A report from our visit to the OSCE of March 17, 2025

On 17th March 2025 a group of young professionals and enthusiasts passionate about international diplomacy and public policymaking, visited the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as part of the event, organized by the International Community NGO. The visit provided an in-depth look into the OSCE’s essential role in strengthening international dialogue and addressing global challenges, with particular emphasis on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The day began with a presentation on the OSCE work and history, led by Florence Le Clezio, Senior Media Assistant of the OSCE, who provided a comprehensive overview of the Permanent Council’s responsibilities, highlighting its function as a platform for dialogue and decision-making among the OSCE’s 57 participating states. The Permanent Council meets weekly to address security, economic, environmental, and human rights issues, operating through a consensus-based approach that ensures that all states have equal voice.

The OSCE’s work encompasses economic and environmental security, electoral security, democratic governance, military security, as well as cultural heritage protection and human rights. Besides, environmental security is closely linked to Europe’s overall security, as evidenced by the dam explosion in the Ukrainian city of Kakhovka in 2023, which caused environmental destruction and loss of human lives. An example of the OSCE mission in environmental security was the transportation of twenty tons of obsolete Soviet-era pesticides from Transnistria during the final phase of a multi-year project, undertaken with the OSCE’s financial and technical support.

The Forum aims at increasing military security and stability in Europe and covers some of the most fundamental politico-military agreements of the OSCE participating States. It helps to implement landmark confidence and security-building measures to regulate the exchange of military information and mutual verification between states, as well as the Code of Conduct, a key document ensuring the democratic control of security forces.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the OSCE supported Ukraine through humanitarian aid and helped in the prevention of illegal trafficking of weapons, ammunition and explosives. For example, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department held a two-week training course for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) in Poland.

Human trafficking is one of the main problems, especially in the context of military conflicts. The OSCE provides regular pieces of training in Italy including psychological work with victims, who were kidnapped and illegally taken abroad and, then, are likely to be misidentified as criminals. That is just an example that highlights the complexity of human trafficking cases and underlines the necessity of a strong criminal justice system to punish the traffickers instead of the victims. This innovative program involved simulated crime scenes, equipping participants with the skills needed to investigate and combat human crimes effectively.

An example of electoral security was the monitoring of the voting process in Kosovo. In 2024, the OSCE Mission provided electoral stakeholders in Kosovo with technical expertise, advice, and support. It also assisted the Assembly of Kosovo in implementing the electoral legal reform process.

After a short coffee break, the meeting continued with an insightful overview of the OSCE approach to economic and environmental security provided by Letizia Zuliani, Assistant Project Officer, Anja Stanisavljevic, Junior Professional Officer and Johan Boelts, Economic connectivity Officer.

Even though the distinguished speakers work in different areas, namely connectivity, water management and energy, they highlighted the interconnection between the three sectors as they all aim at addressing security challenges and threats to security.

Mr J.Boelts pointed out the importance of connectivity among economies to strengthen stability and security within the OSCE area. He also walked all the participants through an overview of the main ongoing activities and programs led by the organization including training courses for police and customs officers to tackle corruption and illegal trafficking activities Letizia Zuliani focused on the critical role of water in ensuring the security of local communities and the importance of women in water management in Central Asia. Namely, she provided a comprehensive overview of transboundary water resources and how they affect local communities.

Indeed, Women are often underrepresented in transboundary water management, especially at higher levels of decision-making. Though the importance of including women in water management structures is beginning to receive increased recognition internationally, laws and organizations rarely reflect a gendered approach. Given all this, in 2021 the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) launched a Mentoring and Career Development Program for some water professionals in partnership with the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) and the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). Each month twenty women meet experts and mentors to discuss challenges that women face in the water sector and to take part in capacity-building activities.

Then, Anja Stanisavijevic lectured us on the impact of energy and its resources on global security in the light of climate change.

The session, enriched with Q&A, provided the attendees with an engaging and valuable glimpse into the OSCE’s activities and challenges offering all the participants new perspectives and insights on a fast-paced world marked by a high level of unpredictability.

The meeting ended with a survey where all the participants were asked to answer questions on the main topics covered during the meeting, to sum up everything we had been discussing. Then, all the attendees received gadgets from OSCE, including brochures detailing upcoming initiatives such as Advancing a Just Energy Transition in Central Asia focused on women’s key role in the energy sector; Drops of the Future and Igniting Innovation in Young Entrepreneurs.

In conclusion, the whole visit was very impactful and inspiring to all the International Community’s delegation members. From speaking to experts, interacting with OSCE officers and delving into the complexity of the polarized geopolitical context, everyone was enthusiastic about the OSCE’s commitment to creating a safer space for different countries to cooperate.

Authors: Yelyzaveta Kutsevliak and Costanza Allegri