President of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration Emmanuel Decaux addresses Permanent Council

President of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration Professor Emmanuel Decaux addressed the OSCE Permanent Council on 27 February 2020, where he invited signatory and third-party States to join the 34 States that are currently party to the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE.

The Court’s founding at the 1992 Stockholm Conference, Decaux said, was the culmination of long-standing efforts by participating States to strengthen the key element of co-operative security. He stressed that while a conciliation commission can be requested unilaterally by any State party, the Court’s procedures remain at the disposal of all 57 OSCE participating States by agreement.

“The Stockholm Convention represents a great step forward in the institutionalization of alternative approaches to the peaceful settlement of disputes. Following on from the bilateral treaties negotiated over a century, and the multilateral treaties in the immediate post-war period, the Convention has made significant progress on several fronts. It established a genuine permanent court governed firmly by a collegial Bureau, which guarantees the effectiveness of the Court’s procedures. Neutrality is the watchword in all commissions and arbitration tribunals, with the Bureau designating three of the five members. The Court’s tasks are part of a wider framework in relation to the OSCE bodies, constituting part of the ‘toolbox’ available to the various protagonists”, he said.

President Decaux concluded that the Court will work on making its procedures for the amicable settlement of disputes more visible and readable, by being proactive at all times to fully perform its duties in the service of peace, co-operation and good neighborliness throughout the OSCE area.

The Court of Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE, which is based in Geneva, provides a set of mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States. The Court was established by the Convention of Stockholm which entered into force on 5 December 1994. To date, 34 States have ratified the Convention.