The OSCE conference in Warsaw: repelling Russian aggression against Ukraine

As part of the Warsaw Conference on the Human Dimension, which lasted from September 26 to October 7, 2022, a delegation of Ukrainian human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists told diplomats of various OSCE member states about the problems caused by Russian armed aggression against Ukraine.

Oleksandra Romantsova, executive director of the Center for Civil Liberties, and Oleksandra Drik, coordinator for international cooperation, represented the CCL at the conference, its side events and meetings.

This year, this event was organized by the Polish OSCE Chairmanship under the leadership of Mr. Zbigniew Rau, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

“Human rights are inalienable, and their articulation and defense are among the greatest achievements of humanity. Denying human rights to anyone, especially the vulnerable and weak, is to take away their dignity and their sense of freedom and security. Such willful disregard for individual freedom and choice is a basic characteristic of a totalitarian regime,” said OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Poland, Zbigniew Rau. “This totalitarian ideology bears the name today of Russkij mir,”  he added.

Poland took over the chairmanship of the OSCE at a time when its member states are facing numerous challenges to peace and security. The Russian armed aggression against Ukraine became the main challenge. Poland is working to establish the principles of international law and a strong commitment to the existing OSCE tools and methods (including the Moscow Mechanism).

The Moscow Mechanism is an established procedure within the OSCE that allows the deployment of a short-term international mission to establish the facts that address a specific human rights issue within the OSCE region.

A 10-day conference is dedicated to discussions on the condition of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the OSCE area. The conference provides a platform to evaluate the implementation of the OSCE Human Dimension commitments and offers meeting space for its participants to present their recent work and flag the issues that they feel need the urgent attention of the international community.

During plenary sessions, participants have the opportunity to address the entirety of the OSCE human dimension commitments: Democratic Institutions, Rule of Law, Tolerance and Non-Discrimination, Fundamental Freedoms and Humanitarian Issues.

The conference is a networking hub for the representatives of OSCE participating States, Partners for Cooperation, OSCE institutions and executive structures, representatives of inter-governmental organizations, representatives of civil society, and other stakeholders with relevant experience from the 57 participating States.

The conference side events serve as a platform for debate and exchange, and at the same time allow participating States, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the media to provide valuable input on the topics covered by ODIHR’s mandate.

During the first week, participants will have the opportunity to address the following topics:

• 28 September: Ensuring and monitoring the right to freedom of peaceful assembly during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic
• 29 September: Advancing tolerance and non-discrimination: ODIHR’s assistance to OSCE participating States and support to civil society
• 29 September: Launch and discussion of the seventh edition of Holocaust Memorial Days: An overview of remembrance and education in the OSCE region

During the second week, discussions will focus on the following topics:

• 3 October: Monitoring the human rights situation of Roma in Ukraine and neighboring participating States
• 3 October: Improving access to inclusive education for Roma and Sinti children
• 4 October: Counter-terrorism and shrinking civic space: the misuse of counter-terrorism measures against dissenting voices
• 4 October: How to ensure that the voices of people with disabilities are heard in times of crisis
• 5 October: How to ensure the right to a fair trial and access to justice in a post-Pandemic reality?
• 6 October: Engaging the Ukrainian diaspora in reconstruction and development

More than 1,500 participants engage in plenary sessions devoted to fundamental freedoms, democratic institutions, tolerance and non-discrimination, rule of law and humanitarian issues during almost 100 side events hosted by OSCE participating States, civil society organizations and OSCE institutions, designed to address broad aspects of the human dimension commitments.

Recordings of the previous days area available on Youtube in English and Russian.