1. The European Union warmly welcomes Ms Catherine Fearon to the Permanent
Council and thanks her for the report on the activities of the Conflict Prevention Centre.
2. The current challenging geopolitical context is marked by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine and its repercussions in the OSCE area and beyond. We welcome your support to the Support Programme for Ukraine, to which the EU and many Member States contribute significantly, and which provides highly valuable assistance in all three dimensions, enabling the OSCE to continue its long-standing engagement in Ukraine.
3. Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/11 on the Conflict Cycle, along with the instruments in the OSCE conflict prevention and conflict management toolbox, remain relevant. We recognise the important role of the CPC in this context and thank you for maintaining capacities on supporting dialogue, transparency, and risk reduction.
4. We underline the importance of strong and flexible field mission mandates reflecting the comprehensive concept of security and of ensuring that field missions are provided with the necessary financial resources to recruit and retain sufficient, qualified staff to fulfil their mandates. At the same time, and in accordance with its mandate, we welcome the CPC’s active engagement across the OSCE area, regardless of the presence of field operations.
5. We appreciate the operational and capacity-building support provided by the CPC’s Mediation Support Team to the formats dealing with crises and conflicts in the OSCE area. We particularly value the CPC’s continued support to the OSCE Mission to Moldova, the Special Representatives of the Chair, and its contribution to the work of the GID, regarding the protracted conflict in Georgia, despite significant budget constraints.
6. We applaud the CPC’s efforts to increase crisis preparedness by promoting and fostering technological innovation across the organisation. In this vein, we welcome the OSCE Geographic Information System (OGIS) pilot project and the information shared about it. We also welcome that the CPC has explored the potential of AI-driven technologies to enhance the OSCE’s analytical capacity. In this regard, we look forward to the results of your survey about the potential of AI in your work. We are also grateful for your continued work on the OSCE Toolbox Application, which facilitates access to and use of OSCE tools.
7. The EU particularly welcomes the CPC’s meaningful engagement with youth and women, and its leadership in implementing the Women, Peace and Security agenda across the OSCE area. We commend your efforts to continue empowering young people to engage in peace and security through the Scholarship for Peace and Security training programme. The record number of applications is a testimony to your work, and a promising sign of international interest in the OSCE. In this regard, your outreach activity – despite the absence of dedicated funds – is also highly appreciated, and we agree that a more systematic strategic communication would benefit the OSCE.
8. We support the activities related to Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and welcome the continuous implementation of assistance projects to reduce SALW proliferation and SCA risks, using a regional approach across the OSCE area, as well as the support provided to the Forum for Security Co-operation.
9. Your report provides a clear overview of the many tasks you are undertaking, as well as the financial difficulties you are facing. Despite the generated savings, we note with concern that there seem to be critical challenges in terms of mandate implementation. Could you elaborate on which areas are likely to be most affected by these budgetary constraints?
10.We underline that the CPC must be provided, through the Unified Budget, with the resources necessary to carry out its mandate effectively and efficiently, as we have a shared political and financial responsibility for the OSCE’s comprehensive conflict cycle toolbox.
11.We call for all necessary measures to secure the immediate release of the three OSCE officials, who remain arbitrarily detained by the Russian Federation. Their detention remains a grave injustice. Additionally, we reiterate our call on the Russian Federation to immediately return the misappropriated OSCE assets.
12.In conclusion, we would like to thank the CPC staff and the Director for their valuable work. We continue to fully support the CPC and wish you, Ms Fearon, and your dedicated staff every success in your future activities.
Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.