2010 OSCE Summit in Astana

Astana declaration adopted at OSCE Summit charts way forward

ASTANA, 2 December 2010 - The first OSCE Summit in 11 years concluded today with Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev welcoming the work of Heads of State and Government from the 56 OSCE participating States, saying their adoption of...

Heads of State and Government listen to proceedings during the first day of the OSCE Summit in Astana, 1 December 2010. (OSCE/Vladimir Trofimchuk)

OSCE heads of institutions emphasize importance of rights in discussions on Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security

ASTANA, 1 December 2010 - Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms must underpin sustainable security in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area, emphasized the heads of OSCE institutions on human rights and democratic institutions, media freedom...

Joint Statement by the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Countries and the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia

ASTANA, 1 December 2010 - On the occasion of the OSCE Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (the President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev, the Prime Minister of France...

Heads of State and Government during the family photo session before the opening of the OSCE Summit in Astana, 1 December 2010. (OSCE/Vladimir Trofimchuk)

OSCE Summit in Astana begins with call to Heads of State to advance Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security

ASTANA, 1 December 2010 - The President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, opened today in Astana the first OSCE Summit in 11 years, calling the gathering a "triumph of common sense" and urging the Heads of State and Government from the 56...

OSCE flags outside the Palace of Independence, the venue for the 2010 OSCE Summit in Astana, 26 November 2010. (OSCE/Jonathan Perfect)

World leaders in Astana to address security challenges at OSCE Summit

ASTANA, 30 November 2010 - Heads of State and Government from the 56 OSCE participating States and 12 Partner countries...

Participants browse OSCE literature before the OSCE Review Conference in Astana, 26 November 2010. (OSCE/Vladimir Trofimchuk)

On the sidelines

Since the start of the Helsinki process, the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE, later OSCE) has valued the participation of civil society. It is a specificity of the OSCE to organize NGO events prior to...

The winners and jury pose for a photo, Astana, 29 November 2010. (OSCE/Susanna Lööf)

Winners of Kazakhstan's OSCE Summit school essay contest announced

ASTANA, 29 November 2010 - Kazakhstan's ministries of foreign affairs and education announced today the winners of a nationwide school essay contest held ahead of the OSCE Summit on 1 and 2 December in...

Erich Honecker, First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany signs the Helsinki Final Act, as President of the United States Gerald Ford looks on, 1 August 1975. (Bundesarchiv/Horst Sturm)

Crafting European security: The Helsinki Final Act

Courage and political will to break down barriers and work for peace led to the signing of the landmark Helsinki Final Act.

Dignitaries pose for a photograph at an OSCE event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, Paris, 28 October 2010. (MAEE/Frederic de La Mure)

Charting a path towards a new Europe: the Charter of Paris

In November 1990, just weeks after the reunification of Germany, 34 Heads of State or Government met in Paris to shape a new Europe.

The OSCE is engaged in security activities with Afghanistan, a Partner for Co-operation. Projects with Russia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are under way. Photo taken on the Tajik-Afghan border, 5 June 2008. (OSCE/Kati Heiska)

Afghanistan and the OSCE

Security in Afghanistan is intrinsically linked with security not only in Central Asia but in the OSCE region as a whole. Three OSCE participating States have borders with Afghanistan – Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – and instability here...

An OSCE flag and a gavel at the start of a meeting at the Hofburg in Vienna. (OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev)

The legal framework of the OSCE

The OSCE has "participating States" and not "member States" – a distinction that is more than just a matter of words. Born as a conference, renamed in 1994 as an organization following the creation of several institutions, the OSCE is still not...

L-r: OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, at the informal meeting of OSCE foreign ministers, Corfu, 28 June 2009. (OSCE/Antonios Doykas)

Restoring trust: the Corfu Process

The Corfu Process began with a crisis and a proposal. In June 2008, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, highlighting the need to take stock of post-Cold War security arrangements, called for a new European security dialogue towards a legally-binding treaty

The Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Kairat Abdrakhmanov, and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon discuss at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council. Vienna, 8 April 2010. (OSCE/Susanna Lööf)

Strength in numbers: Platform for Co-operative Security

The OSCE addresses a wide range of challenges as part of its comprehensive approach to security. It is not the only international organization working in these areas, and the OSCE therefore seeks to pool resources and complement the efforts of other...

Countering transnational threats

The need to "connect the dots" and co-ordinate action when it comes to combating transnational threats such as terrorism, organized crime, cyber crime and trafficking in drugs, arms and human beings has never been clearer.

Arms control officers from the Turkmenistan Defence Ministry take part in a training course in Germany, December 2007, on implementing the 1999 OSCE Vienna Document on Confidence and Security-Building Measures, 18 December 2007. (OSCE)

Ensuring military transparency – the Vienna Document

Each year in mid-December, officials from the 56 OSCE participating States gather in Vienna to exchange information on their armed forces, military organization, manpower and major weapon and equipment systems. The countries also share information...