Chairman-in-Office and Secretary General expressed regret that no consensus reached on extension of mandate of Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine

WARSAW/VIENNA, 31 March 2022 - OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau and Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid expressed their sincere regret that no consensus was reached on the extension of the mandate of OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the Organization’s largest field presence and a key component of its response to the crisis in and around Ukraine.

“I deeply regret that we could not reach agreement on the extension of the Special Monitoring Mission’s mandate due to the position of the Russian Federation. For the past eight years, the Mission has been playing crucial role by providing objective information on the security and humanitarian situation on the ground and relentlessly working to ease the effects of the conflict on the civilian population,” Chairman Rau stressed.

“The crucial tasks the Mission has carried out, including facilitating localised ceasefires for the repair of critical infrastructure and being our eyes and ears on the ground cannot be overestimated,” he said.

 “I want to express my sincere gratitude to the brave men and women of the Mission. I had the privilege to see their work first hand during my visits to Ukraine. I am extremely proud and impressed by the professionalism, commitment and dedication they have demonstrated – and continue to demonstrate - in often tense and volatile situations,” Secretary General Schmid said.

She also underscored that “In this challenging time, duty of care for our staff is Organization’s first and foremost priority.”

 “We will continue to support international and national mission members, both those evacuated from Ukraine and remaining in the country,” she underscored.

Foreign Minister Rau underlined that Polish Chairmanship will continue consultations with the participating States on the OSCE’s future role and presence in Ukraine.

While those discussions continue, the SMM will maintain its administrative status as an OSCE field operation, and continue to carry out functions including ensuring the safety and security of mission members, assets and premises. Chairman Rau and Secretary General Schmid once again reiterated their call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and engaging in constructive dialogue. Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine must stop.

The Special Monitoring Mission was established in March 2014, following a request by the Ukrainian government to the OSCE, and a consensus decision by all 57 participating States.

With 1,291 mission members (814 international and 477 national staff), the SMM is by far the biggest mission in the OSCE.

Since its deployment in March 2014, the Mission issued 2432 daily reports and 242 spot reports.

In 2021 alone, the monitoring teams carried out nearly 18,000 patrols and facilitated close to 400 “windows of silence”, enabling the repair and maintenance of critical civilian infrastructure facilities such as water, gas and electricity networks benefitting civilians on both sides of the contact line in eastern Ukraine.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine continues to fulfil its mandated tasks, including a focus on educational activities on significantly increased risks to civilians in Ukraine from mines, abandoned ordnance and other explosive remnants of war. Upon a joint Chair and Secretary General’s instruction, the Project Co-ordinator has developed plans for the possible re-establishment of a limited physical presence in western Ukraine.