OSCE Chair calls for respect for shared principles and strengthening multilateralism in her address to the UN Security Council

NEW YORK CITY, 8 December 2025 – In her address to the United Nations Security Council, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen urged respect for shared principles and the strengthening of multilateralism, calling for renewed commitment to the values enshrined in both the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.

“The UN-OSCE partnership is essential for peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region and beyond. While this Council bears primary responsibility for international peace and security, regional efforts can amplify its impact,” Minister Valtonen said.

Marking fifty years since the Helsinki Final Act, she recalled how its principles—sovereign equality, territorial integrity, inviolability of frontiers, refraining from the threat or use of force, and respect for human rights—continue to shape the OSCE and mirror the UN Charter. 

“There is no need to re-invent the European security order. Instead, there is a need to abide by the OSCE principles we have already agreed to, and respect international law and the UN Charter. There is also a need to utilize the OSCE fully, for what it was created for. The OSCE has great potential,“ said Minister Valtonen.

She stressed that both the UN and the OSCE must be efficient, flexible, and results‑oriented. To this end, she highlighted the new Helsinki+50 Fund, designed to strengthen the OSCE’s operational capacity. Supporting Ukraine and promoting accountability for violations of international law have been at the heart of the OSCE’s work during the Finnish Chairpersonship.

“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is the largest and longest war in Europe since the Second World War. In Ukraine, Russia is violating the UN Charter and each of the ten Helsinki principles. I call on all to support Ukraine in achieving a just and lasting peace – as soon as possible. I am convinced that the way this war ends will decisively shape the future of peace and stability not only in Europe, but across the world, “she noted.

While Ukraine has been a central focus of the OSCE’s work this year, the engagement has spanned also more broadly in the OSCE region, with peace mediation at the core of many efforts. Minister Valtonen underlined that multilateral cooperation based on international law is the bedrock for international peace and security. 

Valtonen reaffirmed that effective multilateralism depends on a capable UN and strong regional organizations, working together toward common goals. As Chair of the OSCE, Finland has advanced OSCE-UN cooperation under Chapter VIII of the UN Charter linking the Pact for the Future to OSCE’s activities and promoting implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security, by publishing OSCE roadmaps. The roadmaps have elevated attention to these issues and advanced Security Council mandates in the OSCE region.