The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is, with its 57 participating States, the world's largest regional security organization. The OSCE is custodian of the European security order and works to promote security, peace, and democracy from a comprehensive approach. The comprehensive concept of security includes commitments in the field of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law; Politico-Military aspects; gender equality, and economic, climate, and environmental issues.
Russia’s aggression and full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a serious violation of International Law, the UN Charter, and the OSCE's fundamental principles and commitments. The OSCE has played an important role to support Ukraine and demanding accountability from Russia. The commitment to Ukraine is long-standing and the Organization was the main actor on the ground for the international community after the start of Russia’s aggression in 2014 until the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Finland, which holds the OSCE rotating chairpersonship in 2025, has appointed Sweden to chair the organization's Human Dimension Committee for the year. The human dimension is a cornerstone of the OSCE's comprehensive approach to security, linking issues of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law with security between and within states.
Sweden's work focuses on promoting and strengthening the respect for the European security order based on international law and the OSCE's commitments and principles. This is expressed in the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris, and other OSCE documents.
Sweden actively supports Ukraine and the efforts to demand political accountability towards Russia for its aggression against the country. In line with this, Sweden has actively participated in the invocation of tools for human rights monitoring and accountability concerning Russia and Belarus.
Sweden is a clear voice in support of compliance with the OSCE's far-reaching commitments regarding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law at a time when these continue to be challenged in some participating States. The Swedish chairpersonship of the OSCE's Human Dimension Committee underscores this commitment and allows for highlighting issues of particular importance. At the end of 2024, Sweden participated in the activation of one of the OSCE's human rights tools concerning developments in Georgia.
Sweden attaches importance to a strong EU role in the organization. Nationally and through the EU, Sweden has actively supported the OSCE chairpersonships in ensuring that the Russian aggression against Ukraine remains high on the OSCE's agenda.
The organization has its roots in the forum established in the early 1970s for dialogue between East and West, called the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). The CSCE was granted the status of a regional organization under the UN Charter's Chapter VIII in 1993. In 1995, the CSCE was renamed the OSCE and headquartered in Vienna.
The OSCE's activities are based on a concept of comprehensive security encompassing three dimensions of security: democracy and human rights, Politico-Military, as well as economic, environmental and climate aspects. This includes monitoring and promoting respect for human rights in all participating States, conducting election observation activities, promoting gender equality and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, contributing to mediation and conflict prevention efforts, and implementing confidence-building measures in the Politico-Military field.
All European states, including Russia, as well as Canada, the USA, the states of the South Caucasus, and the Central Asian states participate in the OSCE. The most recent participating State is Mongolia, which joined the organization in 2012.
The OSCE chairpersonship leads the organization's political work and rotates annually among the participating States. Sweden last held the chairpersonship in 2021. Since then the following States has served as Chair: Poland (2022), North Macedonia (2023), Malta (2024) and Finland (2025). Switzerland will chair the organization in 2026. Decision-making within the OSCE is based on the principle of consensus.
The organization’s activities are overseen by the Permanent Council in Vienna, which normally convenes the OSCE ambassadors of the participating States for a weekly meeting. A significant part of the work among the participating States is also conducted in four committees. Each of the OSCE’s three dimensions of security has its own committee. Additionally, there is a committee for budget and management issues, along with various working groups.
Summits, where the Heads of State or Government of the participating States gather, are the OSCE's highest decision-making body. The most recent summit took place in 2010 in Astana. In between summits, the Foreign Ministers of the participating States meet for the annual Ministerial Council meeting which is held in December each year. In 2024, the Ministerial Council meeting was held in Malta.
The OSCE's executive structures are geographically dispersed. The Secretariat, led by the Secretary General, and the Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) are based in Vienna. The High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) is based in The Hague, and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is located in Warsaw. Additionally, there are twelve field presences in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is based in Copenhagen.
The autonomous institutions (ODIHR, HCNM, and RFoM) are important pillars of the organization's work on democracy and human rights. The extensive field operations also make significant contributions by inter alia promoting democratic development, strengthening human rights, and the rule of law in the countries and regions where they operate. Sweden actively supports the OSCE's institutions and field operations and their mandates.
Politico-Military aspects of security are considered in the Forum for Security Co-operation. Closely linked to this forum are various instruments related to arms control and military confidence-building. Other issues handled within the Politico-Military dimension include discussions within the framework of the Structured Dialogue and work on the Code of Conduct, which inter alia stipulates ethical rules and minimum common standards for civilian control of the participating States' armed forces. All NATO-allies are also participating States in the OSCE.
Sweden's membership fee to the OSCE amounts to approximately 48 million SEK annually. Additionally, Sweden contributes seconded personnel to various parts of the organization's executive structures, to ODIHR election missions and OSCE extra-budgetary projects.
