OSCE participating States approve 2012 OSCE budget

VIENNA, 22 December 2011 – The Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship and the Irish Chairmanship of the Advisory Committee on Management and Finance welcomed today’s decision by all 56 OSCE participating States to approve the Unified Budget for 2012, amounting to 148,055,400 euros.

“The consensus decision by all OSCE participating States agreeing the budget shows their commitment to the Organization and contributes to strengthening the effectiveness, efficiency and transparency of the OSCE,” said Lithuanian Ambassador Renatas Norkus, who chairs the Permanent Council. “The budget will enable the OSCE to tackle transnational threats more effectively, despite an overall reduction, through the creation of a new special department to address transnational threats such as terrorism, organized and cyber crime.”

The 2011 budget is 150,764,700 euros. Norkus also congratulated his Irish counterparts on achieving budget approval before the end of 2011.

Irish Ambassador Eoin O'Leary said: "By adopting the budget, the participating States have pledged to further streamline and prioritize the work of the OSCE, especially in areas where the Organization has a comparative advantage, and we are committed to assisting this process.”

He stressed that today’s agreement would also ensure timely funding of OSCE activities in 2012. In the context of the significant budget cuts O’Leary emphasized the importance of allocating enough resources to the OSCE to carry on with its mission.

Ireland has held the Chairmanship of the Advisory Committee on Management and Finance since 1 October and will take over the OSCE Chairmanship from Lithuania on 1 January 2012.

The unified budget includes funds for the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions, as well as the OSCE field operations and activities, with the latter accounting for almost two-thirds of the total budget.

The Permanent Council is an OSCE decision-making body, chaired by the country holding the OSCE's annually rotating Chairmanship.