Presentation by Ambassador Callan as Chair of the Human Dimension Committee 2023
Statement
09 February 2023Mr Chair,
I would like to thank you for asking Ireland to chair the Human Dimension Committee in 2023. We are honoured to accept and look forward to working with you to advance your priorities for the Committee this year.
At the outset, let me take this opportunity to thank Ambassador Anne-Kirsti Karlsen for the excellent stewardship of the Human Dimension Committee over the past two years. I am deeply indebted to Ambassador Karlsen and her colleagues at the Norwegian Delegation for the excellent briefings provided to my colleagues and me. I would also like to express appreciation to Ambassador Adam Hałaciński and his colleagues at the Permanent Delegation of Poland for their hard work and resolute leadership last year.
Let me also thank my Austrian and Romanian colleagues for their presentations. We fully support the programmes they have outlined and to working closely together in the three Committees over the course of the year. We look forward to interesting and vibrant discussions in 2023.
Distinguished colleagues,
In January, we presented an outline of themes and we had a productive discussion at the Human Dimension Committee on the priorities for 2023. Our work programme will be circulated after today’s discussion and will reflect a thematic approach to the work of the Committee, an approach successfully implemented in previous years. We intend to maintain the emphasis in each meeting on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, its appalling consequences and its impact on the human rights situation in the region.
Today, I am pleased to provide more detail on the programme. It will reflect the priorities of the Chairperson-in-office and the work programme of the Chairpersonship in 2023 and it will take into account a wide range of inputs received during the first month of this year.
Later this month, on 21 February, the committee will discuss the right to education in war, conflict and humanitarian crisis. We look forward to sharing examples of good practice of how participating States have responded to the challenge of providing education to displaced children and youth in emergency situations. A detailed concept note and agenda will be circulated in advance of the meeting.
In the following months, it is our intention that the Human Dimension Committee work programme will focus on issues including:
- combatting sexual violence as a weapon of war;
- supporting tolerance and non-discrimination, including challenges for Roma and Sinti in the OSCE area;
- freedom of the media;
- democratic institutions;
- freedom of peaceful assembly;
- combatting trafficking in human beings;
- addressing the shrinking space for civil society and the safety of Human Rights Defenders; and
- the OSCE’s contribution to upholding international humanitarian and human rights law.
We intend to integrate the broad human rights framework and gender equality into our discussions. We will also involve a wide range of stakeholders in the work including OSCE field missions, OSCE Secretariat, ODIHR, The Representative on Freedom of the Media, The High Commissioner on National Minorities, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, international organisations, NGOs and civil society. As has been the practice in the past, comprehensive concept notes will be provided before each meeting so that experts will have time to prepare and consult capitals.
Mr Chair
We know that lasting security cannot be achieved without respect for human rights and functioning democratic institutions. The Human Dimension Committee will support your work and the work of this Council over the course of this year. We look forward to working with participating States in the Human Dimension Committee this year in close collaboration with the chairpersonship of North Macedonia to advance the work in the Human Dimension at this crucial time.
Thank you.