Until the early 1990’s, the CSCE remained a negotiating machinery. There were follow-up meetings and conferences to review implementation of the commitments undertaken as well as to negotiate further commitments between participating States. There can be no doubt that the CSCE-process contributed to the end of the Cold War. It brought governments from all parts of Europe and from North America together to discuss and agree on a code of conduct between them and to review each other’s performance. This was an important element in reducing distrust and fostering confidence between the members of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. And – equally important – it inspired human rights activists in European communist countries to organise and challenge totalitarian regimes.
The collapse of communism in 1989-90 also changed the CSCE. At a Summit Meeting in Paris in November 1990, the participants adopted the Paris Charter for a New Europe. It represented a decisive step from an era, which had basically been one of confrontation, to a new era where an entirely different level of co-operation had become possible. In Helsinki in 1992, further steps were taken; it was decided to turn the CSCE into OSCE – to move from being a conference to becoming an organisation. A permanent secretariat was established and new institutions set up.
This was a time when great expectations gave way to new conflicts and even wars; following the collapse of the Soviet Union and of Yugoslavia, the OSCE found itself confronted with tremendous tasks related to preventing and ending conflicts and building new democratic and market-oriented societies. To play its role in meeting these challenges, the first field missions were set up. Following the Dayton agreement, the first large-scale mission was established in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, the OSCE has 18 field missions and offices in participating States, some with several hundred international staff members and others with only a handful. The tasks undertaken by these field missions and offices have grown over the last years. Furthermore, the OSCE today works in close co-operation with UN, EU, NATO and other organisations in a broad international partnership that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.
The CSCE and the OSCE has been through tremendous challenges and changes over these almost 30 years. Today, we can safely say that we are making important progress; towards more democracy, more respect for human rights, more confidence and greater integration. Furthermore, we are making great progress in building sensible patterns of co-operation between important international organisations. The CSCE and the OSCE have been useful instruments – from the very outset. At times, the CSCE has been the only remaining forum for dialogue between two parts of Europe. Now, the OSCE forms part of a concerted effort by several organisations and institutions to bring the participating states more closely together, thereby creating a more stable and prosperous area. Serious challenges remain, no doubt. They are apparent to all of us. But it has been a very rewarding experience to witness the efforts and results achieved – in spite of troubled times.