Office of the Secretary General

The Office of the Secretary General, headed by its Director, assists the Secretary General in his diplomatic and representation work across the OSCE region and as Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization. Essential units related to duty of care or legal affairs are also part of this directorate, as are the activities important for the liaising with the OSCE Chairpersonship, the Troika and the participating States.

It is through the Office of the Secretary General that an efficient and effective co-ordination of the Secretariat is ensured. Responsibilities ranging from executive management, external relations, the gender issues programme, media outreach and conference and language services to legal services, staff and building security, records management and the Document Centre in Prague are ensured under this directorate.

Executive Management

The Executive Management team assists the Secretary General with policy advice and prepares, among other tasks, the Secretary General’s visits, meetings, statements and speeches. The team also ensures effective co-ordination of activities with other Secretariat departments and executive structures, and liaises with the OSCE Chairpersonship, the Troika and participating States.

External Co-operation

The External Co-operation section manages the OSCE’s relationship with its Asian and Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation and the partnerships with other international  and regional organizations. It also co-ordinates extrabudgetary resource mobilization workstreams.

Communication and Media Relations

The Communication and Media Relations section provides strategic advice and guidance to the Secretary General, Chairpersonship, OSCE executive structures and Secretariat units, ensuring that the Organization’s communication with the media and the public are consistent and of the highest quality. It ensures publications and press releases of the Communications and Media Relations section are not inconsistent with consensus decisions and documents and acts as a focal point for timely co-ordination of public statements made by the Chairpersonship and OSCE executive structures. It manages the Organization’s internal and external communication including the public website and social media accounts, the internal intranet site, and production of a variety of public information materials.

Office of Legal Affairs

The Office of Legal Affairs delivers advice to the Secretary General and all executive structures on the full range of legal issues that affect the OSCE. These include interpreting the regulatory framework; handling administrative appeals and complaints; advising on host country arrangements, privileges and immunities issues, taxation, duty of care, dispute settlement, tenders and negotiations of complex contracts, and administrative policies; along with addressing ad hoc legal issues that arise.

Conference and Language Services

The Conference and Language Services team provides meeting and language support to the delegations of the OSCE participating States, as well as the Chairpersonship and the Organization’s executive structures. This includes interpretation into the OSCE‘s six official languages and the distribution of the official documents of the Organization to the participating States.

Records Management

The Records Management unit develops policies, procedures, processes and systems to address document, records, asset, and information management and oversees policy implementation in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. This ensures protection of rights, institutional memory and knowledge, access to information, business continuity, and preservation of heritage.  

Security Management

The Security Management unit advises the Secretary General on all strategic and operational aspects of security, defines the OSCE’s security policy and standards, and supports the Organization’s executive structures and institutions in meeting their responsibilities for the security and safety of staff. Its work includes supporting the Organization’s emergency preparedness, crisis management and business continuity.

Gender Issues Programme

The team of the Gender Issues Programme assists the OSCE participating States in upholding their commitments on promoting women’s full and equal participation in peace and security governance, addressing the disproportionate impact of violence that women face both in and out of conflict, and encouraging women’s economic empowerment and independence.