Closer co-ordination between international organizations beneficial, Council of Europe Secretary General tells OSCE

VIENNA, 24 April 2008 - Co-operation between the Council of Europe and the OSCE is good and getting better, but like other international organizations, the two could benefit from more specialization, Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis told the OSCE Permanent Council today.

"We are expected to do more and more while the money is in even and ever shorter supply. We are all facing budgetary difficulties, and we are also accountable to the taxpayer for every penny we spend," he said. "Close co-ordination between different international institutions is a part of this accountability.

"A bit more specialization could help us all to do more, to do it better and to do it for less money."

Davis said the Council of Europe had a very high opinion of the OSCE's experience in election observation and other field operations and noted that OSCE field presences and institutions often work jointly with the Council.

"I think that close co-operation with their Council of Europe counterparts and especially reliance on Council of Europe legally binding instruments in their field of work can only reinforce the effectiveness and the impact of their efforts," he said.

The OSCE and the Council of Europe co-operate in the four priority areas of fighting terrorism, combating human trafficking, promoting tolerance and non-discrimination as well as respect for the rights of national minorities. Other fields of co-operation include election observation, legislation reform, Roma and Sinti issues, human rights, democratization and local government.

The Permanent Council is an OSCE decision-making body that meets once a week in Vienna.