On December 4th, the OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference took place in Malta on the eve of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting. As in past years, the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP), an international civil society platform in close contact with the OSCE, an  OSCE-Wide NGO network, organized the Parallel conference with the support of Maltese OSCE Chairpersonship. Representatives of civil society organizations and the OSCE diplomatic community participated in the meeting. 

The Parallel Civil Society Conference continued the tradition of held in Astana (2010), Vilnius (2011), Dublin (2012), Kiev (2013), Basel (2014), Belgrade (2015), Hamburg (2016), Vienna (2017), Milano (2018), Bratislava (2019), Tirana (2020, online), Stockholm (2021), Lodz (2022) and Skopje (2023).  The Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine), as the Secretariat of the CSP platform lead the conference preparation endorsed by the Minority Rights Group (Hungary), the Netherlands Helsinki Committee (Netherlands) and Austausch e.V. (Germany)

This conference is a reminder to honor the work of individuals working for the protection of fundamental human rights and to honor work aimed at promoting peace and security in the OSCE region.

The conference was divided into four consecutive panels: I “Civil society space and security of human rights defenders: Shrinking freedom and a threat to the ability of civil society to work for upholding the Helsinki principles”.

II “Climate change and environmental degradation as an inter-dimensional security crisis: A role of the OSCE in addressing the crisis in cooperation with civil society,” moderated by Kate Watters (Crude Accountability, USA) .

III “Torture and enforced disappearances in peaceful times and during conflicts: High time to put MC Decision 7/20 to active use”.

IV “Discrimination of and hate crime against vulnerable groups: A blow to the universality of human rights and the democratic fabric of our societies” moderated by Nurangiz Khodzharova (Minority Rights Group, Hungary) followed by the presentation of the Conference outcome document and comments by OSCE officials.

Local NGOs were invited to participate. Dr. Carla Camilleri, Deputy Director of the Aditus Foundation (Malta), gave an opening speech on behalf of Maltese civil society.

The Parallel Conference in Malta brought together activists, researchers and experts from civil society from across the OSCE region and has been a success thanks to the contribution of many speakers, moderators and participants. It provided an important forum for civil society to seek answers to current challenges in the implementation of the Helsinki principles and develop strategies and recommendations to try to empower OSCE political bodies, institutions and participating States.

Delegated CSP members and observers of the OSCE member states and institutions congregated over the Malta Declaration that called for a stronger civil backing of the OSCE and further promotion of the Helsinki principles. CSP representative Yuri Dzibladze emphasized on “the need of civil fortitude during international crises’ which is in line with the Vision of 2025 Chairspersonship Elina Valtonen, the formation of democracy, stability, and ethics are vital for a well-functioning Cooperation. 

Civic Solidarity Platform representatives presented the Conference outcome document, a Declaration to the OSCE Chair-in-Office, Hon. Ian Borg, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Malta, Elina Valtonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Finland and 2025 OSCE Chairpersonship, Zoran Dimitrovski, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia and 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, CiO Special Representative on Civil Society, Dr. Kate Fearon, Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, Officer-in-Charge/ Deputy Head of the OSCE Secretariat, Dr. Tea Jaliashvili, Officer-in-Charge/ First Deputy Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Philippe Tremblay, Officer-in-Charge/ Director of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Ambassador Marek Szczygiel, Officer-in-Charge/ Director of the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Pia Kauma, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

This year’s Declaration is entitled: “MALTA DECLARATION: A stronger and reformed OSCE is needed to ensure its ability to implement its mission and effectively respond to the crisis threatening our comprehensive security” includes the following sections:

• At the times of crisis, the OSCE should be strengthened and reformed. A stronger role of civil society in the upholding of the Helsinki principles should be ensured.
• Civil society space and security of human rights defenders: Shrinking freedom and a threat to the ability of civil society to work for upholding the Helsinki principles
• Combating torture and enforced disappearances in peaceful times and during conflict:       High time to put MC Decision 7/20 to active use
• Climate change and environmental degradation as a multidimensional security crisis: The role of the OSCE in addressing the crisis in cooperation with civil society
• Discrimination of minorities, migrants and vulnerable groups: A blow to the universality         of human rights and the democratic fabric of our societies
• A Pact for the future of the OSCE from a gender perspective

Outcome documents_OSCE Parallel CS Conference_2024_Malta_RUS_final

STATEMENTS

• Mobilise efforts to support Ukraine and resist the Russian aggression 
• Support democratic aspirations of the Belarusians and end impunity for crimes against humanity by the Lukashenka regime

Coming up on the 50th anniversary, The Helsinki Accords continued to advocate for international unity, during challenging times of the war in Ukraine.  Along with the focus on security and peace initiatives, the Parallel Conference addressed environmental sovereignty, combatting acts of torture and enforced disappearances, and minority rights. Ending the conference, an emphasis on mobilization efforts to support Ukraine against Russian aggression addressed the international community for a framework of solutions in aid of Ukraine, supporting the democratic aspirations of the Belarusians and ending impunity for crimes against humanity by the Lukashenka regime.

Overall, the Civil Solidarity platform provided a holistic analysis of current affairs, and a call to action for Diplomats, Activists, and NGO’s. The conference set the tone ahead of the OSCE Ministerial Council. 

We cordially thank members of the OSCE diplomatic community and personnel of OSCE institutions for attending the conference as guests and having interest in views and recommendations of civil society. We are grateful to the Troika Ministers and the leaders of OSCE bodies and institutions for officially accepting the outcome documents of the Conference and delivering their remarks. We express our gratitude to the Maltese Chairpersonship for providing support to the Conference.

The Russian translation of the Parallel Conference Outcome documents is available below, together with the original English document.

Outcome documents_OSCE Parallel CS Conference_2024_Malta_ENG_final