-
Our work
-
Fields of work
- Arms control
- Border management
- Combating trafficking in human beings
- Conflict prevention and resolution
- Countering terrorism
- Cyber/ICT Security
- Democratization
- Economic activities
- Education
- Elections
- Environmental activities
- Gender equality
- Good governance
- Human rights
- Media freedom and development
- Migration
- National minority issues
- Policing
- Reform and co-operation in the security sector
- Roma and Sinti
- Rule of law
- Tolerance and non-discrimination
- Youth
- Field operations
- Projects
-
Meetings and conferences
- Summit meetings
- Review Conferences
- Ministerial Council meetings
- Plenary meetings of the Permanent Council
- Plenary Meetings of the Forum for Security Co-operation
- Security Review Conferences
- Annual Implementation Assessment Meetings
- Economic and Environmental Forum
- Economic and Environmental Dimension Implementation Meetings
- Human rights meetings
- Media conferences
- Cyber/ICT security conferences
- Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons
- Gender Equality Review Conferences
- Annual OSCE Mediterranean conferences
- Annual OSCE Asian conferences
- Partnerships
-
Fields of work
-
Countries
- All
-
Participating States
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Belgium
- Belarus
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland – OSCE Chairpersonship 2025
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Holy See
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- The Netherlands
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russian Federation
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tajikistan
- Türkiye
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Uzbekistan
- Asian Partners for Co-operation
- Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation
-
Structures and institutions
- Chairpersonship
-
Secretariat
- Secretary General
- Office of the Secretary General
- Conflict Prevention Centre
- Transnational Threats Department
- Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
- Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities
- Gender Issues Programme
- Opportunities for Youth
- Department of Human Resources
- Department of Management and Finance
- Office of Internal Oversight
- Documentation Centre in Prague
- Institutions
-
Field operations
- Presence in Albania
- Centre in Ashgabat
- Programme Office in Astana
- Programme Office in Bishkek
- Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Programme Office in Dushanbe
- Mission in Kosovo
- Mission to Moldova
- Mission to Montenegro
- Mission to Serbia
- Mission to Skopje
- Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan
- Closed field activities
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Court of Conciliation and Arbitration
- Organizational structure
- About us
Press release
OSCE Permanent Council held online in a historic first
- Date:
- Place:
- VIENNA
- Source:
- OSCE Chairpersonship
VIENNA, 23 April 2020 – For the first time in its history, the OSCE Permanent Council was today held online. Complying with measures and restrictions introduced by the OSCE and the Austrian host authorities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, delegations of the 57 participating States and 11 Partners for Co-operation held their first meeting via videoconference.
“Despite these exceptional times, we continue to make every effort to continue our work,” said Ambassador Igli Hasani, Chair of the Permanent Council. “The Permanent Council is essential to maintaining political dialogue between OSCE participating States and steering the important day-to-day work of our Organization in Vienna and throughout our region”.
It is for this reason that the Albanian Chairmanship has doubled its efforts to bring together all participating States, partners and executive structures of the OSCE so that this Organization could continue its work effectively, advancing its common objectives.
Secretary General Thomas Greminger thanked the Chair of the Permanent Council, Albanian Ambassador Hasani, and the participating States for today’s critical meeting. He also added a particular recognition to the ICT and conference services team for making this online session possible. In this light “our staff across the OSCE region continues to work together to deliver their mandates while maintaining duty of care to our staff.”
Today’s discussion focused on the periodic reports by the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Halit Çevik, and Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Heidi Grau.
Ambassador Hasani reminded the Permanent Council of the tragic death of the SMM paramedic Joseph Stone on 23 April 2017. “This is a sad and stark reminder of the threats the SMM and other civilians continue to face in eastern Ukraine.”
Meetings of the OSCE Permanent Council will take place online until further notice.