Statement from the ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs – OSCE (Paris, 20 July 2020)

We deeply regret the failure to reappoint the Secretary General and the three heads of the OSCE’s autonomous institutions – the Representative on Freedom of the Media, the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the High Commissioner on National Minorities – who were all appointed in July 2017.

Despite our efforts and those of the vast majority of participating States, no temporary solution was found to avoid the vacancy of these positions. We reaffirm our total support to the OSCE and its senior management, who have fully accomplished the mandate entrusted to them by the participating States with professionalism and impartiality.

In the light of the very important events for the OSCE in the coming months, including the Ministerial Council in December, and the upcoming 30th anniversary of the Paris Charter, this vacancy of essential posts will undermine the organization’s work. Alongside the other participating States, France will work to ensure a swift settlement of this institutional crisis to enable the OSCE to continue the work entrusted to it in the three dimensions: the politico-military dimension, the human dimension and the economic and environmental dimension.