Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and President Pia Kauma in Warsaw, 2 October 2023WARSAW, 2 October 2023 – Speaking today at the opening session of the OSCE’s Human Dimension Conference in Warsaw, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma (Finland) stressed that a vibrant and strong civil society is fundamental for the promotion and protection of human rights and democratic values, noting also that the human dimension is an integral part of the work of the OSCE PA.
President Kauma welcomed the ten-day conference as an opportunity for parliamentarians and government representatives to work with civil society actors to spotlight human rights and democracy concerns, and to review all OSCE participating States’ human dimension commitments. Considering the democratic backsliding that has taken place for years in the OSCE region, this exercise is all the more important, she stressed.
Kauma highlighted the OSCE PA’s activities in the human dimension, particularly the work of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, which has been dedicated to shedding light on abuses of human rights, most notably the violations of international humanitarian law by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
“The Vancouver Declaration adopted by our Assembly earlier this year unequivocally condemns the war in Ukraine,” the President said, “and highlights the multifaceted impacts of the war, including its humanitarian consequences such as the millions of internally displaced people and war refugees, conflict-related sexual violence and risks of human trafficking, as well as the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children by the Russian Federation.”
The PA has established a Parliamentary Support Team for Ukraine to ensure that the war remains at the forefront of the Assembly’s activities, Kauma pointed out. OSCE parliamentarians also continue to actively observe elections, she said, and to focus on freedom of expression, media freedom and the safety of journalists.
While in Warsaw, President Kauma is holding a series of bilateral meetings, including with Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, who serves as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference. Kauma and Kasprzyk discussed recent events in Karabakh and the prospects for increased OSCE engagement.
She also met with Ambassador Igor Djundev, representing North Macedonia’s OSCE Chairpersonship; Douglas Wake, Head of the ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission to Poland; and Zosia Lutkiewicz, President of the Political Accountability Foundation.
In addition to President Kauma, the leaders of the the OSCE PA’s Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions – Chair Lucie Potuckova (Czechia), Vice-Chair Sargis Khandanyan (Armenia), and Rapporteur Malik Ben Achour (Belgium) – are attending the Human Dimension Conference.
Other OSCE parliamentarians participating in the conference include Barbara Bartus, Head of Poland’s OSCE PA Delegation; Irene Charalambides (Cyprus), Vice-President of the OSCE PA and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption; Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (Cyprus), Vice-President of the OSCE PA and Special Representative on South East Europe; and Daniela De Ridder (Germany), Vice-President and Chair of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration.
For President Kauma's full remarks to the Human Dimension Conference, please click here.
