Mr. Chair,
Thank you to Director Maria Telalian and her team for this comprehensive report. We are grateful for your professionalism, integrity, and dedication in fulfilling ODIHR’s mandate. A mandate which remains more relevant than ever.
Upholding the breadth and depth of your mandate, whilst also prioritizing efficiency, is a challenging, but necessary act of balance. We welcome the steps you have taken to adapt and prepare while maintaining accountability as your compass and foundation. As we enter a phase where we all need to prioritize our efforts, we welcome ODIHR’s steps towards ensuring efficiency while safeguarding its mandate.
Your autonomy is your greatest asset. We must all cooperate, and at the same time ensure you have the power and ability to hold us to account.
Mr. Chair,
More than four years ago, Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine shattered peace on the European continent. As a result, instability, unpredictability and brutality are again forces undermining security- and prosperity- in our region.
Security based merely on force does not bring long-term stability. The comprehensive security concept encompasses a deeper wisdom of what is required to this end. This is why, against the backdrop of democratic backsliding, shrinking civil space, and increasing human rights violations in many parts of the OSCE are, ODIHR remains key to our future stability.
Mr. Chair,
Let me highlight three areas we see as particularly important today in ODIHR’s broad efforts to uphold rule of law and democracy in our region.
First, ODIHR’s human rights monitoring in Ukraine, which contributes to ensuring accountability for Russia’s violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
Second, election observation. We are encouraged that most states remain open to independent election observation based on ODIHR’s remarkable standard, and willing to receive advice on how to improve their electoral processes. Based partly on recommendations from ODIHR, Norway recently amended our constitution with regards to the election laws, including on adjudication of complaints and appeals. We appreciate the work ODIHR carried out ahead of and during the Norwegian parliamentary elections in September 2025 and look forward to the final report. It is regrettable that some participating States take decisions that undermine election observation, including issuing late invitations and withholding accreditation. Election observation is a shared commitment that strengthens transparency - an essential element of genuinely democratic elections.
Third, civil society. Their voices are the backbone of democracies. This is what our forefathers in Helsinki understood. We need not only the yearly platform in Warsaw– which we value, and which regret has not been mandated for so long – but a running dialogue across our three dimensions.
Mr. Chair,
As participating States, we share the responsibility to ensure that ODIHR has sufficient funding, staffing, and independence to fulfil its mandate.
Director Telalian, you have our full support, and we wish you and your entire team continued success in your important work.