Expert meeting on enhancing the OSCE’s early warning capacity

VIENNA, 15 April 2011 – Developing a more systematic, comprehensive and cross-dimensional early warning capacity to enhance the OSCE’s capability to prevent and respond to emerging crisis situations is the focus of an expert meeting in Vienna today.

Organized by Lithuania’s OSCE Chairmanship with support from the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, the event is part of a series of expert meetings on early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation taking place under the “V[ienna] to V[ilnius] Dialogue”.

“This expert meeting with OSCE Ambassadors from the 56 participating States provides a timely and useful opportunity to identify options for concrete action, with the goal of enhancing the OSCE’s early warning capacity to address current and emerging conflicts,” said Ambassador Renatas Norkus of Lithuania, the Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, who opened the event.

Today’s meeting will feature presentations by John Packer, the Director of the Human Rights Centre of the University of Essex and Johnny Engell-Hansen, the Head of the Operations Division, EU Situation Centre, as well as by representatives of the Conflict Prevention Centre, the High Commissioner on National Minorities and OSCE delegations.

Participants will take stock of the existing early warning capacity in the OSCE to identify how it can be strengthened, and try to draw up concrete recommendations and proposals for follow-on activities.