Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

From Academic Kids Online Encyclopedia

For other uses, see OSCE (disambiguation).

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. In its region it is concerned with early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation. It has 55 participating states from Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America.

Contents

1 Institutions

2 History

2.1 Structural History
2.2 Fiscal History
2.3 Participating States

3 See also

4 External links

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Institutions

The decision making bodies of the organization are the Summit, Ministerial Council and Senior Council, with the Permanent Council the regular decision-making body, under the leadership of the Chairman-in-Office (CiO), who holds the position for one year. For 2005, the CiO is the Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.

The office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, established in December 1997, acts as a watchdog to provide early warning on violations of freedom of expression in OSCE member states. The Representative also assists member states by advocating and promoting full compliance with OSCE principles and commitments regarding freedom of expression and free media.

The OSCE headquarters are located in Vienna, Austria. The Organization also has offices in Copenhagen, Geneva, The Hague, Prague and Warsaw.

The OSCE employs close to 440 persons in its various Institutions. In the field, the Organization has about 750 international and 2,370 local staff.

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History

The organization was established in 1973 as the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). Talks had been mooted about a European security grouping since the 1950s but the Cold War prevented any substantial progress until the talks at Dipoli in Helsinki began in November 1972. These talks were held at the suggestion of the Soviet Union which wished to use the talks to maintain its control over the communist countries in Eastern Europe. Western Europe, however, saw these talks as a way to reduce the tension in the region, furthering economic cooperation and obtaining humanitarian improvements for the populations of the Communist Bloc.

The recommendations of the talks, "The Blue Book", gave the practical foundations for a three-stage conference, the Helsinki process. The CSCE opened in Helsinki on July 3, 1973 with 35 states sending representatives. Stage I only took five days to agree to follow the Blue Book. Stage II was the main working phase and was conducted in Geneva from September 18, 1973 until July 21, 1975. the result of Stage II was the Helsinki Final Act which was signed by the 35 particpating nations during Stage III, which took place in Helsinki from July 30 to August 1, 1975.

The concepts of improving relations and implementing the Act were developed over a series of follow-up meeting, with major gatherings in Belgrade (October 4, 1977 - March 8, 1978), Madrid (November 11, 1980 - September 9, 1983), and Vienna (November 4, 1986 - January 19, 1989).

The collapse of Communism required a change of role for the CSCE. The Paris Charter for a New Europe which was signed on November 21, 1990 marked the beginning of this change. With the changes capped by the re-naming of the CSCE to the OSCE on January 1, 1995, accordingly to the results of the conference held in Budapest, in 1994.

In Istanbul on November 19, 1999, the OSCE ended a two-day summit by calling for a political settlement in Chechnya and adopting a Charter for European Security.

A 43-member OSCE team helped oversee the October 9, 2004 presidential election in Afghanistan.

After a group of 13 democratic US senators petitioned Secretary of State Colin Powell to have foreign election monitors oversee the 2004 US presidential election, the State Department acquiesced, and President Bush invited the OSCE to do so. [1] (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1187060/posts)

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Structural History

The Chairman in Office for -

2005: Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel
2004: Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister Solomon Passy
2003: Netherlands Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

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Fiscal History

Budget (in Millions of Euros, not adjusted for inflation) for -

2005: ?
2004: 180.8
2003: 165.5
2002: 167.5
2001: 194.5
2000: 202.7
1999: 146.1
1998: 118.7
1997: 43.3
1996: 34.9
1995: 18.9
1994: 21
1993: 12

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Participating States

State	Admission	Signed the Helsinki Final Act	Signed the Charter of Paris
Missing image Albania_flag_large.png Albania Albania	1991 19 June	1991 16 September	1991 17 September
Andorra	1996 25 April	1999 10 November	1998 17 February
Armenia	1992 30 January	1992 8 July	1992 17 April
Austria	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Azerbaijan	1992 30 January	1992 8 July	1993 20 December
Missing image Flag_of_Belarus.png Belarus Belarus	1992 30 January	1992 26 February	1993 8 April
Belgium	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Bosnia and Herzegovina	1992 30 April	1992 8 July
Bulgaria	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Canada	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Croatia	1992 24 March	1992 8 July
Cyprus	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Czech Republic	1993 1 January
Denmark	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Flag_of_Estonia.png Estonia Estonia	1991 10 September	1992 14 October	1991 6 December
Missing image Finland_flag_large.png Finland Finland	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
France	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Flag_of_Georgia.png Georgia Georgia	1992 24 March	1992 8 July	1994 21 January
Missing image Germany_flag_300.png Germany Germany	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Greece	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Flag_of_Vatican_City.png Holy See Holy See	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Hungary	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Iceland	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Ireland	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Flag_of_Italy.png Italy Italy	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Flag_of_Kazakhstan.png Kazakhstan Kazakhstan	1992 30 January	1992 8 July	1992 23 September
Kyrgyzstan	1992 30 January	1992 8 July	1994 3 June
Missing image Latvia_flag_large.png Latvia Latvia	1991 10 September	1991 14 October	1991 6 December
Liechtenstein	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Lithuania	1991 10 September	1991 14 October	1991 6 December
Luxembourg	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Malta_flag_large.png Malta Malta	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Moldova_flag_large.png Moldova Moldova	1992 30 January	1992 26 February	1993 29 January
Monaco	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Netherlands	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Norway	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Poland	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Portugal_flag_large.png Portugal Portugal	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Romania	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Russia	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
San Marino	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Flag_of_Serbia_and_Montenegro.png Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro	2000 10 November
Slovakia	1993 1 January
Slovenia	1992 24 March	1992 8 July	1993 8 March
Spain	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Sweden	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Switzerland_flag_large.png Switzerland Switzerland	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Tajikistan_flag_large.png Tajikistan Tajikistan	1992 30 January	1992 26 February
Missing image Flag_of_Macedonia.png Republic of Macedonia Macedonia	1995 12 October
Turkey	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Turkmenistan	1992 30 January	1992 8 July
Ukraine	1992 30 January	1992 26 February	1992 16 June
United Kingdom	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Flag_of_the_United_States.png United States United States	1973 25 June	1975 1 August	1990 21 November
Missing image Flag_of_Uzbekistan.png Uzbekistan Uzbekistan	1992 30 January	1992 26 February	1993 27 October

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External links

OSCE (http://www.osce.org/) official website
Open Directory Project - OSCE (http://dmoz.org/Society/Government/Multilateral/Regional/Organization_for_Security_and_Cooperation_in_Europe/) directory category
OSCEWatch (http://www.oscewatch.org)
ODIHR (http://www.osce.org/odihr) OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (http://www.osce.org/fom)cs:Organizace pro bezpečnost a spolupráci v Evropě