OSCE Chair-in-Office presents priorities for 2026: UK statement to the OSCE

Thanks, Chair. Federal Councillor Cassis, on behalf of the UK, welcome again to the Everlasting Council. The UK welcomes Switzerland’s management of this organisation at a vital and difficult time.

The UK and Switzerland have a longstanding cooperation agenda and in depth shared pursuits. Right here on the OSCE we firmly assist your Chairpersonship priorities and deal with dialogue and belief as a method to rebuild safety inside our area.

At first, we strongly assist your deal with Ukraine, because it continues to endure from – and defend itself towards – Russia’s unlawful invasion. We agree with you and the Secretary Normal on making ready the organisation to assist a simply and lasting peace.

Regrettably, we nonetheless see no signal that Russia is critical about peace.  It continues to hinder US-led negotiations and to terrorise the Ukrainian folks.  We are going to meet this afternoon to debate the newest instance – Russia’s reckless assault final week, together with the use of an intermediate-range ballistic missile in Lviv.

Because the UK International Secretary advised Parliament firstly of this month, the UK is confronting an industrial scale assault on our and allies’ and associates’ info environments – an assault which quantities to info warfare.  We are going to proceed to make use of this organisation to carry Russia to account for its more and more malign and reckless actions throughout our continent focusing on lots of the collaborating States represented on this room.

We stay up for working with you as Chair of the Safety Committee in 2026 and thanks for entrusting that function to us.

The UK welcomes your deal with and assist for basic freedoms and civil society.  Simply as third basket points have been a vital a part of the CSCE Geneva negotiations from 1973 to 1975, the OSCE’s complete definition of safety is an indispensable element of this organisation in 2026.

We stand agency in our conviction – repeatedly recognised by all collaborating States –  that human rights, basic freedoms, democracy and rule of legislation are issues of direct and legit concern to all collaborating States and don’t belong solely to the interior affairs of the State involved. Holding one another to account for the implementation of shared commitments on basic freedoms and the rule of legislation is a necessary a part of dialogue, and in 2026 the UK will proceed to defend and assist the OSCE’s Human Dimension, together with the very important work of the OSCE’s autonomous establishments.

And final however not least, we agree together with your deal with making certain the OSCE’s capacity to behave.  For the UK this consists of utilizing the OSCE’s rules of cooperation to assist deal with one other rising difficulty: irregular migration and the illicit finance that fuels it – each UK priorities in 2026. Strengthening border safety ought to be a precedence workstream for the OSCE this yr.

Making certain the OSCE’s capacity to behave additionally encompasses the necessity for inner reform, enhancing the effectiveness of the organisation and delivering price range efficiencies. The UK helps your name for early adoption of the 2026 Unified Price range and well timed settlement on a Chair-in-Workplace for 2027. We agree on the significance of strategic prioritisation to deal with areas the place the OSCE has comparative benefit – significantly in gentle of present world monetary realities.

None of this work will likely be straightforward however it’s crucial. It’s the UK’s deep conviction that dialogue amongst OSCE collaborating States can and will handle danger, and may assist co-operation throughout our area. Relaxation assured of our assist for Switzerland as Chair this yr as you pursue that.