Page 421 - 100 Reflections that Crafted Geneva International_V-Petrovsky_private special edition

Bringing the Concept to Life

Formal cooperation between the UN and the Council of Europe was
established early on in 1951. In 1989 the Council was granted observer status
at the UN. In more recent years cooperation between the Council of
Europe and the UN has increased with the setting up of the tripartite process
which I will come on to presently.

The Organization for the Security and Co-Operation in Europe

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is a security
organization made up of 55 participating States. The OSCE was established as
a primary instrument for early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management
and post-conflict rehabilitation under Chapter VIII of the Charter of the
United Nations. It has a comprehensive approach to security matters which are
deemed ‘indivisible’ and it promotes democratic institutions, the rule of law,
human rights. and economic aspects of security as well as the more obvious
military ones. The OSCE emerged at the end of the Cold War. It was originally
the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe which started in 1973
as a multi-lateral East-West negotiation forum. Now its transatlantic structure
stretches from Vancover to Vladivostock; Murmansk to Malta; and Dublin to
Dushanbe.

In May 1993 the UN and OSCE agreed a Framework for Cooperation and
Coordination. As a result of this UN/OSCE cooperation is a standing item on
the agenda of the UN General Assembly and the Secretary-General submits
a report on this cooperation to the General Assembly every year. In his
most recent report last December, UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan
“encouraged further efforts by the OSCE to foster security and stability in
its region through early-warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and
post-conflict rehabilitation, as well as through the continued promotion of
democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

The Tripartite process

In 1993 the United Nations office in Geneva initiated the first annual Tri-
partite meeting with OSCE and the Council of Europe. These high-level
meetings, which are held on an informal basis, involve the Chairmanship and
Secretaries-General of the OSCE and the Council of Europe, as well as the Di-
rector General of the United Nations Office in Geneva. Since 1996 these
meetings have expanded considerably. They are now attended by the President
of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Director-General of

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