OSCE conference in Washington D.C. on continued relevance of the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security

Washington, D.C., 31 October 2017 – A two-day conference organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre on the role of armed and security forces in democratic societies concluded on 31 October 2017 in Washington, D.C.

More than 70 participants from the United States (U.S.) and many other OSCE participating States took part in discussions about the democratic control of armed and security forces, security sector reform, parliamentary oversight and respect for international humanitarian and human rights law for armed forces personnel. The conference also provided an opportunity to look into the Law of War Manual recently updated and published by the U.S. Department of Defense and to discuss the Manual’s presentation of obligations under international humanitarian law, as compared to the commitments and principles enshrined in the OSCE Code of Conduct.

Senior officers from the armed forces, senior government officials, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), as well as representatives of academia and civil society made use of this regional conference as a platform to discuss the continued relevance of the Code of Conduct. They also shared experiences and best practices in applying its principles and commitments in today’s security context.

Opening the event, Charles A. Allen, Deputy General Counsel for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Defense, stated that “the Code of Conduct reflects the highest values – including that our armed forces remain accountable to our democratic government and the people it represents”.

Ambassador Roksanda Ninčić, Chairperson of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), underlined that “promoting the Code of Conduct as a key normative instrument governing armed and security forces is one of the priorities of the Serbian FSC Chairmanship”.

Christian Brunmayr, Minister at the Austrian Embassy in Washington, D.C., said that “there is no doubt that the Code of Conduct is one of the most important documents recalling and confirming commitments and providing normative bases for security sector reform”.

Ambassador Marcel Peško, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, emphasized that “by raising awareness and implementing the provisions of the Code, we are able to strengthen our common understanding of ‘security through co-operation’ ”.

The OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, adopted in 1994, is a landmark document for the governance of the security sector and the role of armed and security forces in democratic societies. It contains key principles and commitments for the 57 OSCE participating States related to security relations between States and to the control of all armed and security forces within a state. This conference was held in line with a decision of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation, according to which the OSCE Secretariat is requested to organize at least one specialized seminar or workshop annually to better facilitate implementation and promote awareness of the Code of Conduct and support outreach in its regard. 

The conference was co-hosted by the OSCE and the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense, with support provided by the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) as Honorary Co-Host. Donor support was kindly provided by Austria, Germany and Switzerland.