Other partners

The Office of the OSCE Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities maintains links with several international financial institutions and economic organizations. An important OSCE decision underpinning these relationships is the OSCE Strategy Document for the Economic and Environmental Dimension, adopted in 2003 at the Eleventh Meeting of the Ministerial Council in Maastricht. The Strategy Documents calls for a reinforced co-operation with a broad array of partner organizations working in related fields, including:

• the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe;
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;
• International Organization for Migration;
• UN Development Programme;
• UN Environment Programme;
• World Bank;
• World Trade Organization;
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development;
• International Monetary Fund; and the
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

The OSCE co-operates closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the fight against trafficking in human beings in South Caucasus and South-Eastern Europe. With the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, IOM has focused on assisting OSCE participating States in developing common approaches to migration policies.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is also an important partner of the OSCE and, together with IOM, a regular participant in the annual Tripartite process between the UN, Council of Europe and OSCE.

The ICRC has been closely associated with the work on the OSCE Handbook of Best Practices on Small Arms and Light Weapons. The two organizations also often interact in the field on a variety of issues, in particular in South Caucasus and South-Eastern Europe.

As a regional organization under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations, the OSCE serves as a forum for co-operation with regional and sub-regional organizations and initiatives in the OSCE area. This role was laid down by participating States in the 1999 Charter for European Security and reiterated in the 2003 Maastricht Strategy. The 1999 Charter states that "sub-regional co-operation has become an important element in enhancing security across the OSCE area". The interaction with such bodies includes:

• the Central European Initiative;
• Commonwealth of Independent States;
• Council of the Baltic Sea States;
• Collective Security Treaty Organization;
• GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova);
• Organization of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation;
• Southeast European Law Enforcement Center; and the
• South-Eastern European Co-operation Process.