VIENNA, 16 March 2017 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is holding a conference at the Parliament of the Republic of Austria in Vienna next week under the theme, “OSCE Security Policy – Female Perspectives.”

Featuring the participation of parliamentarians, representatives of OSCE field operations, academicians and civil society representatives, the conference on 23 March will tackle issues such as the role of women in the fight against violent extremism and gender perspectives for a new pan-European security architecture. Participants will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of OSCE field work and other topical issues.

President of the Austrian National Council Doris Bures and OSCE PA President Christine Muttonen will open the event with welcoming addresses at 9:00, followed by keynote speeches expected by Hans Peter Doskozil, Federal Minister of Defence and Sports of Austria; Valentina Ivanovna Matvienko, Chairperson of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; and Ulrike Lunacek, Vice President of the European Parliament.

The day-long event is taking place in Room 6 of the Austrian Parliament and is open to the media. Journalists interested in attending should contact Heidi Liedler-Frank, Head of Media Services at the Austrian Parliament, at [email protected] or +43 1 401 10-2260.

Additional information about the preliminary programme is available below.

OSCE Security Policy - Female Perspectives

Austrian Parliament, Room 6
Vienna, 23 March 2017

09:00 – 09:20 Welcome addresses expected by Ms. Doris BURES, President of the Austrian National Council and Ms. Christine MUTTONEN, President of the OSCEPA

09:20 – 09:30 Keynote address expected by Mr. Hans Peter DOSKOZIL, Federal Minister of Defence and Sports

09:30 – 11:00 Panel 1: Challenges and Perspectives for a new pan-European Security Architecture

Keynote speeches expected by Ms. Valentina Ivanovna MATVIENKO, Chairperson of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and Ms. Ulrike LUNACEK, Vice President of the European Parliament

11:30 – 13:00 Panel 2: Strengths and Weaknesses of current OSCE Missions

Keynote speeches expected by Ms. Nina SUOMALAINEN, Ambassador, OSCE Mission to Skopje; Ms. Tuula YRJÖLÄ, Ambassador, OSCE Office in Tajikistan; Ms. Aleška SIMKIĆ, Deputy Chief Monitor, OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine

14:00 – 15:30 Panel 3: The Role of Women in (the Fight against) Violence-Prone Extremism and Terrorism

Keynote speeches expected by Ms. Edit SCHLAFFER, Founder and Executive Director, Women without Borders/SAVE; Ms. Verena FABRIS, Head, Extremism Information Center; Ms. Petra WEYLAND, Professor, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies; Ms. Yulia NIKITINA, Associate Professor, Moscow State University of International Relations

15:30 – 15:40 Closing remarks by Ms. Christine MUTTONEN, President of the OSCE PA