Official OSCE Web Site

Slovenian OSCE Chairmanship 2005

OSCE Annual Report 2005

1

3th OSCE Ministerial Council,

Ljubljana, 5-6.12.2005

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with 55 participating States, is the largest regional international organisation. The OSCE is a primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction and crisis management in the region.

Ensuring security by the OSCE is based on cooperation and a holistic approach to the problems that it faces. Priority activities of the OSCE are:

a) strengthening common values of the participating States and building democratic societies based on the rule of law;

b) prevention of local conflicts, and stabilization and establishment peace in conflict areas;

c) facing security threats and preventing new political, economic and social differences.

The OSCE's fundamental document is the Helsinki Final Act, which defines commitments in politico-military, economic-environmental and humanitarian areas.

The main tasks of the Organization are: confidence and security-building measures, early warning, preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, post-conflict reconstruction, protection of human rights, arms control, strengthening civil society, democratization, institution building, election observation, establishing judicial systems, police training and the fight against terrorism, organized crime and trafficking in human beings.

The OSCE participating States are: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America and Uzbekistan.

The OSCE has established partner relationships with six Mediterranean countries: Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunis) and five Asian countries: Asian Partners for Co-operation (Afghanistan, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea and Thailand).

In implementing its activities and fulfilling its objectives, the OSCE cooperates intensively with other international organizations: UN, Council of Europe, EU, and NATO.