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The Chairperson, Greece-European the United States of America, the Russian Federation, Albania, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkey, the Holy See, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, San Marino, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Armenia, Turkmenistan, the Secretary General, Mongolia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Australia (Partner for Co-operation) extended condolences to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia in connection with the recent flooding in those countries. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia thanked delegations for their expressions of condolences. Report by the Head of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Ambassador Sergei Kapinos. Report by the Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Dr. Pal Dunay. Permanent Council Decision No. 1123 on approval of the 2014 Unified Budget (Russian Federation, also on behalf of Belarus, interpretative statement 1; United States of America, interpretative statement 2; Armenia, interpretative statement 3; Canada, interpretative statement 4; Greece-European Union, interpretative statement 5). Ongoing violations of OSCE principles and commitments by the Russian Federation and the situation in Ukraine. Presidential elections in Ukraine, to be held on 25 May 2015. Election rights in the European Union. Human rights violations and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in Belarus. International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia, observed on 17 May 2014. Presidential elections in Afghanistan, held on 5 April 2014. Report on the activities of the Chairperson-in-Office. Bicentenary of Norway’s Constitution, observed on 17 May 2014.

Agenda of the meeting. Annex- Statement by the Delegation of Russian Federation.

Gender-sensitive labour migration workshop, Valletta, Malta, 7-9 October 2015

Prior to taking up the agenda, the Chairperson, on behalf of the Permanent Council, expressed condolences to the Russian Federation in connection with the recent floods in Krasnodar, Russian Federation, and a bus crash that occurred in Ukraine on 7 July 2012. Prior to taking up the agenda on Monday, 16 July 2012, the Chairperson, on behalf of the Permanent Council, welcomed the new Permanent Representative of Germany to the OSCE, Ambassador Rüdiger Lüdeking. Report by the High Commissioner on National Minorities, Ambassador Knut Vollebaek. Financial Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2011 and the Report of the External Auditor. Annual Report of the Audit Committee. Permanent Council Decision No. 1043 on the Financial Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2011 and the Report of the External Auditor. “Presidential elections” in Nagorno-Karabakh, to be held on 19 July 2012. Human rights and fundamental freedoms in Belarus. Investigations into hate crimes in Germany. Death penalty in the United States of America. Draft amendments to legislation on NGOs in the Russian Federation. Seventeenth anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Parliamentary elections in Georgia, to be held in October 2012. Report on the activities of the Chairperson-in-Office. Parliamentary elections in Belarus, to be held on 23 September 2012. Global Counterterrorism Forum – High-Level Conference on Victims of Terrorism, held in Madrid on 9 and 10 July 2012 (Spain, Annex). Resolution on the promotion, protection and enjoyment of human rights on the Internet, adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council at its twentieth session, held on 5 July 2012.

April- June 2016

Agenda of the meeting

Scales of Contributions for 2011 (interpretative statements by the Delegation of the United States and by the Delegation of the Russian Federation attached)

Recent developments in Georgia. Visit of the President of Turkey to Armenia. Visit of the Secretary General to Afghanistan. Summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Moscow. Parliamentary elections in Canada.

The Draft Amendments propose changes to constitutional provisions on the status of international human rights treaties and their position in the hierarchy of norms, the separation of powers, the dismissal of members of Cabinet, the manner of appointing/dismissing heads of local state administration, the independence of the judiciary and of judges as well as the roles of the Supreme Court, and of the Constitutional Chamber, among others. The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission note that the proposed amendments to the Constitution may negatively impact the balance of powers by strengthening the powers of the executive, while weakening both the parliament and, to a greater extent, the judiciary. In particular, although the Constitutional Chamber is retained as such, the Draft Amendments would seriously affect its institutional status and role as an effective organ of judicial constitutional review. Moreover, some of the proposed amendments raise concerns with regard to key democratic principles, in particular the rule of law, the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, and have the potential to encroach on certain human rights and fundamental freedoms.