potential role migrants’ savings can best practices. and 6 April, where the Secretary General play for investment and development in The World Bank contributed to a special held a meeting on the margins with the countries of origin and developing train- panel on the impact of the global financial High Representative of the UN Secretary- ing materials in labour migration manage- crisis on human trafficking in countries General for the Alliance of Civilizations. ment for policymakers, social partners of origin, transit and destination at the The OSCE was also represented, in Oc- and relevant non-governmental organiza- ninth Conference of the Alliance against tober, at the second preparatory meeting tions. The two organizations developed Trafficking in Persons, organized by the aimed at developing an Alliance of Civili- a trainer’s manual on labour-migration Office of the Special Representative and zations’ regional strategy for the countries management, and regional seminars were Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking of South-Eastern Europe. held in Bishkek in September-October in Human Beings. The Secretary General and the Director and in Tirana in December in order to General of the IOM held a meeting in the train trainers on how to use the manual. Non-governmental organizations run-up to the 17th Economic and Environ- A number of international organizations mental Forum. attended in Vienna in December a joint NGOs and think-tanks took part in all the While addressing the CSTO Permanent IOM-OCEEA Regional Conference on main OSCE meetings and events. They

108 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Partnerships for Security and Co-operation

also continued to co-operate with institu- Mission in Kosovo, the UNHCR, the The Office of the Personal Representative tions, field operations and the Secretariat, UNDP, the CoE, the EC Liaison Office, the of the OSCE on the Conflict Dealt with including as project partners. EU Rule of Law Mission, the IOM, NATO by the Minsk Conference maintained Guest speakers from a number of NGOs and the ICRC. close contacts with organizations such as and think-tanks spoke and made presenta- the EU, the CoE, the UNHCR, the ICRC, tions at several informal meetings within The Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje and various international NGOs with re- the framework of the Corfu process in co-operated with UN agencies, the EC spect to the major problems of internally Vienna. and other international organizations on a displaced persons and refugees, prisoners Representatives of civil society also number of projects. The Mission continued of war, missing persons and detainees, as spoke and made presentations at the Hu- its co-operation with the EU Police De- well as mine clearance. man Dimension Implementation Meeting velopment Assistance Project CIVIPOL to in Warsaw from 28 September through 9 co-ordinate activities on police reform. Central Asia October. ODIHR and the Geneva Centre for the The Office in Zagreb and ODIHR co-op- The Centre in Ashgabat worked with UN Democratic Control of Armed Forces orga- erated with the ICTY and UN Crime and agencies and the EU to address terrorism, nized roundtables in Armenia in April and Justice Research Institute on war-crimes trafficking in human beings, education in Bosnia and Herzegovina in September to monitoring through the initiative on Les- and health issues, as well as to assist farm- promote their joint publication, Handbook sons Learned and Best Practices in Knowl- ers’ associations. on Human Rights and Fundamental Free- edge Transfer. doms of Armed Forces Personnel. The Centre in Astana hosted one of the Eastern Europe quarterly co-ordination meetings for in- Highlights of Co-operation ternational and bilateral donors and con- in the Field The Office in Minsk co-ordinated its activ- tinued to co-operate closely with the rele- ities closely with UN offices, the EC repre- vant international organizations operating South-Eastern Europe sentative office in Belarus, the CIS Execu- in Kazakhstan, particularly the UNDP, tive Committee, a number of international the EC, the IOM and BOMCA on border The Presence in Albania worked with the financial institutions and the IOM. management, the World Bank on money EC and the CoE on civil-registry reform; laundering, the UNODC on combating with the CoE on decentralization; with the The Mission to Moldova maintained close organized crime and drugs trafficking and EC on judicial, police and property reform; contact with numerous UN agencies, the the United Nations Development Fund for and with the UNDP on gender. Donor co- IOM, the EU and the CoE in its efforts to Women on gender issues. ordination was jointly managed through promote democracy, strengthen the rule of regular meetings with the UNDP, the law, enhance the freedom of the media and The Centre in Bishkek co-operated with World Bank and the EC. combat trafficking in human beings. the CoE’s Venice Commission in providing expert opinions on draft laws on the The Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina The Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine co- freedom of assembly. The Centre also im- co-operated with the UNHCR, the UNDP, ordinated activities with the CoE, the Ven- plemented joint activities with various UN NATO, European forces in Bosnia and Her- ice Commission, the EU, including the EU bodies in the area of combating terrorism, zegovina, the delegation of the EC, the CoE Border Assistance Mission, the IOM, the protecting human rights and cleaning up and the Office of the High Representative. UNECE, the UNEP, the UNDP, the ILO uranium tailings. and international NGOs. The Mission to Montenegro implemented The Office in Tajikistan continued its projects in co-operation with a total of 47 South Caucasus co-operation in a number of programme international organizations, with almost areas with international organizations, 7,000 beneficiaries. The Office in Baku worked with the CoE including UN agencies, international de- on elections, good governance and rule- velopment banks and international NGOs. The Mission to Serbia co-operated with of-law issues, with UNICEF on juvenile These partnerships were essential in proj- UN agencies such as the UNDP, the UN- justice, with the ILO on training for the ects concerning border management, anti- HCR and the UNODC, as well as with the owners of small and medium-sized busi- corruption, environmental issues, human EU, the CoE, NATO, the International nesses and with the EU Twinning Project rights and media development. Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugosla- on renewable energy. via (ICTY), the World Bank, the European The Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan Bank for Reconstruction and Development, The Office in Yerevan co-operated closely co-ordinated a number of events with inter- and with NGOs in the areas of rule of law with the CoE, the EU, including with the national organizations and NGOs accred- and human rights, democratization, law new EU Advisory Group for Armenia, ited in Uzbekistan and in co-operation with enforcement and media. the UN, and the World Bank on elections, OSCE institutions in the areas of transpor- anti-corruption, police assistance, human tation and biometric passports. The Mission in Kosovo continued to en- rights, economic and environmental is- gage actively with relevant institutions, sues, media, gender, anti-trafficking and including the UN Interim Administration migration.

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 109 Interaction with the Asian and Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation and with organizations and institutions outside the OSCE area

Interaction with Partners for to further strengthen this dialogue. They The Partners were regularly briefed on Co-operation each played an active role at the respec- ongoing discussions in the context of the tive Asian and Mediterranean Partners’ Corfu process, and the Greek Chairman- Much of the year’s work was aimed at im- annual conferences and presented a report ship supported the inclusion of a reference proving dialogue between the Organiza- at the end of the year with recommenda- to the Partners in the Athens Ministerial tion and the Partners, a goal underscored tions on issues under their mandate. Decision on Furthering the Corfu Process. by the Chairperson-in-Office’s appoint- In line with established practice, the On the eve of the Ministerial Council, the ment of a Personal Representative for each Partners were regularly invited to meet- OSCE Ministerial Troika meeting with the group of Partners. At the Athens Ministe- ings of the Permanent Council and the Partners took place, with the participation rial Council, the Organization also formal- Forum for Security Co-operation, provid- of the Secretary General and the Parlia- ly welcomed its newest Partner, Australia. ing a forum for regular interaction and mentary Assembly. The foundations for work in 2010 were laid debate. They also participated in all the Although consensus could not be by the decision to hold two Chairmanship main OSCE events of the year, including reached on the Palestinian National workshops in Partner countries — one on the Annual Security Review Conference, Authority’s request to become a Partner trafficking in human beings, in Mongolia, the Economic and Environmental Forum for Co-operation, the Chairmanship and the other on the fight against drugs and the Human Dimension Implementa- welcomed its informal co-operation. trafficking, in Thailand — and by the tion Meeting. The Authority also participated in the identification of areas to be addressed with the Mediterranean Partners through the Partnership Fund. Partnership Fund The Partnership Fund, aimed at promoting the Partners’ engagement in the OSCE, Report of the OSCE completed its second year of operation in 2009, when four new projects were Chairmanship implemented. With new contributions from Belgium, France, Israel and Kazakhstan, the fund’s total pledges since its 2007 establishment by a Madrid Ministerial Council Decision reached over €650,000. To further enhance OSCE-Partner relations, the Chairperson-in-Office appointed The new projects were: • Meeting on Multilateral Security Co-operation in Northeast Asia and the Relevance Professor Theodore Kotsonis and Profes- of OSCE Experience, co-organized with the Austrian Center for International Studies sor Sotiris Roussos as Personal Represen- and the Finnish Chairmanship of the OSCE Contact Group with the Asian Partners tatives for the Asian and Mediterranean for Co-operation, held in Vienna in April (donors: Belgium and Finland); Partners for Co-operation, respectively. • Seminar with the Mediterranean Partners on Media Self-regulation, held in Vienna The two Representatives assisted and ad- in June and organized by the office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media vised the Chairperson on matters related (donors: Denmark, Kazakhstan, Spain and the United States); to the OSCE’s dialogue with the Partners. • Seminar on tolerance and non-discrimination with the Mediterranean Partners, They were also tasked with finding ways held in Astana in July (donor: Kazakhstan); • Workshop on an integrated approach to Supply-Chain Security for the Mediterra- nean Region, held in Malta in December (donors: Greece and Kazakhstan). Asian Partners for Co-operation: Two projects were completed in 2009 after their launch a year earlier: Afghanistan, Australia (welcomed as • Afghanistan: OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Asian Partner at the Athens Ministerial electoral technical assistance (donors: Finland, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Council), Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Slovenia); Korea and Thailand. Finland chaired the • Publication of a French-language version of the OSCE/International Organization Asian Contact Group in 2009. for Migration/International Labour Office Mediterranean edition of the Handbook on Establishing Effective Labour Migration Policies in Countries of Origin and Desti- Mediterranean Partners for nation (donors: Belgium and France). Co-operation: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, The Partnership Fund was also used to sponsor the participation of representatives Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. Kazakhstan from the Partners for Co-operation in OSCE-related events (donors: Spain and chaired the Mediterranean Contact Finland). Group in 2009.

110 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Partnerships for Security and Co-operation

Mediterranean Conference at the invitation The OSCE Secretary General (r) meets Japan’s of the host country, Egypt. Foreign Minister in Tokyo on 9 June. (OSCE/Fabrizio Third joint meeting of the Scarpa) Contact Groups

Co-chaired by Finland and Kazakhstan, the third annual joint meeting of the Con- tact Groups, in December, provided an opportunity for the two groups to discuss common issues and the OSCE Partnership in the dialogue on European security, of particular importance in light of the Ath- ens Ministerial Decision on Furthering the Corfu Process. The meeting also discussed the Partnership Fund and was addressed by the two Personal Representatives. order to address common challenges, es- a number of aspects of the Conference on pecially in the areas of military transpar- Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Report of the Chairmanship ency, energy security and developing civil (CSCE)/OSCE’s experience in ensuring of the Contact Group with the society, including the media. multilateral security. Discussions focused Asian Partners for Co-operation Some participants noted that, given the on the importance of agreeing on guiding risk of military escalation brought about principles, holding dialogue on an equal Work of the Asian Contact Group. Dur- by North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, footing and taking confidence-building ing the Contact Group’s five meetings, there was reason to strengthen multilateral measures, as well as on the need for some the Asian Partners made presentations co-operation in an effort to build confi- kind of human dimension, such as people- entitled: dence. The experiences of Asian Partners to-people contact. Participants agreed that • Follow-up to the 2008 OSCE-Afghan- on the topic of energy security, a relatively the OSCE’s experience could be useful in istan Conference, on issues such as new issue for the Organization, were establishing a multilateral security mecha- border security and management — and seen as beneficial for participating States, nism for Northeast Asia. the upcoming presidential elections including with respect to environmental (Afghanistan); concerns. Participants also agreed on the Conference on the Present and Future • Human Security and Democratic Institu- need to continue promoting media free- Security Environment in North-East tions Building (Japan); dom as a fundamental ingredient of trans- and Central Asia: Ulaanbaatar as a new • Follow-up to the 2007 OSCE-Mongolia parent, peaceful and modern societies. Helsinki? Co-organized by the German Conference, including on Measures to George C. Marshall European Center Promote the Interests of Land-locked Meeting on Multilateral Security for Security Studies and the Mongolian Countries, as well as Development of Co-operation in Northeast Asia and Institute for Strategic Studies, the April Democratic-governance Indicators the Relevance of OSCE Experience. conference in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, (Mongolia); Sponsored by Finland and Belgium and focused on challenges to confidence- and • the North Korean Nuclear Issue: Current co-organized in Vienna by the Austrian security-building in Central and East Status and Prospects (Korea); Center for International Studies and the Asia, European examples of neutrality • Co-operation between the OSCE and the Finnish Chairmanship of the Asian Con- and confidence- and security-building ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian tact Group, 23 participants, from partici- measures and security co-operation in Nations] Regional Forum (Thailand); pating States, the Asian Partners and the Asia. In presenting the CSCE/OSCE as a countries of the Six-Party Talks, discussed possible model for security architecture in In response to the interest shown in increasing co-operation with the OSCE, Australia was invited to address the last meeting of the Asian Contact Group in ODIHR Election Support Team to Afghanistan 2009, and made a presentation on the pos- As tasked by a Permanent Council Decision, ODIHR deployed an election-support team sibility for full co-operation and strength- to assist election stakeholders in their efforts to organize presidential and provincial elec- ening of relations between Australia and tions. This contributed to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1868, which the OSCE, including on the topic of Asia- called upon the international community to assist the Afghan authorities in ensuring cred- Pacific regional security architecture. ible, safe and secure elections. The team, which consisted of 20 election staff representing 11 participating States, was deployed for 15 weeks. Team members were based in Kabul OSCE-Japan Conference. The main but visited other parts of Afghanistan in the course of their work. topic discussed during the Conference, Following its mission, the team published a comprehensive report containing recommendations for the Afghan Government on ways to improve the conduct of future elec- held in Tokyo in June, was how participat- tions, with a particular focus on domestic observation, capacity-building and sustainability, ing States and Partners for Co-operation voter registration and the legal framework for elections. could share knowledge and experiences in

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 111 Asia, Finland provided an overview of the financial crisis for migration. Prospects for incoming Chair of the OSCE Mediter- negotiations that led to the signature of the further OSCE-Mediterranean co-opera- ranean Contact Group, the OSCE’s Medi- Helsinki Final Act. tion were also discussed. terranean Partners, heads of the OSCE During the debate on conflict preven- institutions, the Personal Representatives Partnership Fund. Part of the Finnish tion, most of the participants agreed of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on contribution to the Partnership Fund that, despite differences between the tolerance and non-discrimination and for was used to finance an election assistance two regions, the OSCE’s framework of the Mediterranean Partners, as well as a project for the Independent Election Com- commitments and instruments in the number of officials from the host country. mission of Afghanistan, jointly imple- politico-military dimension could be a The Palestinian National Authority also mented by ODIHR and the Secretariat’s model for the Middle East. In the area of participated. External Co-operation Section and the migration, participants stressed both the above-mentioned seminar on Multilateral potential economic benefits of migration Workshop on an integrated approach Security Co-operation in Northeast Asia and security concerns, including a rise in to supply-chain security for the and the Relevance of OSCE Experience. aggressive xenophobia targeting migrants. Mediterranean region. A number of Furthermore, part of the Finnish con- One proposal was made to use the regional senior officials and experts from govern- tribution was used to ensure that several platform for dialogue on migration and ments, business and industry in partici- representatives from Mongolia and Af- security issues, as indicated in the Minis- pating States and Partner countries gath- ghanistan participated in relevant OSCE terial Decision on Migration Management, ered in Malta in December for a seminar expert meetings and seminars and in the to exchange information, experiences and aimed at facilitating dialogue, networking, OSCE-Japan Conference. In November, the best practices on migrant savings and exchanging experiences and discussing adoption of Permanent Council Decisions remittances, as well as to provide specific public-private partnerships in an effort to on the holding of workshops in Mongolia training programmes on gender-sensitive improve integrated supply-chain security. and Thailand on trafficking in human be- labour-migration policies. While participants shared their knowledge ings and counter-narcotics, respectively, to A number of ideas were suggested for of security issues, including vulnerabili- be held as 2010 Chairmanship events, gave strengthening the OSCE’s Mediterranean ties, the meeting emphasized the benefits further impetus to the work of the Part- dialogue, including the establishment of of an integrated approach to supply-chain nership Fund. a mechanism to follow up on the annual security, in particular with regard to facili- Finland presented a report on the work OSCE Mediterranean Conference and the tating legitimate trade and transport. of the Asian Contact Group to the Athens many proposals made in the context of the Ministerial Council. Mediterranean Contact Group. Visit under the Vienna Document 1999. The Mediterranean Partners took part in Report of the Chairmanship Seminar with the Mediterranean an October visit to Kazakhstan’s 604th of the Contact Group with the Partners on media self-regulation. Elev- airbase in Taldykorgan and its 37th air Mediterranean Partners for en international experts from the OSCE assault brigade, under the terms of the Co-operation region and the Partners met in Vienna in Vienna Document 1999. June to take part in an OSCE seminar on Work of the Mediterranean Contact media self-regulation. While discussions Partnership Fund. Kazakhstan led con- Group. The Mediterranean Contact Group focused on the various forms and merits sultations among Mediterranean Partners met seven times in 2009, exchanging ideas of media self-regulation, including edito- aimed at identifying their three priority on a number of issues, including: freedom rial independence, the correction of errors areas to be addressed in 2010 through of the media; the Alliance of Civilizations; and enhancing professionalism, the event fund-financed projects: management of economic and environmental activities; also provided an opportunity to raise the water resources and action to counter the politico-military dimension; the Union awareness of the essential role that respon- desertification; border security and man- for the Mediterranean, uniting countries sible journalism plays in developing inde- agement; and human resources, especially that border the Mediterranean Sea; and pendent media. The seminar was financed creating opportunities for young diplo- the use of the Partnership Fund. by Denmark, Kazakhstan, Spain and the mats from the Mediterranean Partners to Two Mediterranean Partners made United States. gain OSCE experience. special presentations during the year: Kazakhstan presented a report on the Morocco on the future of the OSCE Seminar on tolerance and non- work of the Mediterranean Contact Group Mediterranean partnership, and Egypt, discrimination. Kazakhstan hosted a sem- to the Athens Ministerial Council. jointly with France, on the Union for the inar on tolerance and non-discrimination Mediterranean. for the Mediterranean Partners in Astana Report of the Secretary General The OSCE Mediterranean Conference, in July, on the eve of the third Congress held in Cairo in December, focused on of Leaders of World and Traditional Re- The OSCE Secretariat supported the work how co-operation between the OSCE and ligions. Seminar discussions focused on of the Chairs of the two Contact Groups the Mediterranean Partners could en- the role of inter-ethnic and inter-religious and co-organized, together with the host hance security and stability with respect dialogue and protecting the rights of la- countries, the OSCE-Japan Conference in to two main issues: politico-military as- bour migrants. Tokyo and the OSCE Mediterranean Con- pects of security in the OSCE area and the Participants included representatives ference in Cairo. The Secretary General Mediterranean and the implications of the of the OSCE Troika, Lithuania as the addressed both events. The Secretariat

112 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Partnerships for Security and Co-operation

The OSCE Secretary General (l) and the Secretary General of the League of Arab States (r) meet on the margins of the OSCE Mediterranean Conference in Cairo on 13 December. (LAS)

supported the work of the participating Northeast Asia. Other topics included jointly implemented with ODIHR, that States by regularly providing institutional preparations for the 2010 OSCE-Korea began in 2008. To conclude this project, memory, such as information on practices Conference and the OSCE’s engagement a workshop in Warsaw in April provided and past events, as well as clarifications with Afghanistan, including the deploy- an opportunity for an exchange among on rules and procedures concerning the ment of the OSCE’s election-support team. representatives of the Afghan Independent Partners for Co-operation where neces- On 15 and 16 June, at the invitation of Election Commission, civil society and sary. It also liaised with the Partners on a Australia, the Secretary General visited OSCE experts, following up recommenda- regular basis. Canberra, where he met with the Foreign tions from prior OSCE election-support On the margins of the Conference in Minister and the Chair of the Joint Stand- teams. Japan, the Secretary General met with ing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the The Conflict Prevention Centre’s Bor- Japan’s Foreign Minister and with the Australian Parliament, as well as other ders Team conducted joint training exer- Ambassador charged with co-ordinating senior officials from the Ministries for For- cises on customs and patrolling green bor- assistance for Afghanistan. They discussed eign Affairs and Defence. Australian offi- ders — the areas between border-crossing regional security issues in Europe and cials expressed their interest in developing points that need to be patrolled — in Asia and the OSCE’s engagement with a closer relationship with the OSCE. The Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, with the Afghanistan. Secretary General briefed his Australian participation of Afghan representatives. At the Mediterranean Conference, the counterparts on the OSCE, its mandate The new OSCE Border Management Staff Secretary General met with Egypt’s As- and activities, including OSCE engage- College in Dushanbe promoted the inclu- sistant Foreign Minister for European ment with Afghanistan, as well as on the sion of participants from Afghanistan Affairs to discuss improving relations nature and mechanisms of the OSCE’s in its activities, and the ongoing OSCE between the OSCE and Egypt and general dialogue with the Asian Partners. customs initiative in Bishkek is to involve developments in security in Europe and The External Co-operation Section more than 100 Afghan customs officials. in the Middle East. The Secretary General represented the Secretary General at the The Strategic Police Matters Unit also briefed the Assistant Minister on the Ulaanbaatar security conference on the launched three of seven planned projects, outcome of the Athens Ministerial Council security environment in Northeast and which are expected to improve the neigh- and on the OSCE’s work in the field of tol- Central Asia in April, delivering a state- bouring countries’ police performance in erance and non-discrimination. ment on his behalf. the fight against drugs trafficking in the At the invitation of the Republic of Ko- short and long term. A total of 52 Afghan rea, the Secretary General visited Seoul on OSCE engagement with Afghanistan. police officers will be trained in Tajikistan 11 June for consultations with authorities. OSCE engagement with Afghanistan re- and Russia in programmes designed to During the visit, he met with the Minister mained a priority for the Secretariat. The enhance the skills and professionalism at of Foreign Affairs and Trade and other Partnership Fund financed participation the Afghan National Police and Counter- senior officials. Talks dealt with regional by Afghan representatives in OSCE activi- Narcotics Training Academy. Senior of- security issues in the OSCE area and in ties, including an election-related project, ficials from Afghanistan and Mongolia

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 113 participated in a high-level meeting on in April. On the margins of the Athens Law Enforcement Co-operation in Central Ministerial Council, the Secretary General Asia held in Astana in July. met the Executive Director of the CICA The OSCE Academy in Bishkek, which Secretariat and, in December, held a work- provides master’s-level education for stu- ing breakfast with the Secretary General dents from Central Asia and neighbour- of ASEAN. Discussions included the out- ing countries, has enrolled four Afghan come of the Ministerial Council and the students for the 2009-2010 academic year 15th ASEAN Summit. On the margins of and plans to conduct training for Afghan the Mediterranean Conference, the Secre- students and diplomats in 2010. tary General met the Secretary General of The OSCE Centre in Bishkek, the Anti- the League of Arab States; they exchanged terrorism Unit and ODIHR attended a views on recent developments in their conference co-organized by Kyrgyzstan, respective regions and ways of furthering the Collective Security Treaty Organiza- co-operation. The Secretary General also tion and the Commonwealth of Indepen- participated in the special conference on dent States on anti-terrorism and regional Afghanistan convened under the auspices security in November, where Kyrgyzstan’s of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization President launched his Bishkek Initiative in Moscow in March. as a forum for dialogue and reconciliation In November, the Secretariat hosted in Afghanistan. a study visit by a delegation from the In Tajikistan, the OSCE worked on League of Arab States focusing on conflict projects related to improving border prevention and confidence-building and management and regional co-operation provided it with in-depth briefings. The on transport, trade and energy security. delegation then visited Warsaw to famil- It also continued to support four resource iarize itself with ODIHR’s mandate and centres aimed at promoting cross-border activities. trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. These centres provided information on customs rules and regulations and offered business training to entrepreneurs on both sides of the border.

Interaction with organizations outside the OSCE area

As recommended in the 2007 Madrid Ministerial Declaration on the Partners for Co-operation, increased efforts have been made to share the OSCE’s experience with regional organizations outside the OSCE region. Following past practice, organizations such as the African Union, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Shanghai Co- operation Organization were invited to a number of OSCE events, including the Athens Ministerial Council, the OSCE- Japan Conference and the OSCE Mediter- ranean Conference. The OSCE Secretary General also held direct consultations with senior officials from a number of these organizations, focusing on strengthening the OSCE’s ties with them. He met with the OIC’s Secretary General on the margins of the Alliance of Civilizations Forum in Istanbul

114 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Annexes Ro drigu es G ad o tti OSCE/Martina OSCE/Martina

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 115 The OSCE at a glance

The OSCE is the most important regional organiza- History tion focusing on early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation The OSCE traces its origins to the early 1970s, when the two-year Con- in its area. It often acts behind the scenes, fostering ference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) brought to- discussions and defusing tensions before they develop gether representatives from Eastern and Western countries in Helsinki into conflict. and Geneva, resulting in agreement on the Helsinki Final Act, signed on 1 August 1975. Based on the understanding that security touches on Following the end of the Cold War, the CSCE took on a new role in many aspects of our lives and how we are governed, managing the historic change taking place in Europe and responding the OSCE addresses a comprehensive range of issues, to new security challenges. In the early 1990s, the Conference’s work which it has traditionally grouped into three areas, or became more structured and it acquired permanent institutions, includ- dimensions. ing a Secretariat, an Office for Free Elections and a Conflict Prevention Centre. Work in the politico-military dimension includes: Recognizing that the CSCE was no longer simply a Conference, par- • facilitating and co-mediating conflict settlement ticipating States agreed at the 1994 Budapest Summit to change its name negotiations to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. • fostering arms control and confidence- and In the twenty-first century, the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security-building measures security has increasingly proved useful in tackling new challenges such • building border-security and -management as the fight against terrorism and combating trafficking in human be- capacities ings, which defy categorization into any one of the three dimensions of • helping reform military and police forces security. The Organization continues to focus on resolving protracted • destroying small arms and conventional conflicts in the former Soviet Union and promoting stability in the ammunition and ensuring safe stockpile Balkans. management

Work in the economic and environmental How the OSCE works dimension includes: • enhancing economic co-operation and good The OSCE is chaired by one of its participating States, a role that rotates governance annually. In 2009, Greece held the Chairmanship. To aid in long-term • addressing environmental security risks and planning and foster continuity, Greece promoted active dialogue be- promoting transboundary co-operation tween fellow Troika members Finland (2008) and Kazakhstan (2010) • promoting co-operation on energy security and the future Chairmanships of Lithuania (2011) and Ireland (2012). The Permanent Council is a regular body for political consultation Work in the human dimension includes: and decision-making. It meets weekly in Vienna. The Forum for Secu- • promoting respect for human rights rity Co-operation oversees the OSCE’s politico-military dimension and • strengthening democratic institutions also convenes weekly in Vienna’s Hofburg. • fostering tolerance and non-discrimination Other bodies or forums also play a decision-making role within the • observing elections Organization: periodic Summits of heads of State or government; the • promoting minority rights annual Ministerial Council; the Economic and Environmental Forum; the Annual Security Review Conference; and the Human Dimension The Organization, which is recognized as a regional Implementation Meeting. arrangement under the United Nations Charter, has 56 participating States in Europe, North America and Central Asia and some 3,000 staff members in its field operations, specialized institutions and Vienna-based Secretariat. www.osce.org

116 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Annexes

Organigram

Summit Periodic meeting of OSCE Heads of State or Government

Ministerial Council Annual meeting of Foreign Ministers (except Summit years)

Permanent Council Forum for Security Co-operation Regular body for political Regular body for arms control and consultation and decision-making confidence- and security-building (meets weekly in Vienna) measures (meets weekly in Vienna)

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Chairman-in-Office Copenhagen Greece Troika (2009) Finland, Greece, Kazakhstan

Secretary General Secretariat Vienna Prague Office Personal Representatives of the CiO Office for Democratic OSCE Representative on High Commissioner on Institutions and Human Freedom of the Media National Minorities Rights Vienna The Hague Warsaw High-Level Planning Group Preparing for an OSCE Peacekeeping Force for Nagorno-Karabakh

OSCE Field operations

South-Eastern Europe Eastern Europe South Caucasus Central Asia Assistance with Presence in Albania Office in Minsk Office in Baku Centre in Ashgabat Bilateral Agreements Mission to Bosnia and Mission to Moldova Mission to Georgia Centre in Astana Representative to the Herzegovina Project Co-ordinator in (closed in 2009) Centre in Bishkek Latvian-Russian Joint Mission in Kosovo Ukraine Office in Yerevan Office in Tajikistan Commission on Military Mission to Montenegro Project Co-ordinator in Pensioners Mission to Serbia Uzbekistan Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje Office in Zagreb

OSCE-related bodies

Joint Consultative Group Open Skies Consultative Court of Conciliation and Promotes implementation of CFE Commission Arbitration Treaty Promotes implementation of Geneva (meets regularly in Vienna) Open Skies Treaty (meets regularly in Vienna)

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 117 OSCE Budget 2009 by Fund (Permanent Council Decision 888, 921)

Fund Euros % of Total

The Secretariat 31,514,900 19.86%

Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) 15,399,100 9.70%

High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) 3,118,500 1.97%

Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFOM) 1,312,000 0.83%

Augmentations 5,308,400 3.35%

Mission in Kosovo 26,910,000 16.96%

Tasks in Bosnia and Herzegovina 15,160,900 9.55%

Office in Zagreb 2,312,800 1.46%

Mission to Serbia 7,855,300 4.95%

Presence in Albania 3,401,800 2.14%

Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje 8,539,900 5.38%

Mission to Montenegro 2,318,300 1.46%

Mission to Moldova 1,960,100 1.24%

Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine 2,758,500 1.74%

Office in Minsk 1,032,700 0.65%

Representative to the Latvian-Russian JC on Military Pensioners 9,300 0.01%

End of Mandate Procedure (Mission to Georgia) 5,773,600 3.64%

Office in Yerevan 2,694,900 1.70%

Office in Baku 2,673,800 1.69%

High-Level Planning Group 192,200 0.12%

The Minsk Process 896,300 0.56%

Personal Representative of the CiO - Minsk Conference 1,111,900 0.70%

Centre in Astana 2,070,400 1.30%

Centre in Ashgabat 1,401,700 0.88%

Centre in Bishkek 5,409,300 3.41%

Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan 1,910,300 1.20%

Office in Tajikistan 5,629,800 3.55%

GRAND TOTAL 158,676,700 100.00%

Budget 2009 by Institutions and Regions Central Asia Central Asia 10.3% South Caucasus South Caucasus 8.4% The Secretariat

and institutions Eastern Europe 3.6% South-Eastern Europe 41.9% Eastern Europe Augmentations 3.3%

The Secretariat and Institutions 32.4%

Augmentations South-Eastern Europe

118 — OSCE Annual Report 2009 Annexes

OSCE Fixed-term Staff as of 31 December 2009 (Including Staff Financed from Extra-Budgetary Contributions)

Nationality Kosovo BiH Skopje Serbia Montrnegro Zagreb Albania Baku Yerevan Minsk Conf Moldova Minsk Ukraine Astana Ashgabat Bishkek Tajikistan Uzbekistan Total for Field Operations Secretariat RFOM HCNM ODIHR Totals for Secretariat & Institutions GRAND TOTALS Albania 0 0 0 Andora 0 0 0 Armenia 1 1 1 1 4 1 2 3 7 Austria 15 3 4 1 1 1 1 2 2 30 8 1 1 3 13 43 Azerbaijan 3 3 1 1 4 Belarus 2 1 2 5 1 1 1 1 4 9 Belgium 1 1 5 5 6 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 2 2 1 14 1 2 3 17 Bulgaria 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 14 4 1 5 19 Canada 2 2 1 1 6 5 5 10 16 Croatia 7 1 1 1 10 1 1 2 12 Cyprus 0 0 0 Czech Republic 2 1 1 4 4 4 8 Denmark 1 1 1 1 2 Estonia 2 1 2 1 6 0 6 Finland 2 1 1 1 1 6 5 1 6 12 France 13 4 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 32 10 2 5 17 49 the former Yugoslav 3 1 4 2 2 6 Republic of Macedonia Georgia 4 1 1 1 2 9 1 1 2 4 13 Germany 15 3 6 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 38 16 1 1 6 24 62 Greece 5 3 1 9 5 1 1 7 16 Hungary 4 3 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 18 1 2 1 4 22 Holy See 0 0 0 Iceland 1 1 1 1 2 Ireland 5 5 1 2 1 14 4 1 1 6 20 Italy 13 6 1 3 1 1 1 1 27 10 1 5 16 43 Kazakhstan 1 1 1 1 4 3 3 6 10 Kyrgyzstan 1 1 1 1 2 Latvia 2 1 3 1 1 4 Liechtenstein 0 0 0 Lithuania 1 1 1 1 2 Luxemburg 0 2 2 2 Malta 1 1 1 1 2 Moldova 2 2 1 1 2 8 1 1 1 3 11 Monaco 0 0 0 Montenegro 1 1 2 0 2 Netherlands 3 1 3 4 1 1 1 14 3 2 1 6 20 Norway 1 3 3 2 9 1 3 4 13 Poland 2 1 1 1 2 1 8 1 1 11 13 21 Portugal 5 1 2 8 0 8 Romania 3 1 2 1 1 8 2 1 3 11 Russian Federation 2 3 3 1 2 3 14 12 1 1 14 28 San Marino 0 0 0 Serbia 1 1 2 2 1 3 5 Slovakia 1 2 1 1 1 6 2 1 3 9 Slovenia 1 1 2 1 5 2 2 7 Spain 8 3 6 2 2 1 1 23 11 1 1 13 36 Sweden 2 2 1 4 1 1 1 12 5 1 6 18 Switzerland 0 1 1 2 2 Tajikistan 1 1 1 3 0 3 Turkey 10 1 6 2 1 3 1 24 7 7 31 Turkmenistan 0 2 2 2 Ukraine 2 1 2 5 6 1 7 12 United Kingdom 3 1 3 2 1 1 1 12 16 1 4 21 33 United States 10 11 3 4 2 4 2 1 1 1 3 3 45 15 2 3 20 65 Uzbekistan 2 1 3 1 1 4 Internationally 163 63 58 41 13 5 25 13 8 6 13 4 4 5 6 20 27 3 477 182 10 19 69 280 757 Recruited Staff Locally Recruited 586 443 145 138 34 22 80 27 47 11 39 7 50 20 18 78 129 16 1890 192 2 10 62 266 2156 Staff Total Number of Staff 749 506 203 179 47 27 105 40 55 17 52 11 54 25 24 98 156 19 2367 374 12 29 131 546 2913

OSCE Annual Report 2009 — 119 Contact information

Press and Public OSCE Field operations Eastern Europe OSCE Office in Yerevan Information Section South-Eastern Europe OSCE Office in Minsk 64/1 Sundukyan Str. OSCE Secretariat OSCE Presence in Albania Prospekt Gasety Pravda 11 Yerevan 0012, Armenia Wallnerstrasse 6 Sheraton Tirana Hotel 220116 Minsk, Belarus Tel +374 10 229610-14 1010 Vienna, Austria & Towers, 1st Floor Tel.: +375 17 272 34 97 Fax +374 10 229615 Tel: +43 1 514 36 6000 Tirana, Albania Fax: +375 17 272 34 98 E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +43 1 514 36 6996 Tel.: +355 4 223 59 93 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected] Fax: +355 4 223 59 94 Central Asia www.osce.org E-mail: [email protected] OSCE Mission to Moldova OSCE Centre in Ashgabat Str Mitropolit Dosoftei 108 Turkmenbashy Shayoly 15 Parliamentary Assembly OSCE Mission to Bosnia MD 2010, Chisinau, Moldova 744005 Ashgabat International Secretariat and Herzegovina Tel.: +373 22 887 887/223 495 Turkmenistan Raadhusstraede 1 Fra Andjela Zvizdovica 1 Fax: +373 22 22 34 96 Tel.: +993 12 35 30-92 1466 Copenhagen K 71000 Sarajevo E-mail: [email protected] Fax: +993 12 35 30-41 Denmark Bosnia and Herzegovina E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: +45 33 37 80 40 Tel.: +387 33 752 100 OSCE Project Co-ordinator Fax: +45 33 37 80 30 Fax: +387 33 442 479 in Ukraine OSCE Centre in Astana E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] 16 Striletska St. 10 Beibitshilik St. 01034 Kyiv, Ukraine Astana 010000, Kazakhstan OSCE Mission in Kosovo Tel.: +380 44 492 03 82 Tel.: +7 7172 326804 Institutions OSCE Headquarters Fax: +380 44 492 03 83 +7 7172 591953 10000 Pristina E-mail: csaba.csizmadia@osce. Fax: + 7 7172 328304 Office for Democratic Kosovo-UNMIK org E-mail: [email protected] Institutions and Human Rights Tel +381 38 240 100 Aleje Ujazdowskie 19 Fax +381 38 240 711 OSCE Representative to OSCE Centre in Bishkek 00-557 Warsaw, Poland E-mail: [email protected] the Latvian-Russian Joint 139 St. Toktogula Tel.: +48 22 520 06 00 Commission on Military 720001 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Fax: +48 22 520 06 05 OSCE Mission to Montenegro Pensioners Tel.: +996 312 66 50 15 E-mail: [email protected] Bulevar Sv. Petra Cetinjskog 1a Wallnerstrasse 6 Fax: +996 312 66 31 69 81000 Podgorica 1010 Vienna, Austria E-mail: [email protected] The OSCE High Commissioner Montenegro Tel.: +43 1 514 36 68 58 on National Minorities Tel: +382 20 40 64 01 Fax: +43 1 514 36 61 24 OSCE Office in Tajikistan Prinsessegracht 22 Fax: + 382 20 40 64 31 E-mail: helmut.napiontek@ 18a Akhmadi Donish St. 2514 AP The Hague e-mail: [email protected] osce.org 734012 Dushanbe, Tajikistan The Netherlands Tel: +992 37 226 50-14/-15/-16/- Tel.: +31 70 312 55 00 OSCE Mission to Serbia South Caucasus 17/-18 Fax: +31 70 363 59 10 Cakorska 1 OSCE Office in Baku Fax: +992 37 226 50 19 E-mail: [email protected] 11000 Belgrade Serbia The Landmark III E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: +381 11 36 06 100 96 Nizami St. The OSCE Representative Fax: +381 11 36 06 119 Baku, Azerbaijan OSCE Project Co-ordinator on Freedom of the Media E-mail: [email protected] Tel.: +994 12 497 23 73 in Uzbekistan Wallnerstrasse 6 Fax: +994 12 497 23 77 Afrosiyob Street 12b, 4th floor 1010 Vienna, Austria OSCE Spillover Monitor E-mail: [email protected] 100015 Tashkent Tel: +43 1 514 36 68 00 Mission to Skopje Republic of Uzbekistan Fax: +43 1 514 36 68 02 QBE Makedonija Building, 11 The Personal Representative Tel : + 998 71 140 04 70 E-mail: [email protected] Oktomvri Str. 25 of the OSCE Chairman-in- Fax : + 998 71 140 04 66/67 MK-1000, Skopje Office on the Conflict Dealt E-mail : [email protected] The former Yugoslav Republic with by the OSCE Minsk of Macedonia Conference Tel.: +389 23 23 40 00 4 Freedom Square Fax: +389 23 23 42 34 GMT Plaza, 1st Floor E-mail: [email protected] 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia Tel.: +995 32 99 87 32 OSCE Office in Zagreb Fax: +995 32 98 85 66 Florijana Andraseca 14 E-mail: [email protected] 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Tel.: +385 1 309 66 20 Fax: +385 1 309 66 21 E-mail: [email protected]

120 — OSCE Annual Report 2009