COPENHAGEN, 11 March 2022 – A delegation comprising several leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE’s Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings will be visiting Polish reception centres for Ukrainian refugees on 13-14 March. The visit to the Polish-Ukrainian border is intended as a fact-finding mission to inform policymakers of how best to effectively support those displaced by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and prevent risks of trafficking.
The delegation also intends to bring attention to the efforts of the Polish authorities, as well as citizens and volunteers, for their commendable response to the wave of refugees and to underline that OSCE parliamentarians stand ready to assist the humanitarian efforts in any way that they can.
From the OSCE PA, participants include:
- Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) – President
- Kristian Vigenin (Bulgaria) – Vice-President and Chair of the OSCE PA Ad Hoc Committee on Migration
- Sereine Mauborgne (France) – Chair of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions
- Johan Buser (Sweden) – Rapporteur of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions
- Gudrun Kugler (Austria) – Rapporteur of the Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and the Environment
- Roberto Montella (Italy) – Secretary General of the OSCE PA
From the OSCE:
- Valiant Richey – OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
The delegation will be hosted by:
- Barbara Bartuś (Poland) – Head of the Polish Delegation to the OSCE PA
The delegation arrives in Poland on Sunday. On Monday, it will visit reception points and crossings near the Ukrainian border and will meet with representatives of the local government, social organizations and the Border Guard.
Following the fact-finding mission, the lawmakers will develop a set of policy recommendations to advance legislation in their national parliaments and to promote policies within OSCE participating States to help ameliorate the dire humanitarian situation caused by the Russian Federation’s military operations in Ukraine.
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 57 countries spanning, Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international co-operation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.
The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings represents the OSCE at the political level on anti-trafficking issues, and assists the 57 OSCE participating States in the development and implementation of anti-trafficking strategies and initiatives.
For more details on the OSCE visit to the Polish-Ukrainian border or to arrange interviews with members of the delegation, please contact Freyja Koçi, Advisor to the Secretary General, at +45 31 46 85 73 or [email protected].
