OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to convene in Mongolia for 2015 Autumn Meeting

Debates on regional security challenges, high-level Central Asia roundtable to feature 

COPENHAGEN, 4 September 2015 – Nearly 200 lawmakers from across the OSCE’s 57 participating States will gather in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 15-18 September for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2015 Autumn Meeting.

The Meeting will focus on continuing and emerging security concerns for the OSCE area and the role of parliamentarians in fostering co-operation to address those concerns. 

Hosted by the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia, the Meeting is the final major gathering of the Assembly this year. 

Mongolian Parliament Chairman Enkhbold Zandaakhuu and Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia are scheduled to address the Assembly during the opening session on 16 September. 

OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland), members of the Mongolian Delegation to the Assembly and officials from the United Nations and Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be among other keynote speakers.

The Autumn Meeting will also feature a special roundtable event on Central Asia with the Heads of OSCE field operations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Topics to be addressed in presentations and parliamentary debate include: counter-terrorism, human trafficking, food and water security, the development of democratic institutions, human rights and freedom of the media.

Mongolia, the most recent country to become an OSCE participating State (in 2012), will be hosting an OSCE PA meeting for the first time.

Parliamentarians from several OSCE Partner for Co-operation states will also be in attendance.