Dr. Alice Ackermann OSCE/Conflict Prevention Centre, Vienna

1. Dr. Alice Ackermann OSCE/Conflict Prevention Centre, Vienna

2. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS

3. The OSCE is... • A regional security arrangement • broad membership - 56 participating States • norms and value-based organization • comprehensive and co-operative Security - three dimensions of security • political decisions, not legally binding • consensus - equal sovereign states • extensive field presence - 19 operations in 17 countries

4. 56 participating States… …from Vancouver to Vladivostok 4

5. OSCE Field Activities MISSIONS Other OSCE Field ACTIVITIES IS Office in Minsk Astana Bishkek Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan FI SD mission RUS NW Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine ES The Conflict in the Area Dealt by the OSCE Minsk Conference DK LV KAZ IR LI UK Georgia NL BL KGZ PL B D Vienna L F UKR CZ TAD SK UZB MO CH A H RO SL I BH TKM CR GEO P AZ E SER BUL AR MON Zagreb ALB TUR Ashgabad GRE Bosnia and Herzegovina Baku Yerevan Dushanbe Montenegro Moldova Revised July 2006 Serbia The boundaries and names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the OSCE Kosovo Albania Skopje

6. Major OSCE Focus • One of the major focus of the OSCE is: • early warning • conflict prevention • crisis management • post-conflict rehabilitation

7. Post-conflict rehabilitation Conflict prevention Crisis management • Addressing the conflict cycle Early warning

8. ADDRESSING A WIDE-RANGE OF POLITICAL AND SECURITY-RELATED CONCERNS • Arms Control • Confidence-building Measures • Human Rights • National Minorities • Democratization • Rule of Law • Civil Society Development • Border Management and Security • Anti-Trafficking • Police Training • Tolerance Building • Counter-Terrorism • Economic and Environmental Issues

9. Types of Crisis/Conflict Situations Addressed by OSCE • Political Crises • Protracted Conflicts • Crisis Situations in the context of post-conflict reconstruction • Other security challenges (e.g. violent extremism; trafficking)

10. A Unique Toolbox for Crisis/Conflict Management • Long-standing history of crisis/conflict management activities • Structures and Mechanisms • Political Dialogue and Good Offices (CiO, Personal/Special Envoys, SG, D/CPC; Permanent Council) • Support for political negotiations • Institutions (e.g. HCNM; RFOM; ODIHR; OSCE Parliamentary Assembly) • Field Operations • Special body of “Existing OSCE Mechanisms and Procedures “ • Co-operation with other Actors

11. Co-operation with the European Union • OSCE-EU co-operation well- developed—”natural born partners” (Solana) • Almost half of OSCE participating States are EU members • EU covers more than 70% of OSCE’s core budget • OSCE and EU share well-established and extensive mechanisms for co-operation • HQ level-Staff meetings; • Ambassadorial and Ministerial EU-OSCE Troika meetings; • Field level: European Commission delegations; EU Special Representatives; co-operation on project level activities; • ENP: continues to provide opportunity to bring EU-OSCE closer together in a number of regions (Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus)

12. The OSCE’s Perspective on ENP and its Crisis Management/Conflict Management Capabilities

13. ENP as Efficient Tool for Conflict Management from OSCE Perspective • In general, from OSCE perspective ENP functions as efficient tool for conflict/crisis management as well as conflict prevention • In particular, ENP seen as a much needed tool that complements existing OSCE efforts • Complementarities: • ENP is complementary to the OSCE’s broader efforts in addressing all three dimensions of security • ENP focus is similar to that of the OSCE: stability, promoting and supporting long-term reform processes, addressing security-related problems • Democratization and consolidation of democratic gains • Rule of Law • Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms • Economic Development and Reforms • Enhancing Border management and security • Fighting illicit trafficking (drugs, human beings) • Complementarity takes place mostly on level of OSCE field presences  ENP provides a link between OSCE-EU on field level

14. ENP Commitment to Support Peaceful Resolution of Conflicts • From OSCE perspective, ENP commitment to support peaceful resolution of conflicts important • ENP Action Plans for Armenia and for Moldova, for example, entail support to the settlement and peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the Transniestria conflicts • ENP allows EU to increase its political support to OSCE-established and OSCE-led conflict settlement frameworks (e.g. Minsk Group and the 5+2) • ENP can provide a potential economic boost and might be used as an important leverage/carrot for advancements in negotiations • ENP can contribute also to the people-to-people level to the peaceful resolution of conflicts (e.g. 2007 visit of a delegation of Armenian and Azerbaijan intellectuals to each others capitals)

15. Recognizing and Managing the Limitations • ENP is excellent example for the enhancement of EU-OSCE co-operation • There are some limits as to ENP’s crisis management efforts • ENP focuses on long-term reform • ENP allows for less engagement in immediate crisis management • ENP allows for less engagement in managing re-occurring crisis situations • OSCE-EU face similar limitations when it comes to resolve crisis and conflict situations, particularly in the case of protracted conflicts-> Need for political will on part of political leaders • Prevention, management, and resolution of crisis and conflict situations need to be viewed from a long-term view—not processes that yield instant results but require sustained commitment