Fields of work

Economic activities

Inequality, unemployment, poverty and weak governance are some of the economic factors that have the potential to turn into security threats in or between states. The OSCE is engaged in a variety of activities in this field to counter this threat.

Factsheet

Factsheet of the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities

20 February 2012

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Many factors can affect security and stability, often across borders, population segments or the OSCE’s three dimensions.

Economic and social disparities, in the OSCE participating States and beyond, often go hand-in-hand with a lack of the rule of law, weak governance and corruption, and can be corollaries and contributors to such security threats as organized crime, trafficking, money laundering or even violent extremism. On the other hand, sustainable economic growth and development lead to rising standards of living, an improved quality of life and a more efficient use of economic resources, all of which help strengthen security and stability.

[…] to give political stimulus to the dialogue on the transition to and development of free-market economies as an essential contribution to the building of democracy, to suggest practical efforts for the development of free-market systems and economic co-operation […]

Mandate of the Economic Forum, 1992

Building on our comprehensive and co-operative approach to security, we work on strategies to tackle the issue head-on.

Supporting the participating States with the implementation of their commitments, we provide assistance in four main areas: good governance and anti-corruption; anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism; facilitating transport, trade and border-crossing; and labour migration. Important elements of these work areas are, for example, our activities in the field of promoting connectivity among States, including through paperless trade and e-commerce solutions; support for the introduction of digital tools and platforms to present, analyse and monitor open data; and introducing smart port technologies to facilitate trade and sustainable connectivity.

Our institutions, field operations and offices bring to the task expert skills and knowledge to develop tailor-made solutions for each challenge.

Our institutions and offices

The Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities takes the lead on the OSCE’s initiatives on both of these issues. The Co-ordinator’s Office works closely with the Chairpersonship and under the guidance of the Economic and Environmental Committee, a subsidiary body of the Permanent Council. Every year, it organizes the Economic and Environmental Forum and holds an implementation meeting to assess the progress made regarding the implementation of economic and environmental commitments by the OSCE States.

Aerial drone view of Dnieper and Dniester river near Kyiv

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Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities

This OSCE Office addresses security-related economic and environmental issues

Our operations on the ground

Several OSCE field operations also work on economic issues, helping improve investment and economic development conditions, assisting national economic reform processes, supporting cross-border trade, and stimulating rural economies, among other issues.