The 23rd Winter Meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly took place 22-23 February 2024 in the Congress Center Hofburg in Vienna, Austria.
One of three statutory meetings that the OSCE PA holds every year, the Winter Meeting serves as an opportunity for parliamentarians to engage with the OSCE’s executive structures, meet with representatives of OSCE participating States, and debate issues related to OSCE principles and values.
For more information about speakers and debate topics, as well as practical and procedural information, please see below. For draft programmes in English, French and Russian, as well as other relevant documents, please click here.
Photos of the meeting are available here. Video of the meeting is avaliable here.
PROGRAMME
Thursday, 22 February
09:00 – 10:15
- Joint Session of the General Committees (Neuer Saal, 2nd floor)
- Welcome and Opening Remarks by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Ms. Pia Kauma
- Address by the President of the Austrian National Council, Mr. Wolfgang Sobotka
- Address by the Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Malta, Mr. Ian Borg
- Address by the Secretary General of the OSCE, Ms. Helga Maria Schmid
- Question & Answer Session
10.30 – 13.15
- General Committee on Political Affairs and Security (Neuer Saal, 2nd floor)
- Opening remarks by Chairperson of the Committee
- Presentation by Mr. Laurynas Kasciunas (Lithuania), Rapporteur of the Committee, on his ideas and intentions regarding his report for the 31st Annual Session in Bucharest (29 June – 3 July 2024)
- Presentation by Ambassador Peter Burian, Chairperson of the Security Committee of the OSCE Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Slovak Republic to the OSCE
- Presentation by Ambassador Andreas Ignatiou, Chairperson of the Forum for Security Co-operation and Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the OSCE
- Presentation by Ambassador Kairat Abdrakhmanov, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities
- Presentation by Ms. Catherine Fearon, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre
- Special Debate: “OSCE work in Ukraine during Russia’s War of Aggression”
- Introduction by Ambassador Marcel Peško, Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office – Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine
- Debate
15.15 – 18.00
- General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions (Neuer Saal, 2nd floor)
- Opening remarks by Ms. Lucie Potůčková (Czech Republic), Chairperson of the Committee
- Presentation by Mr. Malik Ben Achour (Belgium), Rapporteur of the Committee, on his ideas and intentions regarding his report for the 31st Annual Session in Bucharest (29 June – 3 July 2024)
- Presentation by Mr. Matteo Mecacci, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
- Presentation by Ms. Teresa Ribeiro, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
- Presentation by Ambassador Anne-Marie Callan, Chairperson of the Human Dimension Committee of the OSCE Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Ireland to the OSCE
- Special Debate: Political Dissidents and Political Prisoners
- Remarks by Ms. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
- Debate
15.15 – 18.00
- General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment (Ratsaal, 5th floor)
- Opening Mr. Azay Guliyev, Chairperson of the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment
- Advancing a common OSCE approach in promoting economic and environmental security
- Ms. Gudrun Kugler, Rapporteur of the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment
- Amb. Florian Raunig, Chairperson of the Economic and Environmental Committee
- Amb. Bakyt Dzhusupov, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities
- Special Debate - Artificial Intelligence: A Technological Breakthrough with Security Implications
- Dr. Jean-Marc Rickli, Head of Global and Emerging Risks, Geneva Centre for Security Policy
- Mr. Nikolas Ott, Senior Manager of Government Affairs, European Government Affairs Unit, Microsoft
- Dr. Isabell Claus, Co-founder and Managing Director of Thinkers.ai
- Debate
Friday, 23 February
09.00 – 12.00
- Joint Session of the three General Committees (Neuer Saal, 2nd floor)
- Address by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Ms. Pia Kauma
- Reports on OSCE PA Activities
- Ad Hoc Committees
- Election Observation Missions
- General Debate: “European Security Today and Tomorrow: Parliamentary Perspectives on the Future of the OSCE”
- Open Debate
14.00 – 17.00
- Standing Committee Meeting (Neuer Saal, 2nd floor)
Related Articles
- PRESS RELEASE: Ukraine, artificial intelligence and political prisoners top the agenda at OSCE PA’s Winter Meeting in Vienna, 23 February 2024
- PRESS RELEASE: OSCE parliamentarians meet in Vienna for discussions on European security with a focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 22 February 2024
- Address to the closing joint session by OSCE PA President Pia Kauma, 23 February 2024
- Address by the Chair-in-Office, Minister Ian Borg, Vienna, 22 February 2024
- President Pia Kauma opening remarks, 22 February 2024
- Report by the Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism Reinhold Lopatka, 23 February 2024
- Secretary General Roberto Montella's report to the Standing Committee, 23 February 2024
- President Kauma's report to the Standing Committee, 23 February 2024
- Report of Treasurer Johan Büser, 23 February 2024
- Report of Ad Hoc Committee on Migration Chair Daniela De Ridder, 23 February 2024
- Report of Special Representative on Fighting Corruption Irene Charalambides, 23 February 2024
- Report of Special Representative on South East Europe Kyriakos Hadjiyianni, 23 February 2024
- Report of Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism and Intolerance Ben Cardin, 22 February 2024
- Report of Special Representative for Mediterranean Affairs Pascal Allizard, 23 February 2024
Check this space for additional details as they become available. For information on previous Winter Meetings, please click here.
