OSCE Focus 2019. Building a Vision of the Future
Held on 18-19 October at Villa Moynier in Geneva, the OSCE Focus 2019 conference was dedicated to the theme ‘Building a Vision of the Future’. This report summarizes key reflections made and considerations put forward during the conference.
The OSCE Focus 2019 at a Glance
Held on 18-19 October at Villa Moynier in Geneva, the OSCE Focus 2019 conference was dedicated to the theme ‘Building a Vision of the Future’. Over 45 high-ranking participants from the OSCE community, including Secretary General Thomas Greminger, engaged in focused, open, and frank discussions on the challenges and opportunities currently faced by the organization. This report summarizes key reflections made and considerations put forward during the conference. The workshop was organized by the DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance with support from, and in close collaboration with, the ministries of foreign affairs of Italy, Slovakia, Albania and Switzerland, along with the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich.
The Participants
The participants of the OSCE Focus 2019 were representatives of the OSCE participating States, including Albania, Austria, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the United States of America and Ukraine. In addition, senior officials of the OSCE executive structures attended the conference, including the Secretary General, the Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre and the First Deputy Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The conference was also attended by representatives of multilateral organizations, civil society and the think tank community.
The Program
The conference was titled: ‘Building a Vision of the Future’. The program included six topics featuring three panellists and one moderator. The six topics were: ‘Great power politics: implications for the OSCE’; ‘The Crisis in and around Ukraine: What role for the OSCE?’; ‘Wither arms control, disarmament and CSBMs?’; ‘How to make the OSCE Chairmanship more attractive?’; ‘Multilateral organisations and cooperative security’; and ‘The OSCE in 2025’.