Joint Statement on the need to advance the implementation of OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/11 on “Elements of the Conflict Cycle” in view of its upcoming 10th anniversary
Joint Statement on the need to advance the implementation of
OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/11 on “Elements of the Conflict Cycle”
in view of its upcoming 10th anniversary
Delivered by the Permanent Representative of Lithuania,
also on behalf of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Georgia,
the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom
and the United States of America
2020 Annual Security Review Conference
Working session IV: The OSCE’s role in early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management, conflict resolution, and post conflict rehabilitation – lessons learned and the way ahead
25 June 2020
In 2011, in Vilnius, the OSCE participating States adopted the Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/11 on “Elements of the Conflict Cycle”, a milestone in our Organization’s ability to prevent and respond to conflicts in the OSCE region.
Its 10th anniversary, next year, provides an opportunity to take stock of the work done, assess the way the OSCE participating States addressed all phases of the conflict cycle, look into how the autonomous institutions and executive structures advanced their respective mandates, identify remaining obstacles to its full implementation, and to discuss and agree best ways to overcome them. We support the Albanian Chair's priority to make a difference on the ground and to strengthen the OSCE's capacities to contribute to positive change in conflict and post-conflict scenarios.
The anniversary year should also inspire a reflection process on how to better use all available instruments to more effectively respond to conflicts in the OSCE region, recalling that the OSCE, as primary organization for the peaceful settlement of disputes within its region, is a key instrument for early warning, conflict prevention and resolution, crisis management, and post- conflict rehabilitation. The OSCE's comprehensive approach to security, convening power, and conflict cycle toolbox are among the strengths of this Organization.
We acknowledge the many steps that have been taken in certain areas, as reflected in previous reports prepared by the OSCE Secretary General on the progress made to the Permanent Council, as well as the efforts deployed by successive OSCE Chairmanships-in-Office to further strengthen OSCE´s capabilities and capacities across the conflict cycle.
We also welcome the tireless work of the autonomous institutions, based on their strong and independent mandates and their ability to make a difference on the ground. We encourage efforts to further explore the role of the OSCE in fostering long-term conflict prevention through the strengthening of human rights and fundamental freedoms, good governance, institutions and the rule of law. We look forward to continuing the dialogue on this topic at the Conflict Cycle Seminar on 11 September, organized by the Albanian Chair and the OSCE CPC.
At the same time, it is noteworthy that the political will to prevent and resolve conflicts and implement the tasks assigned in the MC Decision No. 3/11 ultimately rests with the participating States.
More needs to be done by participating States to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the MC Decision No. 3/11. In this respect, we draw attention to paragraph 17 of this Decision, which “calls for increased efforts to resolve existing conflicts in the OSCE area in a peaceful and negotiated manner, within agreed formats, fully respecting the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act and international Law”.
It is a matter of serious concern that, despite the pledge by participating States in 2011 “to resolve existing conflicts in a peaceful and negotiated manner, within agreed formats, and to prevent new crisis, as well as to refrain from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations or with the ten Principles of the Helsinki Final Act ”, over the past 10 years, none of the conflicts, that existed in 2011 have been resolved, and new conflicts have emerged. The persistence of an ongoing, hot conflict in the OSCE area demonstrates that we still have more work to do and lessons to learn about the conflict cycle. These conflicts further undermine our national and collective security, stability, confidence, as well as the life of local populations.
Moreover, the increasingly uncertain security environment we are confronted with today is now further tested by the unprecedented challenges posed by the current global health crisis.
To address the challenges at hand, it is of utmost importance to advance the implementation of our commitments founded on our approach to comprehensive security. We believe it is important to keep a special focus on early warning and prevention, as well as on resolution of conflicts, at the very center of the OSCE´s agenda; and adapt our conflict cycle toolbox accordingly.
In this respect, we encourage the OSCE Secretary General to prepare a revised and updated version of the document ‘Consolidated updates on the implementation of MC Decision No. 3/11’ of 6 September 2016 and submit it, as well as suggestions to better implement this mandate, for consideration to participating States in Autumn 2020.
MC Decision No. 3/11 reaffirms the ‘significant role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building.’ We would like to stress the importance of the full implementation of UNSCR 1325, and the contribution that the meaningful participation of women makes to achieving more sustainable peace. We request that progress on gender mainstreaming is included in the consolidated updates and that the OSCE Secretary General draws on the document ‘Inclusion of Women in Peace Processes: a toolkit’ when making suggestions for better implementation of MC Decision No. 3/11, with the aim of achieving the full and meaningful participation of women in peace processes in the OSCE.
As the principles, commitments, and objectives set in the MC Decision No. 3/11 remain fully valid, and taking into full account of the lessons learnt over the past 10 years, we call on participating States to promote its active implementation by OSCE structures, including the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, as well as OSCE participating States. We would also like to examine ways to build on this Decision and examine new areas for consideration such as crisis management, mediation and the role of technology, women, peace and security, inter alia.
Our intention is to start regular discussions on topics related to the conflict cycle and therefore ensure a more prominent place for this issue on the OSCE agenda. Our ambition is for participating States to renew our commitment to more effective implementation of the elements of the conflict cycle, enhance the OSCE’s capabilities in early warning, early action, dialogue facilitation and mediation support, and post-conflict rehabilitation and thus increase our Organization’s overall relevance and impact. We should identify opportunities to use technology to enable virtual participation in conflict cycle discussions from a broad range of stakeholders, to include women and frequently under-represented voices.
