Chairman-in-Office Ignazio Cassis presents Switzerland’s 2026 programme to OSCE Permanent Council

VIENNA, 15 January 2026 - Actively contributing to and preparing for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, strengthening the OSCE as a platform for inclusive dialogue, and improving the OSCE's ability to act were core messages from OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, at the inauguration of the 2026 Swiss Chairpersonship during the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna today.

During his opening remarks, the Swiss Foreign Minister underlined the urge to preserve the spirit of Helsinki in a world in crisis: “Our organization was born at a time of acute ideological confrontation. It was designed for dangerous times, never for easy ones. If it still exists today, it is because the participating States have been keenly aware for 50 years that dialogue and co-operative security are not luxuries, but necessities.”

Federal Councillor Cassis highlighted the challenges faced by the OSCE: “The war against Ukraine is the greatest challenge our organization has faced since its creation: we must re-establish dialogue and trust between all our members and get back to the spirit of Helsinki. We must restore the meaning of the consensus on which the OSCE was built.”

The Head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs explained that Switzerland is committed to ensuring that the OSCE continues to make an effective contribution to security in Europe. To this end, the Organization should be prepared to play a role in achieving a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The OSCE also needs targeted internal reform, to be achieved by focusing on activities where its added value is greatest.

The Chairman stressed that the OSCE remains indispensable due to its concrete impact on the ground through its field operations and its status as the only forum where all European security-related issues can be discussed with the participation of all relevant actors, from Vancouver to Vladivostok. Minister Cassis stressed that “when instability takes hold, we can and must act with courage and clear-sightedness”.

Federal Councilor Cassis has also appointed a number of special representatives to support his efforts in conflict prevention, management, and resolution. Mandates are either geographical or thematic, including combating antisemitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance, preventing human trafficking, and fostering dialogue and engagement with civil society.

Link to Federal Councillor Cassis’s speech: https://www.osce.org/chairpersonship/661687

Find more about the framework and goals for the OSCE's activities in 2025 in Switzerland’s Chairpersonship programme: https://www.osce.org/chairpersonship/661681 

Follow Switzerland's Chairpersonship:

• @ignaziocassis
• @SwitzerlandOSCE
• @SwissMFA
• LinkedIn Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the OSCE

Website: Swiss Chairpersonship of the OSCE 2026