Benjamin Cardin COPENHAGEN, 9 March 2015 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) has appointed U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin to serve as the PA's first Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism and Intolerance.

The newly established position will help focus and strengthen the Assembly's work on countering these challenges across the OSCE area.

"Senator Cardin has long been one of the leading voices in both the U.S. Congress and the OSCE PA on the need to tackle anti-Semitism, racism and the other forms of intolerance that continue to leave their ugly mark on our societies. It is high time that we boost our collective efforts to combat these threats to our human security. I am confident that Senator Cardin's leadership will help the Assembly to do just that and I look forward to working with him," Kanerva said.

In accepting the appointment, Cardin said: 

"No longer content to simmer below the surface, the recent heinous attacks in Paris and Copenhagen have demonstrated the severity and pervasiveness of anti-Semitism and prejudice in the world today. Intolerance, expressed by anti-Semitic violence, racism or xenophobia, takes many forms and wears many faces. I have long fought to shine a spotlight on such activity and supported efforts to address the root causes fueling hate crimes and other forms of discrimination. I am humbled to take on this new and important responsibility within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. I will use every tool available to raise awareness of this grave issue and push for strong actions to fight back against such gross intolerance."

The mandate of the OSCE PA Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism and Intolerance is to:

• Raise awareness in and report to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the persisting problem of prejudice and discrimination in the OSCE area, including anti-Semitism, other religion- and race-based intolerance and other forms of intolerance;

• Raise awareness in and report to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the track records of OSCE participating States in combating these problems;

• Advise the Assembly on the implementation of its agreed policies in these matters as well as on the development of new policies and strategies, including on how to protect the individuals and communities affected;

• Seek to promote dialogue and exchange of best practices within the Assembly on combating these problems; 

• Communicate with relevant actors within the OSCE who work on combating prejudice and discrimination in the OSCE area, including anti-Semitism, other religion- and race-based intolerance and other forms of intolerance.

Cardin has served for more than a decade in the OSCE PA, holding the positions of Vice-President and Chairperson of the Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment. He was also previously Deputy Head of the U.S. Delegation to the OSCE PA.

Within the U.S. Congress he is a senior Commissioner and former Chairperson of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

There are currently nine other OSCE PA Special Representatives. Each holds a mandate pertaining to a specific issue within the Assembly's work or to a specific geographical area within, or of particular importance to, the Assembly.

Click here for a full listing.