On 1 August, landmark Helsinki Final Act turns 25

VIENNA, 27 July 2000 - On 1 August 1975, Heads of State or Government of 35 nations from Europe, Canada and the United States signed the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe Final Act, which set in motion a powerful process and significantly contributed to the collapse of the totalitarian regimes and the end of the division of Europe.

The Helsinki Final Act, as it was better known, was considered a breakthrough in East-West relations, lessening tensions and building co-operation. The process involved military talks, leading to greater trust between the two adversarial blocs, and was matched by efforts at co-operation on economic, environmental and scientific matters. Probably the most significant provision of the Final Act was outlined in "Basket III" on human rights, which provided inspiration and encouragement to human rights movements in their struggle for fundamental freedoms.

Following the dramatic collapse of Communism, the CSCE was handed a challenging role at the landmark Paris Summit of 1990 - that of steering the direction of the new Europe "whole and free". However, despite considerable progress toward compliance with the Helsinki principles, the emergence of devastating armed conflicts and the slow progress in many countries in adopting democratic practices soon dampened the optimism of the Paris Summit. Renamed the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1994, the now 55 participating States redirected and strengthened the Organization to face the new realities of Europe.

As a regional arrangement under the United Nations Charter, the OSCE today serves as the primary instrument in its area for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.