Organizational structure

OSCE Summits are periodic meetings of Heads of State or Government. They represent the highest decision-making body of the Organization and are events at which the participating States set priorities and provide orientation for several years.

Outside of summit years, the primary OSCE decision-making body is the Ministerial Council (MC). It is composed of the ministers of foreign affairs of the Organization's participating States and meets, as a rule, once a year.

The Permanent Council (PC) is the principal regular decision-making body of the OSCE and meets weekly in Vienna, Austria for regular political consultations and for governing the Organization's day-to-day operational work. 

The work of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) focuses on politico-military security aspects within the OSCE region. At the weekly Forum meetings in Vienna, the States discuss security issues to achieve greater openness and transparency and the strengthening of military security and stability.

The OSCE has 57 participating States from Europe, Central Asia and North America. They committed themselves to abide by fundamental principles guiding the relationship between them, as well as by democratic principles and the rule of law. Each year, one participating State takes over the annually rotating Chairpersonship and provides the OSCE with overall political and strategic direction.

The foreign minister of the participating State in the OSCE Chair acts as the Organization's Chairperson-in-Office, providing political leadership, external representation and overall responsibility for the OSCE's activities. 

The Chairperson-in-Office (CiO) is assisted by the outgoing and the incoming Chair, who together form the OSCE Troika.

The Chairperson-in-Office Representatives are tasked by the Chair to work on preventing and managing conflicts and to ensure co-ordination in specific areas, such as gender and youth issues, and to promote tolerance and non-discrimination. The OSCE Secretary General is the Chairperson's highest representative.

Secretary General and Secretariat

Elected to a three-year term by the Ministertal Council, the Secretary General (SG) heads the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna, acting under the guidance of the Chairperson-in-Office.

The Secretariat assists the Chairpersonship in its activities and provides operational and administrative support to field operations and, as appropriate, to the specialized OSCE institutions.

Field operations

OSCE field operations assist host countries in putting their OSCE commitments into practice and building local capacities through concrete projects that respond to their respective needs. They enable the OSCE to tackle crises as they arise, and in many areas play a critical post-conflict role, helping to restore trust among affected communities.

OSCE institutions

The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), based in Warsaw, Poland, promotes democratic elections, respect for human rights, the rule of law, tolerance and non-discrimination, and the rights of Roma and Sinti communities. 

The Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), working out of Vienna, observes media developments in all participating States and provides early warning on violations of free expression and media freedom.

The High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), operating from The Hague, works to provide early warning and take appropriate early action to prevent ethnic tensions from developing into conflict.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) works to facilitate inter-parliamentary dialogue, an important aspect of the overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy.

The Court of Conciliation and Arbitration (CCA), which is based in Geneva, provides a mechanism for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States. This mechanism can be activated unilaterally by any State party to the Convention for a dispute between it and other State parties.