Response to the Address by the Personal Representatives of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combatting Discrimination & Promoting Tolerance As delivered by Ambassador James S. Gilmore III to the Permanent Council, Vienna December 10, 2020 Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The United States welcomes to the Permanent Council the Chair-in-Office’s Personal Representatives on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination: Rabbi …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 10 December, 2020 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Religious Freedom, Statements, Ukraine Crisis
Statement of the informal OSCE Group of Friends on the Safety of Journalists delivered by H.E. Christine Fages, Permanent Representative of France to the OSCE to the Permanent Council, Vienna November 6, 2020 Madam Chair, I make this statement on behalf of the informal OSCE Group of Friends on the Safety of Journalists, namely Austria, …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 6 November, 2020 | Topics: Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Speech, Fundamental Freedoms, Statements | Tags: Safety of Journalists
Statement on the 20th Anniversary of UNSCR 1325 on “Women, Peace and Security” As delivered by Ambassador James S. Gilmore III to the Permanent Council, Vienna October 22, 2020 Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The United States welcomes the Albanian Chairmanship’s focus on Women, Peace and Security at the OSCE, and we thank Ambassador Verveer …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 22 October, 2020 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Gender Equality, Second Dimension, Statements | Tags: China, Uyghur
Statement at the Human Dimension Webinar on Access to Information and Freedom of the Media The United States appreciates the opportunity to address the issues of access to information and freedom of the media at today’s webinar. Freedom of information is essential for the implementation of Principle VII of the Helsinki Final Act, which recognizes …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 21 October, 2020 | Topics: Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Speech, Fundamental Freedoms, Media Freedom, Statements
Statement to the Permanent Council
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 15 October, 2020 | Topics: Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Speech, Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Moldova, Transnistria
Statement by Ambassador James S. Gilmore III to the Permanent Council
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 15 October, 2020 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Protracted Conflicts, Statements, Ukraine Crisis | Tags: Crimea under Russian Occupation, Freedom of movement, Rule of Law, Russia, Ukraine
Statement by Ambassador James S. Gilmore III to the Permanent Council
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 8 October, 2020 | Topics: Freedom of Expression, Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Moldova
Statement by Ambassador James S. Gilmore III to the Permanent Council
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 3 September, 2020 | Topics: Freedom of Expression, Fundamental Freedoms, Statements | Tags: Russia
Statement to the Permanent Council
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 30 July, 2020 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Azerbaijan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan
Statement delivered by Ambassador James S. Gilmore III to the Permanent Council on July 23, 2020
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 23 July, 2020 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, ODIHR, Statements
Statement delivered by Ambassador James S. Gilmore III to the Permanent Council on July 23, 2020
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 23 July, 2020 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Good Governance, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Greece
Joint statement on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms delivered at the closing of the 2019 OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 6 December, 2019 | Topics: Civil Society and NGOs, Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements
Press Release: Assistant Secretary Destro assured human rights defenders: “The United States stands in defense of civil society and we reject undue restrictions on civil society participation in the OSCE.”
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 5 December, 2019 | Topics: Civil Society and NGOs, Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Press Releases, Statements
U.S. Statement delivered at HDIM 2019 Working Session 8 on Tolerance and Non-discrimination.
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By | 20 September, 2019 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Uzbekistan
U.S. Statement delivered at HDIM 2019 Working Session 8 on Tolerance and Non-discrimination.
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By | 20 September, 2019 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements, Tolerance and Non-discrimination | Tags: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Uzbekistan
U.S. Statement delivered at HDIM 2019 Working Session 7 on Freedom of Religion, Thought, or Belief
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By | 19 September, 2019 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Religious Freedom, Statements
Statement delivered at the Permanent Council on Elections in Kazakhstan
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 13 June, 2019 | Topics: Elections, Fundamental Freedoms, Statements | Tags: Kazakhstan
Statement in Response to the Head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 13 June, 2019 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Turkmenistan
Response to Head of the OSCE Center in Ashgabat, Ambassador Natalya Drozd.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 14 June, 2018 | Topics: Civil Society and NGOs, Fundamental Freedoms, Statements | Tags: Turkmenistan
The United States is abiding in its commitment to achieve a world without torture. We stand in solidarity with victims of torture in the OSCE region and around the world.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 21 July, 2017 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Statements
Russia’s increasing application of “extremism” legislation to target wrongfully members of peaceful religious minority groups is troubling.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 20 July, 2017 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Statements | Tags: Russia
We agree that we can all do more to strengthen journalist protections. We agree that there is a need for more fact-based reporting. And we agree that these issues need to be addressed democratically and in a manner consistent with OSCE principles and commitments.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 30 June, 2017 | Topics: Civil Society and NGOs, Exclude, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Speech, Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Media Freedom, Public Affairs, RFOM, Statements
National security matters are an issue of public debate in the United States, a debate which involves civil society, human rights activists, the media, journalists, bloggers, comedians, and any number of other individuals and organizations, all of which are free to express themselves, organize, associate, and peacefully assemble to make their views heard.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 11 May, 2017 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Russia, United States
Kosovo continues to make steady progress in several important areas, yet much work remains to be done.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 2 February, 2017 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Good Governance, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Kosovo
Security through a rules-based international order founded on the protection of human rights and inclusive, democratic societies can best be achieved when international organizations such as the OSCE and the Council of Europe work in concert to protect and promote our common values.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 26 January, 2017 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements, Ukraine Crisis
The failures of participating States to implement their OSCE commitments do not make the fundamental truth underlying the OSCE concept of comprehensive security any less true.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 9 December, 2016 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Russia, Ukraine
The United States is deeply concerned by Macedonian President Ivanov’s announced decision to pardon those subject to investigation in connection with the wiretapping scandal.
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 14 April, 2016 | Topics: Elections, Fundamental Freedoms, Statements | Tags: Macedonia
We thank Director Link for his presentation on this year’s Human Dimension Implementation Meeting. We also would like to once again thank Poland for hosting the HDIM. Once a year, we spend a significant amount of time and resources to conduct a comprehensive review of how all OSCE participating States are doing in implementing the …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 29 October, 2015 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, ODIHR, Statements
As we conclude another OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), our thanks go once again to Poland for hosting the conference and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Michael Link and his team have worked tirelessly to prepare and facilitate these last two weeks, and we are grateful to them for …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 2 October, 2015 | Topics: Civil Society and NGOs, Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, ODIHR, Statements
The signers of the Helsinki Final Act, like the signers of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recognized that professing and practicing one’s religion, alone or with others, is a human right and fundamental freedom of every individual.The United States welcomes ODIHR’s appointment of a Senior Advisor and an Associate Officer on Freedom of Religion …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 30 September, 2015 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Religious Freedom, Statements
The United States remains concerned that the right to leave and return to one’s country eludes many citizens in the OSCE region. Several OSCE participating States inhibit external and internal movement through exit visa regimes and other mechanisms that frequently target activists, human rights defenders and political opposition figures. These participating States interfere with the …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 28 September, 2015 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Statements
The freedom of peaceful assembly and association is a cornerstone of democracy. All OSCE participating States have committed to protect peaceful assembly and to respect the right of individuals to associate with others, even if in so doing they voice opinions critical of the government or are generally unpopular. During the last year, Russia accelerated …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 23 September, 2015 | Topics: Civil Society and NGOs, Freedom of Assembly & Association, Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements
The Internet has revolutionized the way we receive and share information. As more and more people around the globe gain access to the Internet, we have seen a dramatic change in the ease with which ideas and information can be disseminated. States have affirmed the freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive, and impart …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 22 September, 2015 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements
The United States has always valued privacy, and it remains central to policy debate today, in the age of the Internet and smart phones. In the last decade, the Internet has facilitated a renewal of direct political engagement by citizens around the globe and unprecedented information sharing. Much of this innovation is enabled by novel …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 22 September, 2015 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements
Forty years ago, the Helsinki Final Act committed participating States to work together to seek “peace, security and justice” with the objective of “promoting better relations among themselves and ensuring conditions in which their people can live in true and lasting peace free from any threat to or attempt against their security.” The Helsinki Final …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 21 September, 2015 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements
I wanted to respond to a couple of points. I won’t repeat the point I made earlier about responding to concerns with accusations which I think doesn’t make for a strong response. But I would say that it also applies here. I just wanted to clarify two things, though. First, I wholeheartedly agree with our …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 3 September, 2015 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Azerbaijan
I would like to follow up on a statement made by the European Union at the PC on July 2. The United States expresses its deep concern over the Government of Tajikistan’s ongoing attempts to silence voices of political opposition members, both within Tajikistan and abroad. As we have previously noted, international observers characterized Tajikistan’s …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 16 July, 2015 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements | Tags: Tajikistan
We applaud the Chairmanship for selecting the important and timely topic of Freedom of Assembly and Association for a Supplemental Human Dimension Meeting. The foundation of a democratic state is respect for the rule of law and human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedoms of association and peaceful assembly, whether they are exercised on …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 16 April, 2015 | Topics: Civil Society and NGOs, Freedom of Assembly & Association, Fundamental Freedoms, Statements
This statement is delivered on behalf of more than forty participating States that have co-sponsored the draft Ministerial Decisions on the right to freedom of expression and the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly. This year we have seen regression in the implementation of fundamental freedoms and other human rights. We are convinced …
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By U.S. Mission OSCE | 5 December, 2014 | Topics: Fundamental Freedoms, Human Rights, Statements