Annual Sessions
22nd Annual Session, Istanbul, 2013
The 22nd Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from 29 June to 3 July 2013.
The Turkish Grand National Assembly will host the annual gathering under the theme of Helsinki +40 to provide parliamentary input to the work of the OSCE.
All meetings will be held at the Lutfi Kirdar International Convention and Exhibition Center in Istanbul.
Delegations are kindly asked to register for the Annual Session by 24 May.
The session's Helsinki +40 theme underlines the Assembly's support for the OSCE Ministerial Council decision in Dublin to launch a set of objectives aimed at strengthening the OSCE from now towards 2015, the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act.
General information, registration forms and a list of deadlines are available on the right side of this page. Committee reports and draft resolutions for the three General Committees are available below. Please check this page for translations into the six OSCE languages and for supplementary items as they become available.
The debates and votes of the Assembly during the session will culminate in passage the 2013 Istanbul Declaration to help shape OSCE and national policy. Members from 57 OSCE participating States will also elect a new Assembly president and other elected leadership positions during the session. All committee debates and votes, are open to the press and public and will stream live online.
Reports & Draft Resolutions
21st Annual Session, Monaco, 2012
Click here for the full programme of recorded videos from the Annual Session.
The Parliament of the Principality of Monaco hosted the 21st Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly from 5 to 9 July 2012, under the theme "The OSCE: Region of Change."
The session ended with the adoption of the Monaco Declaration and Resolutions and the election of the Bureau, including a new President, Riccardo Migiliori (Italy).
A full summary report of the Annual Session is available here (PDF).
Final Declaration and Resolutions:
| English | French | German |
| Italian | Russian | Spanish |
20th Annual Session, Belgrade, 2011
The 20th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was held from 6 to 10 July 2011 in Belgrade, Serbia, under the general theme of "Strengthening the OSCE's Effectiveness and Efficiency -- A new start after the Astana Summit." It concluded with the elections of Assembly Officers and the adoption of the Belgrade Declaration, available in all six official langauges.
More than 230 parliamentarians from 53 countries voted on 10 July to pass the Belgrade Declaration, a political document filled with recommendations for national parliaments and the Organization for Security and Co-operation Europe on economic, security and human rights issues. The document contains resolutions on issues including human rights in Belarus, cyber security, human trafficking, hunger, internet freedom, nuclear safety and organ trafficking.
19th Annual Session, Oslo, 2010
Under the general theme of “Rule of Law: Combating Transnational Crime and Corruption,” the OSCE PA’s 19th Annual Session took place from 6 to 10 July in Oslo. Hosted by the Parliament of Norway, the Storting, the Annual Session debated resolutions dealing with various dimensions of the theme, as well as 35 supplementary items covering a wide range of topics. Around 250 parliamentarians participated in the meeting.
At the closing plenary, the Assembly adopted the Oslo Declaration containing resolutions ranging from issues such as the situation in Kyrgyzstan to the Parliamentary Assembly’s involvement in the Corfu process, the peace process in the Middle East, nuclear security, cybercrime, the situation in the Arctic, the right of return of internally displaced persons, investigative journalism, and the death penalty.
18th Annual Session, Vilnius, 2009
The 18th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was held on the premises of the Lithuanian Parliament in Vilnius from 29 June to 3 July. The resulting Vilnius Declaration, which represents the collective voice of the OSCE’s parliamentary dimension, outlines a set of policy recommendations to the governments of the OSCE participating States.
The Declaration, voted on by 213 parliamentarians from 50 OSCE countries, contains the 28 adopted resolutions. Among them are resolutions on strengthening the OSCE, election observation, food security in the OSCE area, the world financial crisis and the social consequences of that crisis, Iran, Afghanistan, human rights and civil liberties, arms control and disarmament in Europe, labour migration in Central Asia, energy security, climate change, water management, freedom of expression on the Internet, and a moratorium on the death penalty.
17th Annual Session, Astana, 2008
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held its 17th Annual Session in Astana, Kazakhstan from 29 June - 3 July 2008. Focusing on the theme of 'Transparency in the OSCE,' the meetings brought together 227 parliamentarians in the Kazakh capital, who debated issues ranging from water management to cyber security to migration.
The Assembly met in two separate plenary sessions, which were addressed by senior officials, including Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, OSCE PA President Goran Lennmarker, and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb. For three days, the Assembly’s three General Committees met to discuss current issues and to consider and amend draft resolutions.
16th Annual Session, Kyiv, 2007
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held its 16th Annual Session in Kyiv from 5-9 July 2007. Hosted by the Ukrainian Parliament, the Session focused attention on the theme: ‘Implementation of OSCE Commitments’. The meetings brought together 250 parliamentarians in the Ukrainian capital, coming from 54 countries across the OSCE and beyond. The Assembly met in two separate plenary sessions, which were addressed by senior officials, including Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko, OSCE PA President Goran Lennmarker, and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.
15th Annual Session, Brussels, 2006
At the close of its 15th Annual Session, held from 3 to 7 July 2006, the OSCE PA elected Goran Lennmarker of Sweden as its new President, succeeding Alcee L. Hastings of the United States. Parliamentarians from across the OSCE and beyond took part in the Session, and adopted the Brussels Declaration focused on: ‘Strengthening Human Security in the OSCE Region’.
14th Annual Session, Washington D.C., 2005
Following meetings from 1-5 July 2005, the Assembly adopted the Washington Declaration focusing on the political, economic and human rights aspects of the central theme of the Session, ‘30 Years Since Helsinki: Challenges Ahead’. The Declaration reiterates the fundamental principles endorsed by the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris, and other OSCE agreements.
13th Annual Session, Edinburgh, 2004
At the close of their meeting in Edinburgh from 5-9 July 2004, more than 300 parliamentarians from 52 OSCE participating States adopted the Edinburgh Declaration focusing on the political, economic and human rights aspects of the central theme of the Session: ‘Co-operation and Partnership: Coping with new Security Threats.’ The Edinburgh Declaration recognized that terrorism, as a rule, targets civilian populations, and has as its central objective to cause instability and fear, and even incite racism and xenophobia.
12th Annual Session, Rotterdam, 2003
The 12th Annual Session, held from 5 to 9 July 2003 in Rotterdam, concluded with the adoption of the Rotterdam Declaration focused on the Session’s theme, ‘The Role of the OSCE in the New Architecture of Europe’. The Declaration stated that with Europe’s ongoing development in security structures, the OSCE’s real strength lies in its capacity to respond to security threats and challenges and in its strong field presence. To uphold the credibility of the OSCE, it added, it is imperative to provide the OSCE field activities with adequate funding and high-quality staff.
11th Annual Session, Berlin, 2002
The Berlin Declaration resolutely condemned all acts of terrorism, whatever their motivations or origin, and underlined the solidarity of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in the struggle against terrorism. The Declaration reminded all OSCE participating States that any measures that may restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms in response to terrorism have to fully respect international law and relevant OSCE commitments.
Tenth Annual Session, Paris, 2001
At the conclusion of the Annual Session in Paris from 6-10 July 2001 the Paris Declaration was adopted. It included a unanimously adopted resolution on strengthening transparency and accountability in the OSCE. The Resolution contained the proposal that before making major decisions, to be defined in future consultations, the Ministerial Council should take into account the opinion of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
Ninth Annual Session, Bucharest, 2000
The Ninth Annual Session, held in Bucharest from 6 to 10 July 2000, adopted the Bucharest Declaration which covered a wide range of political, economic and human rights issues and includes Resolutions on specific topics. The Resolution on Belarus called on all sides to pave the way for free, fair and internationally recognizable parliamentary elections in Belarus. The Resolution on Moldova expressed its concern regarding the stalemate in the negotiations on the status of Transdniestra and emphasized the need for a common State for all the peoples of Moldova.
Eigth Annual Session, St Petersburg, 1999
The Eighth Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly was held in St. Petersburg from 6 to 10 July 1999. Looking ahead to the new millennium, Resolutions corresponding to the main baskets of the Helsinki Final Act were passed on the general theme of ‘Common Security and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century’.
Seventh Annual Session, Copenhagen, 1998
The Seventh Annual Session, held in Copenhagen 7-10 July 1998, focused on structures and institutions of the OSCE. The Assembly adopted the Copenhagen Declaration recognizing that, in order to meet the challenge of implementing OSCE principles and commitments with greater effectiveness, a refinement of existing OSCE tools and resources should be pursued.
Sixth Annual Session, Warsaw, 1997
The Sixth Annual Session, held in Warsaw 5-8 July 1997, focused on enhancing the implementation of commitments undertaken in the context of the CSCE and OSCE, including the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris and the Budapest and Lisbon Summit documents. A Declaration containing three basic resolutions, each corresponding to one of the three main baskets of the Helsinki Final Act, was adopted.
Fifth Annual Session, Stockholm, 1996
The Fifth Annual Session, held in Stockholm on 5-9 July 1996, focused on the discussion of a Comprehensive Security Model for Europe for the 21st Century. The final Declaration reiterated the Parliamentary Assembly’s support for the adoption of a broad concept of security, stressing, inter alia, the importance of economic stabilization and environmentally sustainable development in the security dimension.
Fourth Annual Session, Ottawa, 1995
The Fourth Annual Session of the Assembly, hosted by the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa on 4-8 July 1995, was the first Annual Session to be held in North America. The Ottawa Declaration encompassed a series of resolutions and recommendations relating to OSCE activities regarding the Former Yugoslavia, the Baltic region, Nagorno-Karabakh, Chechnya and Moldova.
Third Annual Session, Vienna, 1994
In July 1994, the Assembly’s Third Annual Session was hosted in Vienna by the Austrian Parliament.
Again the adopted Vienna Declaration contained a chapter on the crisis in the Former Yugoslavia. Other issues addressed in the Declaration included the development of a Code of Conduct in the field of political and military security, the Chernobyl tragedy, the International War Crimes Tribunal and the human rights situation in Turkey.
Second Annual Session, Helsinki, 1993
The Second Annual Session of the CSCE Parliamentary Assembly was held in Helsinki on 6-9 July 1993. A full chapter on the crisis in the Former Yugoslavia in the adopted Helsinki Declaration illustrated the importance attached to this issue.
First Annual Session, Budapest, 1992
Budapest was the venue for the First Annual Session of the CSCE Parliamentary Assembly in July 1992. The Assembly passed the Budapest Declaration which addressed issues relating to European security, peacekeeping, environmental co-operation, human rights and the crisis in the former Yugoslavia. The Declaration also urged parliaments and parliamentarians of the CSCE to participate more actively in the prevention, management and settlement of conflicts: