Suchergebnisse

AbstractTwenty years after the 1992 Helsinki Document — Challenges of Change, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) agreed at the 2011 Ministerial Council in Vilnius, Lithuania, on a decision intended to strengthen the OSCE's capacities in early warning, early action, dialogue facilitation and mediation-support as well as post-conflict rehabilitation. MC Decision 3/11 is an important one, in particular, as OSCE participating States were required to revisit the Organization's approach to conflict prevention and resolution over the last three years. The outcome was been an impressive document that demands the implementation of concrete action toward the creation of a systematic early warning and mediation-support capacity and the enhancement of early response to emerging crisis and conflict situations.

Before exploring more specifically the role of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and that of its High Commissioner particularly within the context of a well-documented case study, that of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, this chapter will first take a closer look at the concept of conflict prevention and the historical background of its emergence as a political concept in international relations. The chapter will also briefly delineate the role of the High Commissioner in general, and then more specifically in the case of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. ; peer-reviewed

AbstractAlthough the engagement of the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) with Afghanistan, as an OSCE Asian Partner for Co-operation, is not a new effort, a more structured and focused approach was initiated by the participating States at the Madrid OSCE Ministerial Council in November 2007 and its Decision No. 4/07 (MC Decision No. 4/07). The Ministerial Council Decision identifies the need for OSCE support in three major areas: border security and management, and policing and combating trafficking, with such activities complementing already other national and international efforts. Since then, the implementation of MC Decision No. 4/07 has put OSCE efforts towards Afghanistan on a more systematic basis. With a programme of activities that includes 16 projects, and that aims at the strengthening of border security and management, the facilitation of cross-border co-operation and the enhancement of national law enforcement capacities, the OSCE is well-positioned to strengthen its engagement with Afghanistan. In particular, it can draw on substantial expertise within its existing channels, including its field operations in Central Asia. Although OSCE engagement with Afghanistan remains a challenging task, in particular given the financial constraints of the Organization, the OSCE can continue to build on the solid interaction already established within the Partnership for Co-operation framework.