The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 17th Winter Meeting concluded today with high-level debates on migration, terrorism, and gender issues. Also discussed over the past two days of meetings were arms control, “fake news,” climate change, and the crisis in and around Ukraine. Some 240 parliamentarians from 53 countries participated in the Winter Meeting, which took place at the Hofburg Congress Centre in Vienna on 22-23 February.
In debates, OSCE PA members highlighted a range of ideas on the topics of terrorism, migration and gender. Parliamentarians noted the importance of developing innovative, effective and co-operative counter-terrorism measures that fully uphold human rights. Members stressed that migration poses a challenge that requires co-ordinated efforts to address its root causes, including the resolution of conflicts, and to combat human trafficking. On gender, parliamentarians stressed the need for both men and women to commit to gender equality.
The Assembly’s three general committees met this afternoon for a joint session where members heard reports on these topics by the OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues, Dr. Hedy Fry (Canada); the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, Filippo Lombardi (Switzerland); and the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, Makis Voridis (Greece).
Also reporting to the joint session were the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on the Rules of Procedure, Peter Bowness (United Kingdom), who discussed ideas for refining Assembly activities, and Abid Qayyum Raja, Vice-President of the Norwegian Parliament, who shared Norway’s experience in countering violent extremism.
In his first report to the Assembly as Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, Voridis discussed work so far, including efforts to shape a better understanding of the latest trends and needs in the field of counter-terrorism, and to promote strategic partnerships with other stakeholders both inside and outside the OSCE. The objective, he said, is to focus on areas where OSCE parliamentarians may add more value.
“We must stay united to consolidate our efforts in the fight against terrorism,” Voridis said. “As parliamentarians, we play an important role by developing effective legislation, ensuring oversight of security services and promoting co-ordination and mutual trust at all levels.”
Lombardi’s report described efforts for developing a coherent, shared and responsible governance of migration and refugee flows with a focus on where urgent action is needed. He said that Europe is no longer facing a migration “crisis” as it existed in previous years. Noting that irregular arrivals to the EU have dropped by about 60 per cent, he stressed that at this point it should be possible to deal with these flows in an orderly fashion.
“Yet, we continue to experience a self-made political crisis due to our inability to agree upon a common approach based on solidarity and shared responsibility,” he said. “It is vital to agree on common procedures and criteria in a number of critical areas, starting with asylum in order to prevent ‘asylum shopping.’”
Hedy Fry’s report focused on ways to engage men and boys in the international effort to promote gender equality. She also discussed violence against women, noting that over the past year the global community witnessed a momentous shift towards changing the attitudes and behaviours that tolerate gender-based violence.
“Around the world, millions of courageous women used social media and other platforms to share their stories of abuse, sexual violence and harassment,” she said. “The rise of such hashtag campaigns as #MeToo, #TimesUp and #OrangeTheWorld exposed the sheer magnitude of the sexual harassment and other forms of violence that women worldwide face every day. One country on its own cannot deal with these challenges effectively – what is needed is a co-operative approach.”
Over the past two days, parliamentarians have heard presentations from government representatives of OSCE countries on topics related to political and security affairs, economics and the environment, and human rights and humanitarian questions. The general committees also heard preliminary reports from committee rapporteurs and held debates on topical issues.
The Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions held a debate on “Upholding democracy in an age of ‘fake news’” while the Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment held a debate on the theme, “Climate crisis: Developing long-term strategies to tackle climate change and its global consequences.”
Meeting on Friday, the Committee on Political Affairs and Security debated “Arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation: challenges and opportunities for the OSCE area,” which was introduced by Dr. Lassina Zerbo, the Executive Secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation.
The two-day event also served as an opportunity for dozens of meetings between parliamentary delegations, holding parliamentary diplomacy on a bilateral level.
During the Winter Meeting, OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (Georgia) held a series of meetings and addressed several side events. The OSCE PA delegations he met with included Kyrgyzstan’s, the Russian Federation’s, France’s, Israel’s, Uzbekistan’s and the United Kingdom’s, as well as the Nordic and Baltic delegations.
He also met with Ivan Brajovic, Speaker of Montenegro’s Parliament; Hakim Benchamach, Speaker of Morocco’s Parliament; Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights; and Roberta Anastase, Vice-President of PABSEC, as well as senior officials from the OSCE’s executive organs.