Report

From 4 to 8 July 2019, a delegation of 10 Canadian parliamentarians attended the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s (OSCE  PA’s) 28^th Annual Session in Luxembourg. The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P. led the delegation, which included the Honourable Senator Leo Housakos, the Honourable Senator Terry Mercer, the Honourable Senator Don Plett, the Honourable Senator Pierrette Ringuette, Mr. John Aldag, M.P., Mr. Sukh Dhaliwal, M.P., Mr. Colin Fraser, M.P., Ms. Irene Mathyssen, M.P., and Ms. Christine Moore, M.P. The delegation was accompanied by Ms. Julia Nicol, Advisor, and Mr. Matthieu Boulianne, Association Secretary.

2019 OSCE PA Annual Session

Parliamentarians from across the OSCE region, together with representatives of the “Partners for Cooperation”[1] states, met in Luxembourg for the OSCE PA’s Annual Session from 4 to 8 July 2019.[2] Throughout the Annual Session, the discussions were guided by the theme “Advancing Sustainable Development to Promote Security: The Role of Parliaments.” Delegates discussed such topics as resolving protracted conflicts, the situation in Ukraine, combating corruption, the return of foreign terrorist fighters to their countries of nationality, arms control, the protection of Christians and other religious minorities and the need for gender-based analysis of measures to address climate change.

The agenda included a meeting of the Standing Committee, three plenaries, and meetings of each of the OSCE PA’s three General Committees: Political Affairs and Security; Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment; and Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. In addition, a meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration was held,[3] as well as the annual working lunch on gender issues and several side events organized by various delegations. During the closing plenary session, which was held on the final day of the Annual Session, the Luxembourg Declaration was adopted. The declaration contains recommendations designed to influence the OSCE and national policies in OSCE participating States in the fields of political-military affairs, economics and environment, and human rights. Elections for several OSCE PA officer positions, including the President, open Vice-President positions and Treasurer, as well as for Committee officers, also took place.

A. Standing Committee   

The meeting of the Standing Committee, which comprises the OSCE PA’s heads of delegation and members of the Bureau (executive), was opened by OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (Georgia). The first order of business was to approve the recommendation of the Bureau to renew the mandate of the Secretary General, Roberto Montella. He was re-elected with 45 votes in favour and 2 against. The OSCE PA’s President, Treasurer, Secretary General and the Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on the Rules of Procedure and Working Practices all made remarks and the OSCE PA’s budget was approved.

The budget includes an increase of €186,499 from the previous year. This amount will be used to enhance the visibility of the OSCE PA as requested by the Bureau and approved at the 2019 Vienna meeting by the Standing Committee, as well as to pay for increased staff expenses and the higher costs for staff to travel to Vancouver for the 2020 Annual Session. There is also a €44,000 decrease in administrative expenses.

The recommended allocation of Supplementary Items (SI) to plenary and the three Committees was approved. In addition, a number of reports were made including by Third General Committee Chair Margareta Kiener Nellen concerning the leadership of that Committee’s recent trip to Ukraine to assess the human rights situation, and by OSCE  PA Vice-President Margareta Cederfelt regarding her work as the PA’s Rapporteur on the murder of Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition leader who was killed in 2015.

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., represented the Canadian delegation at the Standing Committee’s meeting. Ms. Irene Mathyssen, M.P., also attended. During her remarks to the Standing Committee, Dr. Fry reminded the delegates that Canada will host the 29^th Annual Session of the OSCE PA in Vancouver, British Columbia, in July 2020.

B. Opening Plenary Session    

In his remarks to the delegates, Mr. Fernand Etgen, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg, noted the importance of sustainable development in promoting security and avoiding conflict, particularly given current challenges relating to climate change and energy use.

OSCE PA president George Tsereteli then stressed the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an action plan to promote peace and security. He expressed concern about the undermining of multilateralism and called for resolution of the conflicts in the OSCE region in order to promote sustainable development and address issues such as environmental protection, poverty and respect for human rights. Mr. Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, discussed how individuals of 170 different nationalities live in peace in Luxembourg. He expressed concern regarding recent trends seeking to divide people and to vilify the “other,” calling on governments and parliaments to work together to address this polarization and vilification.

United States Congressman Steny Hoyer, Founding Member of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, made a special guest address at the opening plenary session. He stressed the importance of multilateralism, and of ensuring that the sacrifices of previous generations were not in vain. He called for delegates to defend and expand democratic governance, freedom, human rights and justice.

The delegates also debated and adopted two Supplementary Items during the first plenary:

• The Role of Civil Society - Individuals and Non-Governmental Organizations - in Realizing the Aims and Aspirations of the OSCE (Mr. Alcee Hastings, United States of America), adopted with no amendments.
• The Role of National Parliaments in Preventing and Combatting Corruption in the OSCE Area (a compromise SI sponsored by Ms. Margareta Cederfelt of Sweden and Ms. Irene Charalambides of Cyprus), adopted with two amendments.

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

The Opening Plenary Session was attended by all members of the Canadian delegation.

At the end of the Plenary Session, the Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., spoke to delegates about what to expect at the Annual Session in Vancouver in 2020. She noted that people in Vancouver come from all over the world and that individuals from all participating States likely live in the city. Dr. Fry promoted Vancouver as a multicultural and beautiful city and encouraged delegates to attend the Annual Session next year.

C. General Committee Meetings   

1. General Committee on Political Affairs and Security (First General Committee)   

Chair: Mr. Filippo Lombardi (Switzerland) was not present

Vice-Chair: Ms. Sofio Katsarava (Georgia) chaired the meetings of the First General Committee

Rapporteur: Mr. Alan Farrell (Ireland)

The First General Committee considered and debated a draft report and a draft resolution submitted by the Rapporteur. These documents focused on diverse topics including multilateralism, protracted conflicts, gender, youth, counterterrorism, nuclear arms control and the role of parliaments in advancing sustainable development to promote security. Following the Rapporteur’s presentation of the draft report and draft resolution, delegates debated issues raised in these documents. Proposed amendments to the draft resolution were then debated and adopted, and the draft resolution was adopted as amended. The First General Committee also debated, amended and adopted five SIs proposed by delegates:

• The Militarization by the Russian Federation of the Temporarily Occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, Ukraine, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov (Mr. Artur Gerasymov, Ukraine), adopted with no amendments.
• The Challenges Related to Returning and Relocating Foreign Terrorist Fighters (Mr. Mavroudis Voridis, Greece), adopted with two amendments.
• The Security and Human Rights Situation in Abkhazia, Georgia and Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, Georgia (Ms. Sofio Katsarava, Georgia), adopted with no amendments.
• Energy Security in the OSCE Area (Ms. Ruta Miliute, Lithuania), adopted with three amendments.
• Good Practices for States Related to Private and Military Security Companies (Mr. Hugues Hiltpold, Switzerland), adopted with one amendment.

The following individuals were elected as Committee officers for 2019–2020:

Chair: Mr. Filippo Lombardi (Switzerland)

Vice-Chair: Mr. Costel Neculai Dunava (Romania)

Rapporteur: Mr. Laurynas Kasciunas (Lithuania)

Canadian Participation:

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., the Honourable Senator Leo Housakos, the Honourable Senator Terry Mercer, the Honourable Senator Don Plett, Mr. John Aldag, M.P., Mr. Sukh Dhaliwal, M.P., Mr. Colin Fraser, M.P., Ms. Irene Mathyssen, M.P., and Ms. Christine Moore, M.P., attended the meetings of the First General Committee. Because meetings of other OSCE PA General Committees were held concurrently, not all delegates were present at all times.

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., sponsored four gender-related amendments to the First General Committee’s draft resolution. Her amendments strengthened the language concerning gender and introduced gender considerations in relation to the return of both foreign terrorist fighters and migrants/asylum seekers to their countries of nationality.

The Honourable Senator Terry Mercer responded to the Committee report in his remarks, focusing on cyber security and counterterrorism. He noted the benefits of digital tools in addressing security threats, while also recognizing the potential harm that technological developments can cause, including through the surveillance of citizens. He also outlined recent changes in Canada to ensure that law enforcement and intelligence agencies have the authorities and tools they need to address terrorist threats. He further underlined the importance of supporting local community efforts to address such threats.

Mr. John Aldag, M.P., responded to the SI on energy security sponsored by a Lithuanian delegate. He expressed support for the SI and noted that it complemented his SI on energy security dealt with in the Second General Committee. He stressed the importance of diversifying energy sources to avoid dependency and the risk of coercion by energy producing states, as well as the need to invest in clean, low-carbon energy technologies and to promote safety and environmental standards.

2. General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment (Second General Committee)   

Chair: Ms. Nilza de Sena (Portugal)

Vice-Chair: Mr. Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine)

Rapporteur: Ms. Elona Gjebrea Hoxha (Albania)

The Second General Committee considered and debated a draft report and a draft resolution submitted by the Rapporteur. Those documents focused on digitalization, good governance, corruption, terrorist financing, connectivity, migration management, food and water security, energy security, renewable energy, climate change and science. Following the Rapporteur’s presentation of the draft report and draft resolution, delegates debated issues raised in these documents. Proposed amendments to the draft resolution were then debated and adopted, and the draft resolution was adopted as amended. The Second General Committee also debated, amended and adopted four SIs proposed by delegates:

• Strategic Foresight for Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development (Mr. Boleslav Pirshtuk, Belarus), adopted with three amendments.
• The Integration of Gender and Youth Perspectives in Efforts to Combat Climate Change (the Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P.), adopted with no amendments.
• Digitalization as an Advantage for Gender Policies (Ms. Stefana Miladinovic, Serbia), adopted with two amendments, including one proposed by Ms. Christine Moore, M.P.
• Promoting Energy Security by Ensuring Access to Sustainable Energy (Mr. John  Aldag, M.P.), adopted with no amendments.

The following individuals were elected as Committee officers for 2019–2020:

Chair: Sofio Katsarava (Georgia)

Vice-Chair: Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine)

Rapporteur: Elona Giebrea Hoxha (Albania)

Canadian Participation:

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., the Honourable Senator Pierrette Ringuette, Mr. John Aldag, M.P., Mr. Sukh Dhaliwal, M.P., Ms. Irene Mathyssen, M.P., and Ms.  Christine Moore, M.P., attended the meetings of the Second General Committee. Because meetings of other OSCE PA General Committees were held concurrently, not all delegates were present at all times.

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., sponsored three gender-related amendments to the Second General Committee’s draft resolution. Her amendments added two new paragraphs addressing the need for gender-responsive climate policy and for policies and programmes to increase the enrolment of young women and girls in the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). She also inserted language in an existing paragraph to encourage gender-responsive services for migrants in Europe. Dr. Fry also sponsored an SI as noted above, which was adopted without amendments. The SI recognizes that individuals experience climate change differently due to gender and other forms of inequality and that women and girls are disproportionately affected. It calls for women and youth to be included in decision-making concerning climate change.

Mr. John Aldag, M.P., proposed an SI about renewable energy, as noted above, which was adopted without amendments. The SI urges participating States to take all action necessary to meet UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 on sustainable energy; calls for the use of the OSCE and OSCE PA as platforms to promote enhanced dialogue and cooperation on sustainable energy and energy security; and urges participating States to implement gender-inclusive sustainable energy policies. Mr. Aldag also made remarks after the presentation of the Second General Committee report and resolution that were focused on climate change and energy. He called for participating States to address climate change and increase the use of renewable energy.

Ms. Christine Moore, M.P., sponsored an amendment to the SI, Digitalization as an Advantage for Gender Policies, which was adopted. The amendment encourages participating States to put in place technologies so that parliamentarians who are pregnant or have just given birth can work and vote remotely.

3. General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions (Third General Committee)   

Chair: Ms. Margareta Kiener Neilen (Switzerland)

Vice-Chair: Mr. Georg Link (Germany)

Rapporteur: Mr. Kyriakos Hadjuyianni (Cyprus)

The Third General Committee Chair made remarks concerning the work of the Committee leadership over the past year, including the trip to Ukraine mentioned above. The Third General Committee also considered and debated a draft report and a draft resolution submitted by the Rapporteur. Those documents discussed the diminishing prioritization of human rights issues in foreign policy, the use of states of emergency to justify the curtailment of human rights protections, children in situations of conflict and stateless children, genocide, the death penalty, the destruction of cultural heritage, modern slavery, youth, migration, conflicts in and near the OSCE region, persecution of journalists and activists, as well as violence against women. Following the Rapporteur’s presentation of the draft report and draft resolution, delegates debated issues raised in these documents. Proposed amendments to the draft resolution were then debated and adopted, and the draft resolution was adopted as amended. The Third General Committee also debated, amended and adopted three SIs proposed by delegates and defeated one proposed SI:

• Educating Schoolchildren to Avoid Human Trafficking (Mr. Chris Smith, USA), adopted with four amendments proposed by Ms. Christine Moore, M.P.
• Neonatal Care as a Social Development Target (Ms. Paola Taverna, Italy), adopted with three amendments including two proposed by Ms. Christine Moore,  M.P.
• Combatting Xenophobia, Aggressive Nationalism and Related Intolerance (Mr. Artem Turov, Russian Federation) was defeated. Delegates expressed concern that the SI did not sufficiently recognize the harms caused by other types of totalitarian regimes and Stalin’s cooperation with the Nazis. Delegates also expressed concern that the actions of the Russian Federation demonstrated that their commitment to combatting xenophobia, aggressive nationalism and related intolerance was not genuine.
• A Call for Stronger OSCE Action Against Increased Discrimination of Christians in Certain OSCE Participating States, as well as Adherents of Other Minority Faiths (Mr. Bjorn Soder, Sweden), adopted with one amendment.

The following individuals were elected as Committee officers for 2019–2020:

Chair: Mr. Kyriakos Hadjuyianni (Cyprus)

Vice-Chair: Mr. Georg Link (Germany)

Rapporteur: Susana Amador (Portugal)

Canadian Participation:

Meetings of the Second General Committee were attended by all members of the Canadian delegation.

In responding to the Third General Committee report, the Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C.,  M.P., expressed concern that people talk about the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide and apartheid in South Africa, for example, but keep making the same mistakes. She stressed the importance of parliamentarians speaking up to protect individuals from xenophobia and hate crimes and of supporting dialogue, while being firm about basic principles.

Dr. Fry also proposed four amendments to the Third General Committee draft resolution. One proposal was to insert language expressing particular concern for LGBT[4] (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) individuals in Chechnya. Another clarified that women and girls are not just victims but also leaders and decision-makers in addressing gender-based violence and gender inequality. A third amendment called for gender needs assessments for people in conflict areas and occupied territories and the fourth called on OSCE participating States to develop strategies to combat the harassment of women journalists.

The Honourable Senator Terry Mercer also spoke in response to the report, congratulating the Committee Rapporteur for including youth in the topics covered. He stressed the importance of supporting youth to develop their leadership skills and including youth in decision-making, and of meeting the distinct needs of Indigenous youth in the Canadian context.

Ms. Irene Mathyssen, M.P., also spoke during the debate after the report was presented. She called for the protection of the rights of women and girls, including their sexual and reproductive health rights, as well as the rights of LGBT community members. She also expressed concern about the influence of and funding by organizations that are working against such protections, which she indicated she has observed in recent times.

Ms. Christine Moore, M.P., proposed two amendments to the Third General Committee draft resolution that were adopted. One strengthened the language addressing sexual violence and the other inserted reference to Indigenous peoples in a paragraph concerned about racism and violence against Roma and Sinti people. She also proposed two amendments to a Supplementary Item on neonatal health. The amendments introduced paragraphs regarding lack of respect for and abuse of women during childbirth (also referred to as obstetrical violence). In addition, she proposed four amendments to a Supplementary Item on educating school children regarding human trafficking, which were all adopted. Those four amendments related to the type of material to cover with young people and the specific subgroups of children that might be particularly at risk of human trafficking.

Mr. Sukh Dhaliwal, M.P., spoke in support of the Supplementary Item on neonatal care. He stressed the link between neonatal care and human security in his remarks and called for evidence-based decision-making.

D. Second and Final Plenaries   

At the second plenary, a number of high-level speakers made remarks. The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Liliane Maury Pasquier, noted the common concerns of PACE and the OSCE PA and stressed the importance of multilateralism and the roles of parliamentary assemblies in promoting international norms, as well as sustainable development. The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, the Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, noted the unique role that the OSCE field operations, institutions and secretariat can play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The OSCE Secretary General, Thomas Greminger, urged greater action to achieve sustainable development and outlined some potential actions for parliamentarians in that regard. He also discussed other OSCE priorities including the crisis in and around Ukraine, cyber security and climate change, as well as the challenges in building a common sense of purpose among participating States. In addition, the Supplementary Item on Effective Migration Governance Based on Promoting Inclusive Societies and Dignified Returns was adopted with three amendments at the second plenary.

An open debate began during the second plenary and continued during the final plenary. In addition, at the final plenary, reports were presented by the chairs of the Ad Hoc Committees on migration and countering terrorism, as well as by the special representatives, the heads of election observation activities held over the past year, the treasurer and the secretary general. The Luxembourg Declaration was adopted and the Officers of the OSCE PA were elected.

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

The second and final plenary sessions were attended by all members of the Canadian delegation.

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., stressed the importance of addressing the needs of unaccompanied minors, and of recognizing the economic benefits of migrants to host countries in her remarks concerning the SI on migration. Dr. Fry also presented her 2019 gender report, warning about the harm of rigid conceptions of masculinity for both boys and girls. She also called for the use of intersectional analysis, which considers how to understand and address multiple forms of discrimination that may overlap, such as racism and sexism. She further stressed the importance of broad-based social inclusion as a means of reducing conflict. She recognized the significant improvements at the PA regarding awareness of gender issues since she first became involved, noting the participation of more women as delegates and heads of delegation, and of men speaking more regularly about gender at the PA.

The Honourable Senator Terry Mercer spoke in the general debate about the importance of freedom of expression, freedom of the media and Internet freedom given the rise of disinformation campaigns and propaganda in recent years. He mentioned a number of initiatives at the OSCE to address this issue and warned that attacks on independent media undermine democratic systems and risk causing increased human rights violations to take place.

Mr. John Aldag, M.P., addressed the theme of the conference in his remarks during the general debate. He talked about the importance of sustainable development in responding to and mitigating climate change, in reinforcing trust in institutions and in ensuring inclusive and stable societies. He called for parliamentarians to do more to address these issues.

Mr. Sukh Dhaliwal, M.P., spoke during the general debate about the importance of understanding immigration policy as not only a social policy, but also an economic one. He voiced appreciation for the countries leading in the protection of refugees and expressed pride in the Canadian immigration system.

E. Working Lunch on Gender Issues   

The theme of the annual working lunch on gender issues was “Gender and Youth,” and it was co-hosted by Mr. Eugene Berger, the Head of the Delegation of Luxembourg to the OSCE PA and the Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P. In her remarks, Dr. Fry stressed the importance of intersectional analysis to ensure that the needs of all people are addressed. She called for inclusive approaches that include both men and women as a way to make better decisions, and for an approach that incorporates the perspectives of youth in efforts to address climate change.

Mr. George Tsereteli, OSCE PA President, expressed the PA’s support for the Special Representative, and for efforts to promote gender equality. He also discussed his recent trip to Norway where he spoke about climate change. Mr. Dan Biancalana, Chairman of the Committee on equality between women and men in the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, stressed the importance of education in promoting gender equality and countering gender stereotypes. Ms. August Featherston, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights’ Youth Focal Point and Democratic Governance Officer, shared information and best practices concerning research into youth, gender and new technologies, as well as youth political participation and involvement in decision-making.

The final speaker was 17-year-old Nora Dieschbourg, a youth activist from Luxembourg. She outlined her positive experiences as a young woman in STEM and in the Luxembourgish Youth Parliament. She also stressed the importance of female role models in STEM, both for young girls but also for boys, and encouraged the development of mentorships, and the establishment of labour laws encouraging gender equality and support for youth organizations.

A moderated discussion followed the speeches. Most members of the Canadian delegation attended the gender lunch.

F. Ad Hoc Committee on Migration    

The Ad Hoc Committee on Migration – which serves as a focal point for the OSCE PA’s work regarding migration – met on 5 July 2019. The Committee discussed its recent trip to Belgium, and its work to date concerning unaccompanied minors, migrants in vulnerable situations and the return of migrants to their home countries. The SI on Effective Migration Governance Based on Promoting Inclusive Societies and Dignified Returns was discussed, as well as the amendments being proposed to it. OSCE PA President George Tsereteli informed the Committee members that there would likely be a few additional members appointed to the Committee given expressions of interest. Possible future visits by Committee members to Spain and Canada were discussed.

Activities of the Canadian Delegation:

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P. is a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration and attended its meeting. Dr. Fry mentioned that, in 2018, Canada resettled more refugees than any other country. She also spoke about the increase in asylum seekers at Canadian borders in recent years and invited the Committee to do a field visit while in Canada for the 2020 Annual Session.

G. Other Side Meetings/Side events   

Various Canadian delegates attended the following side-events over the course of the 28^th Annual Session:

• “Countering Hate: Lessons from History, Current Best Practices,” hosted by OSCE  PA Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism and Intolerance Senator Ben Cardin (USA).
• “Educating children to avoid becoming victimized by human traffickers- modern-day slavery,” hosted by OSCE PA Special Representative on Human Trafficking Issues Chris Smith (USA) and OSCE PA Vice-President Roger Wicker (USA).
• “Round table: Combating neo-Nazism and other phenomena that contribute to racism, xenophobia and related intolerance,” hosted by Mr. Artem Turov and Mr. Alexey Kornienko (Russian Federation).
• “Hearing on the murder of Boris Nemtsov,” chaired by Mr. Mark Pritchard, Head of Delegation from the United Kingdom, with rapporteurs Ms. Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) and Mr. Emaluelis Zingeris (Lithuania and PACE Special Rapporteur on the Nemtsov case).
• “100 years of Georgian Parliamentarism,” hosted by the Georgian Parliamentary Delegation.

Respectfully submitted,

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P.
Director
Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation
in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA)