Voting in the General Committee on Political Affairs and SecurityVANCOUVER, 4 July 2023 – Condemning “the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine” as “a clear, gross and uncorrected violation of Helsinki principles, as well as a complete transgression of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe,” the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Vancouver Declaration expresses “unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The Declaration, adopted at the close of the OSCE PA’s 30th Annual Session, will now be made available to parliaments and governments of OSCE participating States. More than 225 members of parliament from 50 countries participated in the Annual Session, and voted on the Declaration in plenary session today. (To read the full text in English and French, please click here. Russian translation to come.)
The Declaration addresses the war crimes that have been committed in Ukraine and expresses deep concern for the human suffering caused by the war, noting that some of these actions may be considered crimes against humanity and fit multiple definitions of genocide. In particular, the Assembly highlighted attacks on residential areas that have killed thousands of people, including children, and their forced deportation to the Russian Federation. Concern was also expressed over the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam and the use of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as a shield for attacks around various Ukrainian settlements, as well as the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons to Belarus.
“The Russian Federation’s withdrawal of its forces and proxies from all areas of Ukraine,” the Assembly stated, “is the only long-term solution to ending the current physical and psychological suffering of the people of Ukraine.” The Vancouver Declaration endorses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s 10-point peace plan and underlines that peaceful solutions to end the war must be in full compliance with international law and principles of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act.
The Assembly also expressed support for the work of multilateral organizations in addressing the war, documenting violations of human rights law, and ensuring accountability. In particular, the Vancouver Declaration expresses support for the North Macedonia OSCE Chairmanship’s focus on ending the war, and highlights the expert reports produced under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, the report by the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, the International Criminal Court’s investigation, and efforts to establish a special international tribunal.
The Declaration, which was approved with broad support, contains three general committee resolutions, plus 16 supplementary items dealing with a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, energy security, political prisoners, migration, institutional challenges of the OSCE, economic security and COVID recovery, good governance and fighting corruption, plastic pollution, and civil society participation in parliamentary decision-making processes.
In addition to the war in Ukraine, the Parliamentary Assembly addressed the situation in the South Caucasus, expressing concern over the ongoing Russian occupation of Georgia, and reiterated support for diplomatic efforts in facilitating dialogue and building confidence between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Focus is also paid in the Declaration to the situation in Belarus, as well as Moldova.
OSCE parliamentarians raised concerns about nuclear escalation, encouraging all OSCE participating States “to redouble international efforts to achieve the global elimination of nuclear weapons within a timebound framework.” The PA also expressed alarm about multiple crises simultaneously facing the OSCE area, including climate change, growing geopolitical tensions in the Arctic, and the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Declaration stresses the need to “analyze and compare the effectiveness of different measures implemented by OSCE participating States to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a view to preventing and better addressing similar future health crises.” It also urges OSCE countries to “reconsider the use of ‘gain-of-function’ virology, and tighten security standards,” and encourages parliamentarians “to lead by example in preventing and fighting corruption.”
“Affirming that the activities of the Wagner Group are terroristic in nature, as they are characterized by premeditated violence committed against non-combatants in the pursuit of political objectives,” the Vancouver Declaration “calls on OSCE participating States, in accordance with international and national legislation and without prejudice to the applicability of international humanitarian law, to take action against the Wagner Group and its affiliated and successor entities.”
The OSCE PA raised alarm over the rising number of microplastic and nanoplastic particles found in ecosystems and urged more research on this phenomenon and its effects on health. Regarding climate change, the Assembly called for reducing greenhouse gas emissions according to the Paris Agreement, and for “OSCE participating States to facilitate, within their respective societies, open and fact-based debate.” It also stresses the need to “develop ambitious strategies for the clean energy transition.”
On artificial intelligence, the Declaration “encourages multidisciplinary efforts to evaluate the impact of ChatGPT and similar new technologies on democracy, education and privacy, as well as possible risks to cybersecurity, and develop the appropriate regulatory frameworks.”
The Vancouver Declaration deals extensively with institutional challenges facing the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, expressing deep concern about “increased attempts to misuse the OSCE consensus rule to block” the organization’s functioning. It calls for all OSCE participating States to “support full funding of the OSCE” and “reverse policies such as zero-nominal growth.” It also recognizes “the added value of close co-operation between the OSCE PA, the OSCE Secretariat, OSCE institutions and field operations.”
On Monday, the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism held its 15th meeting. Chaired by Reinhold Lopatka (Austria), the meeting featured a presentation by Prof. Jason Blazakis, who described the origins and practices of Russia’s Wagner Group. Prof. Blazakis noted that it has committed many human rights abuses including summary executions, sexual violence, torture, and child abductions, and to counter this alarming trend, he urged increased monitoring by international and national bodies.
Other side events on Monday focused on issues including nuclear threat reduction, the prospects for prosecuting the Russian leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, and countering the rise in antisemitism and other hate-based incidents.
Video of the Annual Session is available on the OSCE PA’s YouTube and Facebook channels, and photos of the meeting can be found on Flickr. More information is available on the Assembly’s website.
