OSCE Secretary General meets Netherlands Foreign Minister Koenders and addresses climate change challenges at Hague Conference

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier visited The Hague from 2 to 3 November 2015, where he addressed the Planetary Security Conference on ‘Peace and Cooperation in Times of Climate Change and Global Environmental Challenges’ organized by the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Zannier underlined the importance of climate change and global environmental challenges. “Climate change is a long term challenge for humanity. It may become an existential threat for life on the planet and we have to take it seriously. We must anticipate problems and address it now.” >> Video Interview with Secretary General.

Zannier met Netherlands Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders, the members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Dutch Parliamentary Delegation to the OSCE, as well as representatives of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). During his visit, he also had an informal exchange with experts from the Netherlands Institute on Foreign Relations Clingendael, the Clingendael International Energy Programme, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and the Asser Institute. 

Zannier also visited the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and gave a lecture to students at Leiden University on “The OSCE, a bridge between East and West and a platform for dialogue on European security”.