PA prepares for election observation missions this fall

COPENHAGEN, 23 August 2010 – The International Secretariat of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has started to plan for a busy fall of election observations missions to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan, the United States and Azerbaijan.

To lead the OSCE short-term observers to these elections and to deliver the post-election statement on behalf of the OSCE, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kanat Saudabayev, has appointed four members of the Assembly as OSCE Special Co-ordinators.

They are:  Roberto Battelli to Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 October; Kimmo Kiljunen to Kyrgyzstan 10 October; Joao Soares to the U.S. 2 November, and Wolfgang Grossruck to Azerbaijan 7 November.

The four, all experienced election observers, will also serve as heads of the delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.  Mr. Battelli (Slovenia) is the PA´s Treasurer and Special Representative on South East Europe; Mr. Kiljunen (Finland) is the PA’s Special Representative for Central Asia; Mr. Soares (Portugal) is the Assembly’s President Emeritus, and Mr. Grossruck (Austria) is a PA Vice President.

Members of the Assembly should indicate their interest in participating in one or several missions by contacting the International Secretariat in Copenhagen and completing relevant registrations forms as soon as possible.

PA Special Representative Kiljunen organizing international investigation into recent violence in Kyrgyzstan

COPENHAGEN, 28 July 2010 -- Having just returned from Bishkek, the OSCE PA’s Special Representative for Central Asia, Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland), spoke today about the progress being made in organizing an International Independent Commission for Inquiry into the violence that occurred in southern Kyrgyzstan in June.

“I am answering the call for an independent, international inquiry into tragic events in southern Kyrgyzstan,” Mr. Kiljunen said. “In leading this International Independent Commission for Inquiry, I hope to gather all relevant parties in a joint effort intensifying this important task and its contribution to the reconciliation process in the country,” added Mr. Kiljunen, who has been asked by Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbaeva to lead the investigation.

Mr. Kiljunen has been in Kyrgyzstan for the past week meeting with senior officials of the provisional government in Bishkek, including the deputy foreign minister. In a letter sent to the UN Secretary General on 21 July, the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic requested support for the International Independent Commission.

OSCE PA Annual Session ends with adoption of Oslo Declaration and election of new President

OSLO, 10 July 2010 – The 19^th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly ended today with the adoption of the Oslo Declaration and the election of Petros Efthymiou (Greece) as the Assembly’s new President.

Mr. Efthymiou, who was a Vice-President in the Assembly, defeated Senator Consiglio Di Nino (Canada) by 130 votes to 64. The new President succeeds Joao Soares (Portugal) who has served as President for two one-year terms.

In his address to the Assembly upon being elected, Mr. Efthymiou laid out two key priorities of his presidency: one, increasing the effectiveness of the PA’s work, “with a balanced approach to our agenda and a policy of equality towards all participating members,” and two, ensuring “a stronger role for the PA itself, with the enhancement of its position, both within the OSCE and in relation to our governments and other international organizations.”

Resolution on PA involvement in the Corfu Process approved

OSLO, 10 July 2010 -- One of the major resolutions debated at the Oslo Annual Session, introduced in a plenary by the Chair of the OSCE PA’s Transparency and Accountability Committee, Johannes Koskinen (Finland),  welcomes the OSCE Corfu Process, which seeks to revive the multilateral political dialogue on challenges to security in the OSCE area.

Noting however that there is an “an urgent need for improvement and reform with regard to the observed democratic deficit” in the OSCE, as well as to transparency and accountability, the resolution proposes “extending the role of the Parliamentary Assembly and strengthening co-operation between the Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE and its executive structures.”

The resolution highlights the importance of a parliamentary dimension in the on-going dialogue on security issues and welcomes the expanded mandate of the OSCE PA’s Committee on Transparency and Accountability, which is tasked with strengthening parliamentary involvement in the Corfu Process.

Norwegian laws in focus at Working Lunch on Gender Issues

OSLO, 9 July 2010 -- At a working lunch on gender issues during the OSCE PA’s Annual Session on Thursday, Marit Nybakk, Deputy President of the Norwegian Parliament, gave a presentation on the Norwegian model for gender equality, specifically focusing on the country’s gender quota laws.

Ms. Nybakk described the effect this legislation has had on Norway’s attitude to gender issues in general, noting that “laws can not only be a security or a regulation, law can also be normative by changing the attitude and behaviour of people.”

The adoption of a gender quota system by Norwegian political parties and the introduction of quotas for state-owned and public-limited companies, she said, has had a deep impact in  this regard.