The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe,North America,and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control,the promotion of human rights,freedom of the press,and free and fair elections. It employs around 3,460 people,mostly in its field operations but also in its secretariat in Vienna,Austria,and its institutions. It has observer status at the United Nations.
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo is the officially mandated mission of the United Nations in Kosovo. The UNMIK describes its mandate as being to "help the United Nations Security Council achieve an overall objective,namely,to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo and advance regional stability in the Western Balkans."
Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir is an Icelandic politician from the Social Democratic Alliance who has served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (2007–2009) and leader of the Alliance (2005–2009). She served as representative of UN Women in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2014 and later in Turkey as designated Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia.
Ján Kubiš is a Slovak diplomat. He is a former minister of foreign affairs. He was appointed United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon in 2019 by António Guterres,the United Nations Secretary-General,and as head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya in January 2021.
William Graham Walker is a United States Foreign Service diplomat who served as the US ambassador to El Salvador and as the head of the Kosovo Verification Mission.
The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) is charged with identifying and seeking early resolution of ethnic tension that might endanger peace,stability or friendly relations between and within the participating states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI) is a multilateral regional initiative that has been initiated by the European Union,the United States of America and the countries of Southeast Europe within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as a support to the implementation of the Dayton Accords in December 1996 at the inaugural session at Geneva on the basis of Final Points of Common EU-USA Understanding.
Astrid Gunilla Margareta Thors was a Member of the Finnish Parliament 19 March 2003 –4 September 2013. A Finnish-Swedish politician,formerly of the Swedish People's Party,Thors is a Candidate of Law and held several senior jobs before becoming a Member of the European Parliament in 1996 where she worked until 2004. From 2005 to 2007 she chaired the Swedish Assembly of Finland.
Miroslav Lajčák is a Slovak politician and diplomat,former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. In addition,Lajčák also served as President of the United Nations General Assembly for the 72nd session from 2017 until 2018.
Janez Lenarčič is a Slovenian diplomat who has been serving as European Commissioner for Crisis Management in the Von der Leyen Commission since 2019. He is a former Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Natalia Gherman is a Moldovan politician who has been serving as executive director of the United Nations' Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate since 2023.
The Governance of Kosovo operates in the context of the disputed territory of Kosovo.
Ambassador Ersin Erçin is a senior Turkish diplomat,with an extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy particularly on matters of international,Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security,disarmament,and economic and environmental security.
Zef Mazi is an Albanian diplomat,ambassador,who has served as Albania's Chief Negotiator with the European Union during 2020-2022. He previously served as Special Assistant to the Director General for Strategy at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 2011 to 2018,where he has been in charge for Agency-wide strategy formulation,planning and implementation,as well as risk-management and knowledge management.
Adam Zbigniew Bugajski is a Polish civil servant who served as an permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Vienna (2015–2019).
Catherine M. Croft is a United States Department of State official who has served as a special advisor for Ukraine both in the State Department and on the United States National Security Council. Croft testified in closed-door hearings before the House Intelligence,Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees in October 2019.
Leena Al-Hadid is a Jordanian diplomat,ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Austria,the Czech Republic,Slovakia,Hungary,and Slovenia. She also serves as Jordan's permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations in Vienna. In 2018–2019,she was the elected chairperson of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors.
Vaqif Sadıqov is an Azerbaijani diplomat currently serving as Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union.
Rita Izsák-Ndiaye is an independent senior human rights expert and former Hungarian diplomat. She has worked on human,minority and youth rights in various NGOs,the Hungarian Government and with international organizations. She served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on minority issues between 2011 and 2017,as well as member and Rapporteur of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination between 2018-2022. In 2021 and 2022,she was the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Children and Security. As of autumn 2022,she is Senior Adviser on Anti-Racisam at UNDP.
Armenia–OSCE relations began when Armenia joined the OSCE's predecessor,the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE),on 30 January 1992. The CSCE transformed into the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) shortly afterwards in 1995.
