Tbilisi, Georgia 25Th Annual Session T Report

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REPORT OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 25th Annual Session Tbilisi, Georgia 25th Annual Session t Report

REPORT ON THE 25th ANNUAL SESSION OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

CONTENTS

Summary ...... 1 Tbilisi Declaration ...... 2 Inaugural Plenary Session ...... 4 Standing Committee ...... 8 General Committee on Political Affairs and Security ... 12 General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment ...... 14 General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions ...... 16 Second Plenary Session ...... 18 Closing Plenary Session ...... 19 Officers of the Assembly ...... 22 General Committee Officers ...... 25

Prepared by the OSCE PA International Secretariat

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Summary

Hosted by the Georgian Parliament, the OSCE PA’s 25h Annual Session took place 1-5 July 2016.

ringing together some 250 members of The General Committee on Political Affairs Bparliament from 53 OSCE participating and Security elected Roger Wicker (United States and two Partners for Co-operation, the States) as Chair, Guglielmo Picchi (Italy) as 25th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Vice-Chair, and Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) Assembly took place 1-5 July 2016 in Tbilisi. as Rapporteur. The Session was held under the theme “25 The General Committee on Economic Summary ...... 1 Years of Parliamentary Co-operation: Building Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment Tbilisi Declaration ...... 2 Trust Through Dialogue,” commemorating the elected Nilza Sena (Portugal) as Chair, Artur quarter-century anniversary of the Assembly’s Gerasymov (Ukraine) as Vice-Chair, and Inaugural Plenary Session ...... 4 work. Marietta Tidei (Italy) as Rapporteur. Standing Committee ...... 8 Featuring several days of parliamentary The General Committee on Democracy, General Committee on Political Affairs and Security ... 12 debate in committee and plenary meetings, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, the Session culminated in the adoption by elected Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain) as Chair, Technology and Environment ...... 14 majority vote of the 2016 Tbilisi Declaration, Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) as Vice- General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and which contains the Assembly’s wide-ranging Chair, and Kyriakos Kyriakou-Hadjiyanni Humanitarian Questions ...... 16 pronouncements and policy recommendations (Cyprus) as Rapporteur. Second Plenary Session ...... 18 for the OSCE and its participating States in The Standing Committee met on 1 July to Closing Plenary Session ...... 19 the fields of political affairs, economics, the allocate supplementary items to the general environment and human rights. committees, and heard reports from the Officers of the Assembly ...... 22 The Session featured speeches by Georgian Treasurer, German parliamentarian Doris General Committee Officers ...... 25 officials including Speaker of Parliament David Barnett, who focused on the OSCE PA’s Usupashvili, President Giorgi Margvelashvili, present financial situation, and Secretary and Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, as General Roberto Montella, who described his well as OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva priorities of strengthening the International (Finland) and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Secretariat and enhancing co-operation with and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter partners. Special Representatives, leaders Steinmeier. of election observation missions, and chairs In addition to adopting the Tbilisi of ad hoc committees also reported to the Declaration, the Assembly elected its new Standing Committee on their ongoing work leadership, with Austrian parliamentarian and upcoming activities. Christine Muttonen elected President, and Several meetings were held on the margins Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene (Lithuania), of the Annual Session, including events Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan), Isabel Santos focused on the progress of reforms in Georgia, (Portugal) and Victor Dobre (Romania) elected gender equality, nuclear disarmament, human Vice-Presidents. trafficking, mediation, and migration. 2 1 25th Annual Session t Report

Tbilisi Declaration

t the close of each Annual Session, the AAssembly adopts a Declaration with recommendations in the fields of political affairs, security, economics, environment and human rights. Representing the collective voice of the OSCE parliamentarians, the Declaration helps shape OSCE and national policy. It is complemented by a number of supplementary items relating to OSCE Voting on the Tbilisi Declaration. commitments and values. he Assembly adopted the 2016 Tbilisi Declaration urges all parties to fully implement TDeclaration on 5 July, addressing key issues the Package of Measures for the Implementation in the fields of political affairs and security, of the Minsk Agreements, and “underlines economics, the environment, human rights, and respect for the principles of the inviolability humanitarian concerns. Following its adoption, of frontiers and territorial integrity, peaceful the Declaration was sent to parliaments and settlement of disputes, equal rights, and self- to the foreign ministers of OSCE countries, determination of peoples as stated in the serving as policy guidance to governments and Helsinki Final Act.” the international community. Regarding climate change, the Declaration Among the issues covered in the Declaration calls upon parliamentarians to promote political are terrorism, the dialogue in order to crisis in and around “The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly achieve the goals set Ukraine, protracted reaffirms the undiminished validity and by the Paris Climate conflicts in Georgia, historic role of the guiding principles Agreement adopted countering corruption, and common values of the Helsinki in 2015, and to ensure energy, climate change, Final Act signed in 1975.” that the Agreement’s migration, and the targets are met “with the rights of refugees. 2016 OSCE PA Tbilisi Declaration greatest sense of urgency Stressing the theme by implementing robust of trust-building, the policies and regulations Declaration “reaffirms the undiminished on greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating validity and historic role of the guiding the transition to a low-carbon economy.” principles and common values of the Helsinki On migration, the Declaration stresses the Final Act signed in 1975, including the importance of prioritizing the rights of those commitments on politico-military, economic, displaced by conflicts, and urges governments environmental, human rights, and humanitarian to stop imposing legal and physical barriers to issues.” It regrets however the trend of gridlock the movement of people fleeing violence, as in the OSCE and urges OSCE countries to well as to actively work toward an inclusive enhance the level of co-operation in addressing approach to migrants and refugees. common challenges. The Assembly also approved 15 resolutions On terrorism, the Declaration calls upon to supplement the Declaration, addressing governments to strengthen co-operation and issues such as fundamental freedoms in the develop measures aimed at blocking the funding Crimean peninsula, prevention of child sexual of terrorist organizations. It further urges the exploitation, confidence-building measures OSCE to help governments counter violent in the Baltic Sea region, and ensuring that extremism through pragmatic assistance and members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly promotion of best practices. affected by international travel bans are able to On the crisis in and around Ukraine, the attend OSCE events. 2 25th Annual Session t Report

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Inaugural Plenary Session

President Ilkka Kanerva chairs the 25th Annual Session’s opening plenary on 1 July.

eorgian officials including President well as for the wider region. GGiorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister “Sovereignty of certain countries are vio- Giorgi Kvirikashvili, and Speaker of Parlia- lated,” he said. The lack of respect for terri- ment David Usupashvili addressed the open- torial integrity, he said, further complicates ing plenary of the Annual Session on 1 July. various problems that require international co- Also speaking during the plenary were OSCE operation, including terrorism and drug traf- PA President Ilkka Kanerva, and OSCE Chair- ficking. person-in-Office and German Foreign - Minis He also expressed his country’s readiness ter Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Parliamentarians for negotiations in resolving conflicts, for in the opening plenary session considered a contributing to the enhancement of global supplementary item, “Strengthening Relations peace and security, and for acting as a facilita- Between the OSCE PA and the OSCE,” which tor of co-operation across Eurasia, especially was agreed to unanimously. through opening new co-operative relationships between European and Asian regions. David Usupashvili, President of President Margvelashvili concluded by the Parliament of Georgia noting the key role of the OSCE in consolidat- ing the country’s democratic progress. President of the Parliament of Georgia David Usupashvili opened the Session by noting that Giorgi Kvirikashvili, 2016 is a landmark year for both the OSCE Prime Minister of Georgia Parliamentary Assembly and the nation of Georgia, as it marks the 25th anniversary of the Prime Minister Kvirikashvili discussed the PA’s establishment and the 25th anniversary challenges the OSCE is facing, especially in of Georgia’s independence. Emphasizing that regards to the situation in the Caucasus region. recent problems in the OSCE area have largely “Today,” he said, “as we are witnessing the been due to a lack of trust and co-operation, worst security crisis on our continent, the role he insisted on the need to promote dialogue to that the OSCE has to play in addressing stabil- restore confidence and resolve conflicts. ity and security issues is ever more important.” He also called for transformation of the In this regard, he called for the establishment OSCE to “effectively handle the growing defi- of a new perspective for the OSCE in order cit of security and co-operation of the modern to implement peaceful resolution of conflicts, world.” He further stressed the need to consol- and to restore collaborative relationships. idate efforts and “deal with all types of threats He further emphasized the importance of together; all other paths will lead us to defeat.” European and Euro-Atlantic integration for Georgia, and highlighted reforms that Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili, has implemented, while also noting the chal- President of Georgia lenges the country continues to face. Finally he called for the restoration of a full- The President of Georgia highlighted secu- fledged and comprehensive OSCE Mission in rity as the biggest challenge for Georgia, as Georgia. 4 25th Annual Session t Report

Inaugural Plenary Session Ilkka Kanerva, President of the OSCE PA

President Kanerva, recalling that the previous year’s Annual Session had been held at the birthplace of the Helsinki Final Act in Finlan- dia Hall, insisted on the undiminished validity of the Helsinki Principles, despite recent set- backs in promoting security and stability. “The security environment has largely dete- riorated across the OSCE area due to ongoing crises and unresolved conflicts, as well as environmental and humanitarian concerns that are Frank-Walter Steinmeier undermining human security in many of our countries,” he said. Nevertheless, he expressed He described the steps taken by the German a firm belief in the importance of dialogue Chairmanship to address these conflicts “with and co-operation, and reaffirmed the need to a two-pronged approach: On the one hand, respect fundamental principles such as territo- with a policy of small steps in order to create rial integrity. He also emphasized the role the a minimum of trust between the parties and PA can play as a unique forum that engages in to improve the everyday lives of people in open and direct dia- the region. … On logue to build trust. “We should utilize the OSCE’s comprehen- the other hand, we “As we see the sive security framework and work together intend to revive interrelated effects and intensify nego- that various crises towards building bridges, not walls.” tiation formats and are having on our channels of commu- mutual security, OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva nication.” we cannot afford to Steinmeier con- retreat into an isola- cluded by evoking tionist mindset. Instead we should utilize the the key role MPs could play in strengthening OSCE’s comprehensive security framework societies’ capacity for peace, and welcoming and work together towards building bridges, “the manifold efforts by the members of the not walls,” said President Kanerva. OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to ... support the process of mediation.” Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chairper- son in office of the OSCE, German Supplementary Items Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Following the opening addresses, parlia- The German Foreign Minister and OSCE mentarians took up the supplementary item CiO recalled the priority of the German Chair- “Strengthening Relations Between the OSCE manship to find ways to resolve intractable PA and the OSCE,” principally sponsored by conflicts in the OSCE area, as “managing the Gudmundur Steingrimsson (Iceland). The status quo is not acceptable,” and to strengthen item was adopted by unanimous vote with no dialogue and co-operation. amendments. Georgia in focus on Session’s opening day A working lunch on 1 July organized by the OSCE PA’s Georgian Delegation featured discussions on the rule of law, democracy and transparency in Georgia. Featuring keynote speeches by Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Professor S. Neil MacFarlane, the event was moder- ated by Tedo Japaridze, Acting Head of the Georgian Delegation to the OSCE PA and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Parliament of Georgia. Speakers focused in particular on the state of reform efforts in the country.

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Standing Committee

he Standing Committee consists of the T57 Heads of National Delegations and Members of the Bureau. Meeting three times a year – at the Winter Meeting, the Autumn Meeting and the Annual Session – the Standing Committee guides the work of the Assembly, approves its budget, and elects the OSCE PA Secretary General.

resident Ilkka Kanerva opened the OSCE plementary items for general debate, allocat- PPA’s Standing Committee meeting on 1 July ing five to the First Committee, two to the with a report on his activities since the previous Second Committee and six to the Third Com- Annual Session in Helsinki, noting a number mittee. Two supplementary items, “Strengthen- of high-level meetings he has held, as well as ing Relations Between the OSCE PA and the discussing political issues in the OSCE region OSCE” and the Compromise Supplementary and highlighting the Assembly’s achievements Item on “Unrestricted Access of Members of of the past 25 years. the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Attending “Earlier this year our Assembly celebrated our Official OSCE Events and Other Activities,” 25th anniversary, and 25 years of leading open were allocated to the plenary. and inclusive inter-parliamentary dialogue on Thanking the Georgian hosts for their excel- the most challeng- lent organization of ing issues and trying “Maintaining the flexibility to engage in the Annual Session, to find solutions that the most relevant political issues has been a OSCE PA Secretary truly deliver for our hallmark of the Assembly’s first 25 years; we General Roberto people in the OSCE should continue to capitalize on this strength Montella presented area,” Kanerva said. his report, which and use it to full effect.” He highlighted the focused largely on special report he President Kanerva’s report, “Our common his priorities of had prepared and strengthening the distributed ahead vision for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly” International Secre- of the Annual Ses- tariat and enhancing sion, “Our common co-operation with vision for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: partners, as well as a summary of ongoing and Supporting OSCE principles and facilitating upcoming activities. He said that his guiding parliamentary dialogue,” which outlines the principles for managing the Secretariat over the Assembly’s strengths and areas that could be past six months are what he referred to as the further developed. “triple A’s” – assess, adapt, advance. The Standing Committee also heard a report Leaders of recent election observation mis- of the Treasurer, German parliamentarian sions also reported their findings to the Stand- Doris Barnett, focused on the OSCE PA’s pre- ing Committee, followed by a number of reports sent financial situation. She warmly thanked from Special Representatives and chairs of ad the Parliament of Georgia for hosting the 25th hoc committees. Annual Session, noting that the Assembly Information was further provided by Heads needs the constant support of national delega- of Delegations on upcoming meetings of the tions, including by hosting meetings. Barnett OSCE PA, including the Autumn Meeting to be reported that despite an increase in activities, held in Skopje from 29 September to 2 October the Assembly remains within its approved 2016, the Winter Meeting in Vienna on 23-24 budget. Following a brief debate, the budget February 2017, and the 26th Annual Session, for the 2016/2017 financial year was unani- which will be held in Minsk on 5-9 July 2017. mously approved. Kyrgyzstan also announced its intentions to The Standing Committee approved 15 sup- host the 2018 Autumn Meeting.

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General Committee on Political Affairs and Security

Roger Wicker (center) chairs the First Committee meeting on 2 July.

eginning its work on 2 July, the General Report and Resolution BCommittee on Political Affairs and Secu- rity held a total of four sessions, with Chair Rapporteur Margareta Cederfelt presented Roger Wicker (United States), Vice-Chair her report with a focus on rebuilding trust and Azay Guliyev (Azerbaijan) and Rapporteur stability in the OSCE region, with other key Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) serving as offic- points including the fight against transnational ers. The committee debated and approved five terrorism, the crisis in and around Ukraine, supplementary items, covering issues includ- protracted conflicts, women in armed conflict ing protracted conflicts, the possible contribu- and the link between security and democracy. tions of the OSCE PA to developing effective Cederfelt’s resolution urges participating responses to crises and conflicts, reconsolidat- States to strengthen co-operation on anti-ter- ing European security as a common project, rorism and develop measures aimed at block- and enhanced co-operation and confidence ing the funding of terrorist organizations. The building measures in the Baltic Sea region. resolution further calls on the OSCE to help Side events on mediation, nuclear disarmament

A side event was held during the Annual Session on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. Co-sponsored by Parliamen- tarians for Nuclear Non-Pro- PA Vice-President Christine Muttonen (right) speaks at the nuclear disarmament liferation and Disarmament side event on 4 July. (PNND) and the Austrian, Canadian and Swiss delegations to the OSCE PA, the working lunch was chaired by Hedy Fry (Canada) and featured remarks by OSCE PA Vice-President Christine Muttonen (Austria). Also speaking were Co-President of PNND Paul Dewar, Deputy Head of the Swiss OSCE PA Delegation Margaret Kiener Nellen, and PNND French Director Jean-Marie Collin. The event focused on prospects for global nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament within the context of an increasingly fragile security environment in the OSCE area. In an event on 3 July focused on mediation, OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) and Finnish Ambassador to the OSCE Katja Pehrman spoke about parliamentary contributions to conflict resolution and prevention.

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General Committee on Political Affairs and Security governments counter terrorism through pragmatic assistance and promotion of best practices, and urges a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the Minsk Group. Regarding the crisis in and around Ukraine, the resolution urges all parties to fully implement the Package of Meas- ures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements. The committee debated a number of issues related to the security situation in Rapporteur Margareta Cederfelt confers with Deputy Secretary the OSCE area, with a particular focus on General Gustavo Pallares on 2 July. resolving the crisis in and around Ukraine (Switzerland), with four amendments. The res- and protracted conflicts in the South Caucasus. olution calls upon the current and upcoming Parliamentarians stressed that constructive OSCE Chairmanships, in close co-operation dialogue will help rebuild trust among par- with the OSCE Troika and the OSCE Secre- ticipating States and thereby facilitate the full tariat, to prepare concrete proposals on how implementation of key documents and agree- political discussions on European security can ments aimed at stabilizing the situation on the be further developed within the OSCE, with a ground and exerting more pressure for achiev- view to restoring co-operative security in the ing peace. OSCE area. There were 87 proposed amendments to the Authored by Arta Dade (Albania), the reso- resolution, with 47 adopted. lution “The Republic of Moldova” passed with five amendments. The resolution proposes Supplementary Items to facilitate parliamentary dialogue between members of the Moldovan Parliament and The First Committee discussed five supple- representatives of the Transnistrian legislative mentary items. The resolution “The Possible body under the auspices of the Parliamentary Contributions of the OSCE PA to Developing Team on Moldova and with the support of the Effective Response to Crisis and Conflicts,” OSCE Mission to Moldova. principally sponsored by Doris Barnett (Ger- Jürgen Klimke (Germany)’s resolution many), was adopted by a large margin with “Enhanced Co-operation and Confidence four amendments. The resolution recommends Building Measures in the Baltic Sea Region” the development of a rapid reaction capability was approved with two amendments. The for deployment in times of crisis to support the resolution calls, inter alia, for a discussion work of OSCE field operations and to make within the OSCE PA with the aim of forming a policy recommendations on future action to Baltic Sea working group in order to foster and the OSCE executive bodies. strengthen security, co-operation and dialogue Principally sponsored by David Usupash- in the region. vili (Georgia), the resolution “The Conflict The Committee wrapped up its work on 4 in Georgia,” was approved with three amend- July with the election of committee officers. ments. The resolution reiterates the PA’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity Election of Officers of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders. The committee also debated Chair: Roger Wicker (United States) and adopted the resolution “Reconsolidating Vice-Chair: Guglielmo Picchi (Italy) European Security as a Common Project,” Rapporteur: Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) principally sponsored by Filippo Lombardi 12 13 25th Annual Session t Report

General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment

Rapporteur Marietta Tidei presents her report and draft resolution, 2 July.

he three sessions of the General Commit- The Rapporteur paid particular attention to Ttee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technol- the cascading and interrelated effects of -cor ogy and Environment on 2-3 July were chaired ruption, energy, climate change, food security, by Committee Vice-Chair Nilza Sena, Head and migration as contributing to destabilization of Portugal’s OSCE PA Delegation. Members in many parts of the OSCE area. Tidei stressed considered the draft resolution proposed by that food security should not be viewed from a Rapporteur Marietta Tidei (Italy) and two sup- purely humanitarian standpoint, but also as cen- plementary items which dealt with combatting tral to a comprehensive approach to security. corruption and commemorating the 30th anni- Tidei also emphasized the role migrants play in versary of the Chernobyl disaster. economic growth, and called for more focus on improving the management of migration flows, Report and Resolution as well as to “increase economic opportunities for migrants in destination countries and coun- Tidei presented her report and draft resolu- tries of origin.” tion, calling for tackling the underlying causes Tidei called for creating a platform of dia- of common security challenges, which today, logue to better address cross-sectoral issues in she said, clearly have a component rooted in the the economy and environment, and to build economic and environmental dimension. upon dialogue in the OSCE area. “In the Hel- Ad Hoc Committee on Migration outlines work plan

The Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, chaired by Filippo Lombardi (Switzerland), met on the margins of the Annual Session to discuss its plan of action for the coming year. The Chair recalled the three Members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration meet on 3 July. main activities the committee is focusing on, including field visits to learn about the situation of migrants, interaction with stakeholders dealing with migration, and developing ideas and policy recommendations. During the meeting, the Ad Hoc Committee heard from Swiss Ambassador Claude Wild, Chair of the OSCE’s Informal Working Group (IWG) on Migration, who presented the OSCE’s complementary role to UNHCR and IOM in tackling the issue of migration and refugees flow, as well as the challenges and opportunities this issue encompasses for the OSCE. To best complement the work of the OSCE’s governmental side, the Ad Hoc Committee agreed to focus on the same five dimensions that the IWG is working on, namely protection, combatting crimes, responsible border management, successful integration, solidarity and partnership. In addition, the Committee will focus on prevention. 14 25th Annual Session t Report

General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment itize the fight against corruption, pointing out that national legislation should ensure a maximum degree of transparency in political, administrative, and economic life. The item also encourages OSCE participating States to bear in mind the gender dimension of corruption and to mainstream gender equality into anti- Nilza Sena chairs the committee Voting in the Second Committee on 3 July. corruption monitoring activities. It also encourages the strengthening of the sinki Final Act of 1975, participating States rec- parliamentary dimension of the fight ognized that ‘efforts to develop co-operation in against corruption among national parliaments the fields of trade, industry, science and- tech by taking stock of national anti-corruption ini- nology, the environment and other areas of eco- tiatives and sharing good practices on working nomic activity contribute to the reinforcement methods and approaches to tackling corruption of peace and security in Europe and in the world effectively. Two amendments were discussed, as a whole’,” she said. “More than four decades one of which was adopted, and the item was later, in the midst of crises and challenges on adopted unanimously. multiple fronts, we are reminded of how presci- The supplementary item “The 30th Anniver- ent these words were.” sary of the Chernobyl Disaster,” sponsored by In this regard, Tidei’s resolution calls for Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine), commemorates participating States to “further develop their the anniversary of the disaster, pays tribute to early warning capacity in an effort to counteract the victims, and underlines that current as well potential threats from climate change,” and for as past efforts to minimize the negative effects the OSCE to co-ordinate its work in the second of the Chernobyl disaster have fallen short. It dimension with that of other international also calls for additional assistance by the inter- organizations. national community to maintain and operate Seventeen parliamentarians took the floor, structures built within the closed “exclusion presenting their views on a range of issues zone” and unconditional resettlement zone. related to the report. These included the risk The item welcomes the OSCE’s work to con- of water as a possible source of conflict, the tribute within its mandate to the international need to develop economic infrastructure and efforts aimed at alleviating and minimizing the transportation, instability of financial markets, consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, in par- energy security, combatting corruption, and ticular through an assessment of environmen- strengthening the OSCE’s economic-environ- tal risks in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, and mental dimension and the potential of economic strengthening capacities in the sphere of envi- co-operation to reinforce peace and security. ronmental control, also reaffirming the critical The committee considered 35 amendments to importance of observing International Atomic the draft resolution, with 19 ultimately adopted. Energy Agency nuclear safety standards and the Following the debate and consideration of requirements of the 1991 Espoo Convention on amendments, the document was adopted unani- Environmental Impact Assessment in a Trans- mously. boundary Context. With 13 amendments discussed and 12 agreed to, the item was adopted Supplementary Items unanimously.

Sponsored by Margareta Cederfeldt (Sweden), Election of Officers the supplementary item “Acting Against Cor- Chair: Nilza Sena (Portugal) ruption in the OSCE Region to Strengthen the Rule of Law” calls upon participating States Vice-Chair: Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine) to update their legislative frameworks to prior- Rapporteur: Marietta Tidei (Italy) 14 15 25th Annual Session t Report

General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions

Isabel Santos chairs the Third Committee on 3 July. hair Isabel Santos (Portugal) presided over leadership and ideas” is coinciding with a Cfour meetings of the General Committee humanitarian emergency related to Europe’s on Democracy, Human Rights and Humani- refugee and migrant crisis. The report argues tarian Questions on 2-4 July, with Vice-Chair that respect for human rights, democracy and Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) filling in as rule of law is fundamental to lasting security. Chair while Santos presented the report and The resolution further provides guidance on draft resolution in the absence of Rapporteur ways to improve the comprehensive and mul- Gordana Comic (Serbia). Six supplementary tidimensional approach to security, including items were also considered by the committee. by refraining from the imposition of legal and physical barriers to the movement of people Report and Resolution fleeing violence. It advocates an inclusive approach to migrants and refugees, including Raising concerns over the deprioritizing by opening up labour markets at the earliest of human rights across the OSCE region, the possible stage. report and resolution urges a revitalization of Santos noted that the report and draft resolu- the OSCE’s commitment to the human dimen- tion do not present a “magic solution” to the sion of security at a time when a “crisis of challenges of human rights in the OSCE area, Parliamentarians consider gender issues at working lunch Opened by Special Representative on Gender Issues Hedy Fry (Canada), 2 July’s Gender Lunch featured keynote addresses by Manana Kobakhidze, the First Vice-Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, and OSCE PA President Ilkka Hedy Fry addresses the Gender Lunch. Kanerva (Finland). The working lunch, held under the theme “Transforming Gender Equality Goals into Concrete Action,” was also addressed by Elene Rusetskaia, Director of the Women’s Information Center, and Sophia Japaridze, Assistant to the Prime Minister of Georgia on Human Rights and Gender Equality Issues. Key themes discussed by the speakers included how to increase opportunities for women and how to improve social, political and economic conditions for women through the improvement of national legislation. Following the keynote addresses, participants discussed how to move from commitment to action, proposing a number of concrete actions for success in achieving gender equality on the local, national, and international levels. 16 25th Annual Session t Report

General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions but provide a basis for further co-operation. the U.S. Delegation. The resolution expresses “Together, we can achieve more, and one day alarm over heightened incidents of violence we will achieve the solutions,” she said. and discrimination and increased prejudice in Twenty-three parliamentarians took the the OSCE region, and calls on participating floor to debate the report and draft resolution, States to develop an anti-discrimination action with views expressed on the ongoing chal- plan. There were six proposed amendments lenges of the refugee and migrant crisis, the with one agreed to, and the resolution was sub- crisis in and around Ukraine, and protracted sequently adopted. conflicts in Georgia. Other issues highlighted The resolution “The Rights of Refugees”, were the vulnerabilities of women and girls in sponsored and presented by Michel Voisin the context of the migration crisis and the state (France), enjoyed overwhelming support and of LGBT rights. was adopted with one oral amendment. The Following the discussion, the committee item calls on governments to protect the fami- debated the proposed amendments to Com- lies of refugees and ensure that their status as ic’s resolution. The committee considered 40 refugees is protected. The debate included an amendments to the draft resolution, as well as exchange of views on how best to deal with the several oral amendments proposed during the refugee and migrant crisis. meeting, with 27 adopted in total. After the The item “The Security Challenges of consideration of amendments, the document Migration”, sponsored by Third Committee was adopted overwhelmingly. Vice-Chair Ivana Dobesova (Czech Repub- lic) urges greater consideration of the secu- Supplementary Items rity issues raised by the refugee and migrant crisis, and invites OSCE participating States The Third Committee discussed six sup- to co-operate more closely with countries of plementary items. The item “Violations of origin and transit in order to address potential Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in security issues arising from irregular migra- the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the tion. Ten amendments were proposed to the City of Sevastopol”, sponsored by Natalia resolution, with five adopted. Following the Ahafonova of Ukraine, reaffirms the territo- discussion of amendments the resolution was rial integrity of Ukraine within its internation- adopted by a large margin. ally recognized borders and condemns human The final supplementary item, “Integrating rights abuses on the Crimean peninsula, Gender-Based Analysis and Gender Main- including those directed against the Crimean streaming in the Response to the Migrant Tatar minority. Following a vigorous debate, and Refugee Crisis”, authored by Hedy Fry the item was ultimately approved overwhelm- (Canada), was adopted unanimously with one ingly with three amendments. amendment. The resolution calls on the OSCE The item “Law Enforcement Co-ordination and its participating States to, inter alia, collect to Prevent Child Sexual Exploitation and Traf- sex-disaggregated data and conduct gender- ficking by Known Sex Offenders”, sponsored based analysis of all plans and programmes in by Christopher Smith (United States), passed response to the migrant and refugee crisis, and overwhelmingly with one amendment. The to ensure that female migrants and refugees resolution expresses alarm at the scale of the are protected from exploitation and discrimi- problem of the victimization of children by nation. commercial sexual exploitation, and calls on Election of Officers OSCE participating States to improve their law enforcement co-ordination on matters relating Chair: Ignacio Sanchez-Amor (Spain) to child sexual exploitation. Vice-Chair: Ivana Dobesova (Czech The supplementary item “A Call for OSCE Action to Address Violence and Discrimina- Republic) tion” was proposed by Randy Hultgren on Rapporteur: Kyriakos Kyriakou- behalf of sponsor Ben Cardin, both members of Hadjiyanni (Cyprus) 16 17 25th Annual Session t Report Second Plenary Session

Events and Other Activi- ties,” principally sponsored by Filippo Lombardi (Switzerland), and “The Need to Equip Passenger Aircraft with Additional Technical Means for Moni- toring Conditions on Board in Real Time,” principally sponsored by Nikolay Kovalev (Russian Federa- President Ilkka Kanerva chairs the plenary session. tion), were adopted in ple- resident Ilkka Kanerva chaired two plenary nary session on 4 July. Psessions on 4-5 July, in which the Tbilisi Lombardi’s resolution states that travel Declaration was adopted and election results restrictions resulting from sanctions regimes announced. Hedy Fry (Canada) and Doris Bar- have a negative impact on parliamentary diplo- nett (Germany) presented reports on gender macy and calls on OSCE participating States issues and the OSCE PA’s finances, respec- to refrain from applying these restrictive meas- tively, and Members also heard addresses by ures on members of parliament. In the debate, OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella Members stressed that the freedom to attend and President Kanerva. parliamentary events is essential for promoting dialogue, and is at the core of parliamen- Hedy Fry, OSCE PA Special tary diplomacy. The supplementary item was Representative on Gender Issues adopted by a vote of 94-44, with four absten- tions. Presenting her report, “A Gender Sensitive Members also adopted Kovalev’s resolu- Response to the Migrant and Refugee Influx in tion, which emphasizes the vulnerability of Europe is Needed,” Hedy Fry declared that no passenger aircraft to terrorist attack and urges country is moving fast enough when it comes the adoption of on-board photographic and to gender issues. Despite the fact that the struc- audio-visual monitoring equipment to prevent tures are in place for making progress, imple- such attacks. mentation is lacking, she said, highlighting in particular a need for gender mainstreaming in Open Debate the response to the refugee and migrant crisis. Fry pointed out that women and children The floor was then opened up for general make up a disproportionate number of refu- debate, with Members addressing a number gees, and when migrating they are particularly of issues including terrorism, radical religious vulnerable to sexual exploitation or forced movements, the role of the OSCE in conflict labour. She urged the development of gender- resolution, the migration crisis, new technolo- sensitive strategies in dealing with the migra- gies, and the need for improving dialogue in tion crisis, noting that there is a pressing need the OSCE PA. to improve gender data collection and analysis Ola Elvestuen (Norway), OSCE PA Special in order to determine how migration policies Representative for Arctic Issues, also gave a impact women and girls. brief presentation of challenges for the Arctic area, including rising temperatures, melting Supplementary Items glaciers, and ongoing security concerns. He reminded the Assembly that Arctic issues cross The supplementary items “Unrestricted the three dimensions of security and require Access of Members of the OSCE Parlia- co-operation to reduce greenhouse emissions mentary Assembly Attending Official OSCE and implement climate change adaptation. 18 25th Annual Session t Report Closing Plenary Session

The Assembly meeting in plenary session.

Open Debate (continued) Roberto Montella, Secretary General of the OSCE PA A total of 17 Members took the floor during the open debate on 5 July, with migration fea- Secretary General Roberto Montella began turing prominently in discussions. Filippo by expressing his thanks to the Georgian hosts Lombardi, Head of the Swiss Delegation and for an exceptional event, and to all Members for Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, their contributions to the discussions. Montella noted that the OSCE should play an important stressed that since taking up his post as Secre- role in migration crisis resolution, stressing tary General in January, his two main priori- that parliamentarians can help promote the ties had been internal reform of the Secretariat exchange of best practices on this issue. He and external relations with partners. He noted pointed out that as the world’s largest regional that it was important to focus on the values that security organization, the OSCE is well-suited the OSCE PA defends and the important assets to meet the challenges of migration due to its that Assembly Members represent. geographic and thematic focuses. Montella expressed gratitude to President Kanerva for his two years of service lead- Doris Barnett, OSCE PA Treasurer ing the Assembly, noting that this period had been a challenging one due to the crisis in Treasurer Doris Barnett (Germany) started and around Ukraine, the migration crisis and her report thanking her predecessor, Rob- terrorist attacks across the region. He urged erto Battelli, for his work in ensuring that the continued diligence in addressing these chal- Assembly’s finances were in good order, as lenges, and noted that the International Secre- recently confirmed by the OSCE PA’s external tariat is as committed as ever to working with auditors. Noting that Members of the Assem- OSCE PA Members – including the incoming bly are ultimately accountable to their constit- President – in addressing common concerns uents, she welcomed the fact that the budget together. had remained at a relatively constant level for a number of years. Ilkka Kanerva, The OSCE PA’s fiscal year 2016/2017 President of the OSCE PA would see a small rise, she said, to ensure that the Secretariat was sufficiently supported to President Kanerva addressed the Assembly, organize its statutory meetings and the increas- noting that in times of increased tension in ing level of PA activities. Barnett concluded by the OSCE area, it is all the more important to thanking the Georgian Delegation for hosting enhance constructive parliamentary dialogue the 2016 Annual Session, as well as her col- and promote mutual understanding. “We must leagues for their contributions, and the Inter- find solutions to our challenges through politi- national Secretariat for its work. cal not military means,” he said, pointing to the 18 19 25th Annual Session t Report

Closing Plenary Session

Voting in plenary session. paper that he had distributed in Tbilisi entitled The newly elected President started her “Our common vision for the OSCE Parliamen- speech by thanking all colleagues, noting that tary Assembly,” which promotes a common she would not take her responsibilities lightly. approach to comprehensive security. She expressed her belief that the dialogue “Our Assembly has a distinct identity based and debate of the Assembly can further the on its values that unite “Parliamentarians can play a very interests of all citizens. us,” he said. “Each and important role in securing peace and “Parliamentarians can every one of us should stability. It will be my duty to make sure play a very important role in securing peace promote our common they have the possibility to do so.” values.” He pointed to and stability,” she said. the various ways that Newly elected OSCE PA President “It will be my duty to Assembly Members can Christine Muttonen make sure they have the help ensure that OSCE possibility to do so.” commitments are She thanked her com- implemented in all OSCE countries, includ- peting candidates for a well-fought campaign, ing through the valuable work of the OSCE and looked forward to continuing discus- PA’s Special Representatives and the political sions with them and all other Members of the weight of its Declarations. Assembly. Muttonen expressed special thanks to President Emeritus Ilkka Kanerva for his Adoption of the Tbilisi Declaration leadership, emphasizing that she would con- and Election Results tinue his work.

The Session ended with the adoption of the Tbilisi Declaration and the announcement of election results for new Assembly officers. Acting Deputy Head of the PA’s Austrian Del- egation Christine Muttonen, an OSCE Parlia- mentary Assembly Vice-President and Special Representative for Central and Eastern Asia, was elected Assembly President, along with three Vice-Presidents: Vilija Aleknaite Abra- mikiene (Lithuania), Azay Guliyev (Azerbai- jan), Isabel Santos (Portugal), and Victor Paul Dobre (Romania). Christine Muttonen

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20 21 25th Annual Session t Report

Officers of the Assembly

he Officers of the Assembly, also OSCE PA Bureau Members meeting on the Tknown as the Bureau, include the fourth day of the 17th Annual Session President, Vice-Presidents, the Treas- urer, General Committee Officers and the President Emeritus. The Bureau is responsible for ensuring that the decisions of the Standing Committee are carried out, as well as for the efficient operation of the Assembly between meetings of the Standing Committee. The Bureau takes decisions by a two- thirds majority vote. OSCE PA Bureau meeting on 8 July 2015.

Christine Muttonen (Austria) Deputy Prime Minister, and Deputy Speaker of was elected President Parliament. In the PA, he has served as Vice- at the 2016 Annual President and as Co-Chair of the OSCE PA’s Session in Tbilisi. Helsinki +40 Project. He is currently the PA’s Muttonen has previ- Special Representative on Mediation. ously served as OSCE PA Vice-President and Doris Barnett (Germany) Special Representa- was elected Treasurer in tive for Central and 2015, after serving since Eastern Asia, and is 2013 as Vice-President. Deputy Head of the She has been a member Austrian Delegation of the German Bunde- to the PA. She has been a Member of the Aus- stag since 1994, where trian Parliament since 1999 and also serves she currently serves on as area spokesperson for the Austrian Social the Committee on Eco- Democratic Parliamentary Group for Foreign nomics and Technology Politics. She is also a member of her national and the Committee on delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of European Union Affairs. She is the Head of the Council of Europe. Muttonen was a teacher the German Delegation to the OSCE PA and is before her career in politics. also a member of the Council of Europe and the European Security and Defence Assembly. Ilkka Kanerva (Finland) is the Assembly’s Robert Aderholt (United States) President Emeritus. was elected OSCE PA Elected President at Vice-President at the the 2014 Annual Ses- sion and re-elected in Monaco Annual Ses- 2015, Kanerva is a sion in 2012 and re- former OSCE Chair- elected in 2015. In the person-in-Office, and U.S. Congress, he is a has been a member member of the House of the Finnish Parlia- Committee on Appro- ment since 1975. He priations, which has has held a variety of posts in his government jurisdiction over and national legislature, including service funding the operation as Foreign Minister, Minister of Transport, of the federal government. As Chairman of the 22 25th Annual Session t Report

Officers of the Assembly

Subcommittee on Agriculture and a member is a member of the parliamentary expert group of the Commerce, Justice and Science as well that was responsible for drafting the country’s as the Defense Subcommittees, he supports constitution. greater transparency, accountability and over- sight of the appropriations process. Aderholt is Peter Bowness (United Kingdom) also an active member of the U.S. Commission was elected Vice-Pres- on Security and Cooperation in Europe (also ident of the OSCE PA known as the Helsinki Commission). at the Helsinki Annual Session in 2015. As a Vilija Aleknaite Abramikiene member of the House (Lithuania) of Lords, he serves on was first elected Vice- the European Union President at the 2013 Energy and Environ- OSCE PA Annual Ses- ment Sub-Committee sion in Istanbul after and has been a member serving two terms as of the European Union Rapporteur of the Com- Select Committee, among other assignments. mittee on Political He has been a member of the British Delega- Affairs and Security, tion to the OSCE PA since 2007 and serves as and re-elected in Tbi- Chair of the OSCE PA’s Sub-Committee on the lisi. She also served as Rules of Procedure. Head of Delegation of Lithuania to the OSCE PA from 2008 to 2012 and is a member the Victor Paul Dobre (Romania) Ad Hoc Working Group on Belarus. Aleknaite was elected to a one- Abramikiene has been a member of the Seimas year term as Vice-Pres- (Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania since ident at the OSCE PA’s 1992 and is a member of the Committees on 25th Annual Session in European Affairs and Legal Affairs. Tbilisi, Georgia, on 5 July 2016. A member Roberto Battelli (Slovenia) of the Romanian was elected Vice- Chamber of Deputies President of the since 2000, Dobre has OSCE Parliamentary served on the Roma- Assembly at the 2015 nian Delegation to the Annual Session in OSCE PA since 2009. In his national parlia- Helsinki after serv- ment, Dobre serves as Chairman of the Com- ing for three terms as mittee on Public Administration and Territorial the Assembly’s Treas- Planning. urer. He is also the OSCE PA’s Special Azay Guliyev (Azer- Representative on baijan) South East Europe, a position he has held since was elected Vice-Presi- 2006. Since becoming a member of the OSCE dent in Tbilisi. He pre- PA in 1992, Battelli has been particularly active viously served for three in election observation, observing some two years as Vice-Chair of dozen elections across the OSCE area. Battelli the General Committee has been a member of the National Assembly of on Political Affairs and the Republic of Slovenia since 1990, where he Security. A member 22 23 25th Annual Session t Report

Officers of the Assembly

of his national parliament since 2005, Guli- tee on Agriculture and the Sea. As Chair of the yev currently serves on the Permanent Com- Third Committee she was particularly active, mittee on State Building and is a member of leading delegations and fact-finding missions to several working groups promoting Azerbai- Kazakhstan and Guantanamo Bay, as well as to jan’s bilateral relations with various countries. refugee camps in Rome, Lampedusa, Catania, Since 2008, he has also served as Chair of the Czech Republic, and Serbia. Council on State Support to NGOs. Guliyev has been a member of Azerbaijan’s OSCE PA George Tsereteli (Georgia) Delegation since 2005. was elected Vice-Pres- ident of the OSCE Par- Kent Harstedt (Sweden) liamentary Assembly was elected Vice-Pres- at the 2012 Annual ident of the Assembly Session in Monaco and at the 2014 Annual Ses- re-elected at the 2015 sion in Baku. A member Annual Session in of the Swedish Parlia- Helsinki. Following a ment since 1998, he career in business and has served on the Com- as a practicing neurol- mittee on Defence, the ogist, Tsereteli came to Committee on Health politics in 1995, serving in the Tbilisi munici- and Welfare, the Joint pality and as Minister of Labour, Health and Committee on Foreign Social Affairs. He has been a Member of Par- Affairs and Defence and the Standing- Com liament since 1999, and has served as Deputy mittee on Foreign Affairs. In the OSCE PA, Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia, Vice Harstedt is a member of the General Com- Prime Minister, Chairman of the Committee mittee on Political Affairs and Security and on Regional Policy, Chairman of the Com- has been particularly active in election obser- mittee on Healthcare and Social Issues and as vation activities, having participated in mis- Acting Chairman of Parliament. sions to Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, the United States and Ukraine. He is also active in the Swedish Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Isabel Santos (Portugal) was elected Vice-Pres- ident in Tbilisi, after having previously served three terms as Chair of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitar- ian Questions. Santos has been a member of Portuguese Parliament from 2005 to 2009 and resumed her service in the Parliament in 2011. She serves on the Committee on Budget, Finance The Bureau meets every spring in the Danish Par- and Public Administration and the Commit- liament (Folketing).

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General Committee Officers

First General Committee on Political Affairs and Security

The General Committee on Political Affairs and Security (First Committee)

FirstGeneral General Committee Committee on onPolitical Political Affairs Affairs and and SecuritySecurity Guglielmo Picchi (Italy) ollowing the 1991 Madrid Declara- was elected Vice-Chair Ftion, three committees were established of the General Commit- along the lines of the three main “baskets” tee on Political Affairs or sections of the Helsinki Final Act: The and Security at the 25th First General Committee on Political Annual Session in Tbi- Affairs and Security; the Second General lisi. He has served in Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, the Italian Parliament Technology and Environment; and the since 2006 and has been Third General Committee on Democracy, on the Italian Delega- Human Rights and Humanitarian Ques- tion to the OSCE Par- tions. Following debate and discussion, a liamentary Assembly draft resolution is adopted by each commit- since 2008. He previously has worked in invest- tee for presentation to the Annual Plenary ment banking and served on the City Council of Session of the Assembly, which is then Florence from 1995 to 1999. He also serves as included in the Final Declaration. Vice-Chair of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Commit- tee on Migration. First General Committee Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) Roger Wicker (United States) has served as the Rap- has served as the Chair porteur for the General of the OSCE Parlia- Committee on Politi- mentary Assembly’s cal Affairs and Security Committee on Politi- since 2015. First enter- cal Affairs and Secu- ing the Swedish parlia- rity since November ment (Riksdag) in 1999, 2014. He has been Cederfelt served as an re-elected at the 2015 Alternate Member of and 2016 Annual Ses- the Swedish Delegation sions. Wicker currently to the OSCE PA from serves as the Co-Chair of the Commission on 2010 to 2014 and since 2014 as Deputy Head Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Hel- of the Delegation. In her national parliament, sinki Commission). Within the U.S. Senate he Cederfelt has served as a member of the Com- is a member of the Armed Services Commit- mittee on Foreign Affairs since 2014. She has also served as Chair of the National Board of tee; the Budget Committee; the Commerce, Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) and Science, and Transportation Committee; the Treasurer of the PGA Executive Board since Environment and Public Works Committee; 2011. and the Rules Committee.

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General Committee Officers

General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment

Second General Committee tor, Director and General Director of Ukrainian Marketing Group. In 2014, he was elected to Nilza Sena (Portugal) the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Parliament), was elected Chair of the where he serves as a member of the Committee General Committee on on National Security and Defence, Chairperson Economic Affairs, Sci- of the Sub-Committee on Military-Industrial ence, Technology and and Military-Technical Co-operation of the Environment at the 2016 Verkhovna Rada Committee for Security and Annual Session, after Defence Affairs. serving three terms as Vice-Chair. A Member Marietta Tidei (Italy) of the Portuguese Del- was elected Rapporteur egation to the OSCE PA of the Second Commit- since 2011, Sena is also tee at the 2014 Annual a founder and member of the Board of the Por- Session in Baku and re- tuguese Platform for Sustainable Development elected at the 2015 and and Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Committee 2016 Annual Sessions on Education, Science and Culture. She is Vice- in Helsinki and Tbilisi. President of the Social Democratic Party and a Elected to her national Professor at the Technical University of Lisbon. parliament in 2013, She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science Tidei is active in the and a PhD in Social Sciences in the specialty Parliamentary Com- of sociology and has published numerous aca- mittee for the Procedures of Charge and the demic articles. Committee on Economic Activities, Trade and Tourism. She is from Rome and is a member of Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine) the Democratic Party. was elected Vice-Chair of the General Commit- tee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment at the 25th Annual Session in Tbilisi. Head of the Ukrainian Delegation to the OSCE PA, Gerasy- mov has a background in the private sector, serving as Deputy Direc- Marietta Tidei and Nilza Sena 26 25th Annual Session t Report

General Committee Officers

General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions

Third General Committee her national parliament since 2013. Within the Czech Chamber of Deputies she is Vice-Chair of Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain) the Committee on Science, Education, Culture, was elected Chair of Youth and Sports and a member of the Com- the General Committee mittee on Petitions and the Sub-Committee on on Democracy, Human Migration. Dobesova also serves as a substitute Rights and Humanitar- member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the ian Questions at the Council of Europe. She has been an active partic- 25th Annual Session ipant in OSCE PA election observation activities in Tbilisi in July 2016. since joining the Assembly, participating in mis- Sanchez Amor is a sions to Hungary, the former Yugoslav Repub- member of the Spanish lic of Macedonia, Ukraine, the United States of Parliament’s Foreign America, the United Kingdom and Turkey. Affairs Committee and serves as Head of the Spanish Delegation to Kyriakos Kyriakou-Hadjiyanni (Cyprus) the OSCE PA. Since 2012, he has also been the was elected Rapporteur OSCE PA’s Special Representative on OSCE of the Third Commit- Border Issues. Sanchez Amor was previously tee at the 2016 Annual vice president of the Association of European Session in Tbilisi. He Border Regions. He also held a seat in the has been a Member of regional Assembly of Extremadura and served the House of Repre- as Deputy President of the government of the sentatives of Cyprus region, which is on the Spain-Portugal border. since 2006, where he serves as Chairman of Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic) the Parliamentary Com- was elected Vice-Chair mittee on Educational Affairs and Culture. He is of the General Com- also a Member of the Committee on Refugees- mittee on Democracy, Enclaved-Missing-Adversely Affected Persons. Human Rights and He has previously served on his parliament’s Humanitarian Ques- Committee on the Environment; the Commit- tions at the 2015 Annual tee on Energy, Trade, Industry, and Tourism; the Session in Helsinki and Committee on Foreign and European Affairs; the re-elected in Tbilisi. Committee on Internal Affairs, and the Commit- Dobesova serves as tee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. He Head of the Delegation was also a member of the Economic and Social of the Czech Repub- Committee of the European Union from 2003 to lic to the OSCE PA and has been a member of 2004.

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Philippe Nobile

he OSCE PA International Secretariat provides administrative support for the Assembly in its various activities. The Secretariat organizes the Tmeetings of the Assembly and provides support for election observation projects, special missions and Presidential activities. Its work is carried out in co-operation with other OSCE Institutions and international parliamentary organizations. The Secretariat, which is hosted by the Danish Parliament, is headed by Secretary General Roberto Montella, and has a permanent staff of 16, Secretary General including three staff members at the Liaison Office in Vienna. Roberto Montella

Deputy Secretary Deputy Secretary Special Chief of the Head of Document Deputy Director of the General General Representative Executive Office Services Vienna Liaison Office Gustavo Pallares Semyon Dzakhaev Andreas Nothelle Andreas Baker Dana Bjerregaard Marc Carillet

Presidential Advisor Programme Officer Head of Confer- Director of Adminis- tration, Finance and General Services Chief Political Maria Chepurina ence Services Farimah Daftary Human Resources Manager Advisor Odile LeLarge Kurt Lerras Bo Hjorth Nielsen Francesco Pagani

Head of Communi- Chief ICT Programme Officer Head of Administration cations and Press Stephen Paul Loic Poulain for Election Observation 32 Nat Parry Iryna Sabashuk Vancouver. Vladivostok .

ringing together 323 parliamentarians from across the 57-nation OSCE region, including Europe, Asia and North America, the OSCE PA pro- Bvides a forum for parliamentary dialogue, leads election observation missions, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.

Recognized as a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter, the OSCE is a primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation in its area. The Parliamentary Assembly, originally established by the 1990 Paris Summit to promote greater involvement in the OSCE by national parliaments, is the oldest continuing OSCE Institution.

The basic objectives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly are:

• To assess the implementation of OSCE objectives by participating States;

• To discuss subjects addressed during meetings of the Ministerial Council and the summits of Heads of State or Government;

• To develop and promote mechanisms for the prevention and resolution of conflicts;

• To support the strengthening and consolidation of democratic institutions in OSCE participating States;

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

To pursue these objectives, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly employs a variety of means:

• A Final Declaration and a number of resolutions and recommendations are adopted each year at the Annual Session in July;

• Committee work addresses important contemporary international issues;

• Programmes and Seminars designed to develop and strengthen democracy including an extensive election observation programme;

• Special parliamentary missions to areas of latent or active crisis.

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly International Secretariat Tordenskjoldsgade 1 1055 Copenhagen K Denmark Telephone: +45 33 37 80 40 Telefax: +45 33 37 80 30 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.oscepa.org