Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship opens procedure for selecting OSCE Secretary General and Heads of Institutions

VIENNA / TIRANA, 12 July 2020 – Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship has announced the opening of procedures for the selection of candidates to the positions of OSCE Secretary General, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the High Commissioner on National Minorities, and the Representative on Freedom of the Media. The Chairmanship expresses regret that the 57 participating States could not reach consensus on the reappointment of the four officials currently holding these positions.

The Chairmanship nonetheless respects the views of the participating States, whose delegations in Vienna in recent weeks had been discussing reappointing the incumbents to a second three-year term. Their current terms expire on 18 July 2020.

The reappointment of candidates would, inter alia, allow for smooth business continuity for the Organization amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A declining commitment to sustainable institutions would pose significant challenges to efficient multilateralism, the Chairmanship said. Participating States are encouraged to maintain a co-operative and constructive approach in the appointment process as we move forward, it added.

With a view to reaching consensus on filling these positions by the OSCE Ministerial Council in Tirana in December, the Chairmanship asks the participating States to nominate candidates for the four positions by 18 September 2020.