REPORT

From 28 June to 6 July 2021, a delegation of ten Canadian parliamentarians attended the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s (OSCE PA) 29^th Annual Session held in a hybrid format. The delegation included:

• the Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., head of the delegation;

• the Honourable Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais;

• the Honourable Senator Marilou McPhedran;

• the Honourable Senator Vernon White;

• the Honourable Senator Patricia Bovey[1];

• Mr. Luc Berthold, Member of Parliament;

• Ms. Marilène Gill, Member of Parliament;

• Ms. Yvonne Jones, Member of Parliament;

• Ms. Ruby Sahota, Member of Parliament; and

• Ms. Ya’ara Saks, Member of Parliament.

The delegation was assisted by Francis Lord and Laura Munn-Rivard, Advisors with the Library of Parliament, and Céline Ethier, the Association’s Secretary. The 29^th Annual Session included meetings of each of the three general committees, the Standing Committee, and the Plenary.

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS

A. GENERAL COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND SECURITY (FIRST GENERAL COMMITTEE)    

Chair: Richard Hudson (United States)

Vice-Chair: Costel Neculai Dunava (Romania)

Rapporteur: Laurynas Kasciunas (Lithuania)

The General Committee on Political Affairs and Security (First General Committee), held on 2 July 2021, considered and debated the draft report of the Rapporteur. The report focused on diverse topics such as: multilateralism (including mounting tensions between participating States and the general decline of military transparency), the latest developments and settlement efforts related to conflicts in the OSCE area, emerging cyber/information and communications technology (ICT) security challenges, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transnational threats such as terrorism and criminal activities, and the repression of political opponents, independent media, and human rights defenders in some OSCE PA participating States.

In particular, the rapporteur’s report expressed concerns over:

• the detention of Roman Protasevich, his partner Sofia Sapega, and other Belarusian political prisoners; and
• the poisoning, detention, and sentencing of Alexei Navalny and the treatment of protesters in Russia.
• Following the Rapporteur’s presentation of the report, delegates debated issues raised in the document.

1. CANADIAN PARTICIPATION AT THE FIRST GENERAL COMMITTEE   

The General Committee on Political Affairs and Security was attended by the Honourable Senator Dagenais; the Honourable Senator White; Mr. Berthold, M.P.; Ms. Gill, M.P.; Ms. Jones, M.P.; Ms. Sahota, M.P.; and Ms. Saks, M.P.

The following delegates participated to the debate:

• Senator Dagenais focused his response to the rapporteur’s report on the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which recognizes the inherent right of states to acquire conventional weapons for self‑defence, while acknowledging that these rights come with an obligation to regulate the international trade in these weapons to prevent the illicit trade in arms. Canada became a state party to the Arms Trade Treaty in 2019 and Senator Dagenais explained that Canadian law today requires the government to deny any export permit where there is a serious risk that military goods or technology will cause one of the negative consequences listed in the Treaty – such as undermining peace and security or facilitating human rights violations. The Senator noted that parliamentarians contributed to the development of the legislation that strengthened the existing process for assessing export permits and paved the way for Canada’s accession to the Arms Trade Treaty. Senator Dagenais concluded by calling on all OSCE PA participating States to sign and ratify the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, particularly the largest arms producers like the United States (U.S.) and Russia.

• Mr. Berthold, M.P., spoke on the issue of state repression in Belarus, an OSCE PA participating State. He criticized the Belarusian authorities and President Lukashenko for failing to live up to their commitments – including those made at the OSCE PA annual session in Minsk in 2017 – to strengthen democracy in Belarus and throughout Europe. Speaking as a former journalist, Mr. Berthold expressed serious concern about the crackdown on free media in the country. He described the detention of Roman Pratasevich and Sofia Sapega as an example of this crackdown. Mr. Berthold said that Canada and the United Kingdom were the first two countries to impose sanctions on Belarus in response the situation. To conclude his remarks, Mr. Berthold said that Canada stood in solidarity with the people of Belarus.

• Senator White focused his remarks on the growth of right-wing extremism in the OSCE PA region, which he noted has evolved from a national to a transnational problem. In his view, these ideologically motivated extremist groups – which he described as anti-establishment, anti-government, anti-immigration, and nationalistic – have been emboldened by their own growth. Senator White pointed out that although extremist groups have been largely unsuccessful in mainstream politics, the pandemic has facilitated their growth and allowed them to exploit and spread distrust of governments. Senator White told delegates that state security organizations and law enforcement must focus on combating these right-wing extremist groups, but he recognized that this would stretch their resources. He noted that in 2021, the government of Canada added right-wing group Proud Boys to its list of terrorist entities, joining groups like of ISIS and Al-Shabaab. To conclude, Senator White spoke about the importance of OSCE PA participating States working together to combat this threat.

B. GENERAL COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT (SECOND GENERAL COMMITTEE)    

Chair: Ms. Doris Barnett (Germany)

Vice-Chair: Mr. Artur Gerasymov (Ukraine)

Rapporteur: Ms. Elona Gjebrea Hoxha (Albania)

The General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment (Second General Committee), held on 1 July 2021, was opened by Chair Doris Barnett, who thanked fellow members of the Second General Committee for their support for multilateralism. Ms. Barnett highlighted complex and interconnected challenges in the fields of environmental and economic security and called on the global community to work together to address them. Ms. Barnett argued that the swift development of a COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated that, with enough resources, innovation, and political will, any issue can be tackled – including shifting the global economy towards sustainability.

The Second General Committee considered and debated a report submitted by the Rapporteur. The report focused on matters of economic security (e.g., socio-economic recovery, anti-corruption efforts), environmental security (e.g., climate change, environmental degradation), and sustainable development (e.g., low-carbon energy transition, green finance). Following the Rapporteur’s presentation of the report, delegates debated issues raised in the document.

1. CANADIAN PARTICIPATION AT THE SECOND GENERAL COMMITTEE   

The Honourable Dr. Fry, P.C., M.P., the Honourable Senator Bovey, the Honourable Senator McPhedran, the Honourable Senator White, Mr. Berthold, M.P., Ms. Gill, M.P., Ms. Jones, M.P., and Ms. Saks, M.P., attended the meeting of the Second General Committee.

The following delegates participated to the debate:

• The Honourable Dr. Fry, P.C., M.P. underlined how the pandemic has exposed major flaws and vulnerabilities in our economic, health and social support systems. Dr. Fry reminded attendees that the pandemic has disproportionately affected women in comparison to men: they have suffered more job loss and face more risk given that front-line workers are predominantly women. In Dr. Fry’s view, women are crucial to the post-pandemic economic recovery, and governments can support women’s participation in the economy by investing in re-skilling and training. Dr. Fry added that multilateralism facilitates sharing information and best practices, and that OSCE PA participating States must endeavour to become more inclusive and tolerant.

• The Honourable Senator McPhedran shared her views on environmental security through the lens of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Senator McPhedran emphasized how women around the world are working collaboratively to achieve SDG 5 (gender equality), which is key to achieving sustainability, ensuring healthy lives, and fighting climate change. The SDGs are deeply interconnected: for example, reducing pollution and stopping environmental degradation can help improve health and mitigate climate change. Senator McPhedran stressed that parliamentarians have a crucial role to play in ensuring the objectives of the 2030 Agenda are met.

• The Honourable Senator Bovey underscored the threat of climate change and reminded participants that time to avoid a global catastrophe is running out. Focusing on the Arctic, Senator Bovey explained that it is warming up three times faster than the global average, resulting in complex, interlocking issues. She stressed the importance of including Indigenous peoples as participants in climate change research and monitoring, noting that together with contemporary science, traditional knowledge offers valuable insight. She invited her fellow parliamentarians to consult the Senate of Canada’s 2019 Northern Lights report, which addressed numerous issues related to the Arctic.

• Ms. Saks, M.P. encouraged parliamentarians to advance the development and implementation of ambitious legislation in their own countries to limit global warming. By way of example, she highlighted the passage of the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. Parliamentarians played an important role in developing this legislation, championing amendments to make it more robust. She stressed the importance of OSCE PA participating States achieving zero-net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Ms. Saks suggested additional ways parliamentarians could support efforts to fight climate change and transition to a sustainable economy, such as encouraging investments in public transit.

C. GENERAL COMMITTEE ON DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN QUESTIONS (THIRD GENERAL COMMITTEE)   

Chair: Mr. Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (Cyprus)

Vice-Chair: Mr. Michael Georg Link (Germany)

Rapporteur: Ms. Kari Henriksen (Norway)

The General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions (Third General Committee), held on 30 June 2021, was opened by Chair Kyriakos Hadjiyianni, who acknowledged the challenges the pandemic has posed for democratic institutions and human rights. He asked delegates to commit to maintaining an open dialogue on the democratic and human rights principles that the OSCE PA strives to uphold. In his view, such a commitment is particularly timely and important as several participating States have not respected democratic and human rights principles over the past year; he cited Belarus as an example. He concluded by reminding delegates that all countries have work to do to strengthen democracy and respect for human rights.

The Third General Committee considered and debated a report submitted by the Rapporteur. The report examined the impact of various events on democracy and human rights in the OSCE PA region, namely the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of terrorism, the growing intolerance towards migrants, and the shrinking space for freedom of expression and the media. The Rapporteur raised concerns about the “pandemic of abuse and intolerance” against some of the most vulnerable citizens – refugees, the Roma and Sinti people, people with disabilities, people in conflict areas, women and others – in OSCE PA participating States. Finally, the Rapporteur flagged concerns about the threat to fundamental freedoms posed by pandemic restrictions; she noted that while public health measures are necessary, some countries have used these measures to limit peaceful assembly and freedom of expression to the detriment of democracy. Following the Rapporteur’s presentation of the report, delegates debated issues raised in the document.

1.CANADIAN PARTICIPATION AT THE THIRD GENERAL COMMITTEE   

The Honourable Dr. Fry, P.C., M.P., the Honourable Senator Bovey, the Honourable Senator McPhedran, Mr. Berthold, M.P., Ms. Gill, M.P., Ms. Sahota, M.P., and Ms. Saks, M.P., attended the meeting of the Third General Committee.

The following delegates participated to the debate:

• The Honourable Dr. Fry, P.C., M.P., speaking as both a member of parliament and a physician, asserted that access to healthcare is a human right. She stated that all countries should provide access to universal healthcare, and that right to health means that every person should have equal access to quality medical care that is affordable, appropriate, and free of discrimination and bias. Furthermore, access to healthcare should meet the needs of disadvantaged populations, such as refugees or migrants. As well, Dr. Fry spoke of the barriers facing women in accessing healthcare, particularly reproductive and sexual healthcare. She reminded members that the COVID-19 pandemic had created additional challenges for women in accessing reproductive and sexual health services. She called on OSCE PA participating States to uphold health as a human right for the most vulnerable in our societies.

• The Honourable Senator McPhedran stated that the rise of authoritarian leaders threatens fundamental freedoms and the ability of societies to flourish. She expressed concern about recent attempts by OSCE PA participating States to crackdown on journalists, rollback democratic rights, and sow division and intolerance among their citizens. She called on delegates to unite with the common purpose of fighting intolerance and addressing racism in society. Senator McPhedran noted that in Canada, racism and discriminatory policies have had harmful impact on Indigenous peoples. However, despite the challenges they face, she underscored that Indigenous youth are a powerful force for change. She also reminded delegates that young people can be incredible activists when they are empowered, and for this reason, should be engaged in the political process. To close her remarks, she stated that empowering youth is key to strengthening the health and viability of our democracies in order to fight authoritarianism.

STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING

A. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT   

In his report, delivered at the meeting of the Standing Committee on 5 July 2021, Lord Bowness thanked the International Secretariat for helping maintain the OSCE PA’s activities during the pandemic, notably through parliamentary web dialogues, and the organization of the Winter Meeting and Annual Session. Lord Bowness reported that, despite the logistical challenges of the preceding 18 months, the OSCE PA had provided a platform for dialogue on key political issues, such as the Ukraine crisis, the impact of the pandemic on security and democracy, climate change, and gender-based violence.

Lord Bowness said that the OSCE PA must speak out and hold participating States accountable when they ignore or violate core OSCE principles. While maintaining dialogue with parliamentarians from Belarus, Lord Bowness argued the Assembly must also relay the concerns expressed by a wide majority of its members on the situation in this country, notably the circumstances surrounding the arrest of activist and journalist Roman Protasevich. He reminded members that it is well within the role of the OSCE PA to exchange with many and various stakeholders, including leading Russian opposition figures, such as members of Alexei Navalny’s entourage, to discuss political developments. Lord Bowness stressed the important role OSCE parliamentarians play in influencing the agenda of national governments, calling on them to reinforce synergies with the Assembly’s institutional partners.

Lord Bowness concluded his report by underlining his promise to ensure that his successor would not be bound by his commitments. To this end, he said that he would terminate the appointment of all special representatives and rapporteurs so that the next president would have the flexibility to determine the number of portfolios, their mandates, and the members holding them.

B. REPORT OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL   

Secretary General Roberto Montella reported on the activities of the OSCE PA, its relationship with the OSCE, as well as the focus of the International Secretariat in the upcoming months. Mr. Montella stated that, in the spring, the OSCE PA’s election observation activity returned to almost normal levels, with eight full-scale missions involving a total of 300 parliamentarians. He noted that conducting these missions during the pandemic has required increased and innovative efforts.

Parliamentary web dialogues launched at the start of the pandemic proved a useful platform for political dialogue and for preparing the annual session. Each of the three general committees hosted four web dialogues. Mr. Montella also noted that the Assembly’s ad hoc committees remained very active during the pandemic, underlining the work of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism and the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, which held a variety of online events, including hearings, briefings, and conferences. As well, Mr. Montella reported on the engagement of the Assembly’s special representatives.

Mr. Montella stated that the International Secretariat continues to support the Assembly in its efforts to serve as a platform for dialogue on the most pressing security issues in the OSCE region. Mr. Montella explained that the Secretariat does so, notably, by promoting confidence building through remaining impartial and fostering dialogue between parliamentarians. Mr. Montella also reported on efforts to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the Assembly and the government branch of the OSCE. He stated that no rivalry exists between the two institutions, noting that both are focused on bettering the lives of OSCE citizens.

Finally, he noted that, in the coming months, the International Secretariat will continue to monitor the pandemic in the OSCE area and plan its activities in consequence. More specifically, pressing issues will likely include bringing attention to environmental security matters as well as gender mainstreaming.

C. CANADIAN PARTICIPATION AT THE STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING   

The Honourable Dr. Fry, P.C., M.P., participated in the meeting as the Head of the Canadian Delegation to the OSCE PA. She thanked and congratulated the outgoing officers of the OSCE PA and the staff of the International Secretariat for continuing the work of the OSCE PA throughout the COVID‑19 pandemic.

The Honourable Senator Patricia Bovey, the Honourable Senator Dagenais, the Honourable Senator McPhedran, the Honourable Senator White, Mr. Berthold, M.P., Ms. Gill, M.P., Ms. Jones, M.P., Ms. Sahota, M.P., and Ms. Saks, M.P., attended the meeting as observers.

D. URGENCY ITEMS   

Rule 26 of the OSCE PA’s Rules of Procedure allows for urgency items to be placed on the agenda of the Assembly on recommendation of the Standing Committee. It notably requires an urgency item to “be pertinent to the OSCE process and relate to an event which has taken place or come to public knowledge less than twenty-four days before” the Plenary Session (in this case, since 11 June 2021). For the Standing Committee to consider an urgency item, 25 OSCE PA members representing at least ten countries must sign it.

The following three items were proposed as urgency items to be recommended by the Standing Committee for inclusion on the agenda of the Plenary Session:

• addressing the rise in hate, intolerance, violence and discrimination across the OSCE Region, proposed by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (United States);

• the general approach to dissent in Belarus, proposed by Ms. Farah Karimi (Netherlands); and

• the destabilizing military build-up by the Russian Federation near Ukraine, in the temporarily occupied autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, proposed by Mr. Mykyta Poturaiev (Ukraine).

OSCE PA President Lord Peter Bowness (United Kingdom) provided his opinion on the three submitted urgency items. He stated that, according to his analysis, none of the items qualified as urgency items as they did not meet the standard laid out in Rule 26 of the OSCE PA’s Rules of Procedure. More specifically, he asserted that they did not refer to any “event which has taken place or come to public knowledge less than twenty-four days before the opening of the first plenary session” of the annual session.

Because of objections made by at least two members of the Standing Committee, the Committee did not recommend including any urgency item on the agenda of the Assembly.

PLENARY SESSION

A. CANADIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE PLENARY SESSION   

The Honourable Dr. Fry, P.C., M.P., the Honourable Senator Bovey, the Honourable Senator Dagenais, the Honourable Senator McPhedran, the Honourable Senator White, Mr. Berthold, M.P., Ms. Sahota, M.P., Ms. Saks, M.P., and the attended the Plenary Session.

As Special Representative on Gender Issues, the Honourable Dr. Fry, P.C., M.P. delivered a summary of her work over the past year (outlined below).

B. ADDRESS OF THE OSCE PA PRESIDENT   

Lord Bowness opened the plenary session, held on 6 July 2021, by extending his sympathies to three OSCE PA participating States struggling with devastating forest fires, namely the United States, Canada, and Cyprus. Reflecting on the online tools developed during the pandemic to allow the OSCE PA to continue to be a platform for dialogue, Lord Bowness recognized the ongoing role these tools will play in present and future activities of the Assembly. That said, in his opinion, they are no substitute for face‑to-face diplomacy, which enables important informal discussions among members. While acknowledging the need for public health measures in the context of a global pandemic, Lord Bowness encouraged his fellow parliamentarians to remain vigilant for signs of national governments using these measures as a pretext to suppress parliamentary rights and the democratic process.

Lord Bowness underlined the crucial role parliamentarians continue to play in supporting the work of the OSCE. He stressed the fragile stability of the OSCE region and the need for constant vigilance, as illustrated by the current situations in Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgia, Belarus, and Moldova and Transnistria. He emphasized the importance of the OSCE PA supporting and reinforcing the OSCE’s work, which, while not always visible, has a meaningful impact on the citizens of the organization’s participating States.

C. ADDRESS OF THE OSCE CHAIRPERSON-IN-OFFICE   

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ann Linde (Sweden) opened her remarks by stating that she looks forward to cooperating with the next OSCE PA president. Ms. Linde underlined the important contributions made by the OSCE PA to the OSCE. More specifically, she noted that the knowledge and networks of parliamentarians add a valuable perspective to the work of the OSCE and recognized that their role in election observation provides important support to the democratic process. Parliamentarians, she remarked, form an important link between citizens in the OSCE region, the national governments of participating States, and the OSCE itself. She also noted how parliamentarians often integrate OSCE principles into their everyday parliamentary work.

In the first half of her mandate, Ms. Linde focused on safeguarding security in the OSCE region, with gender equality and the inclusion of civil society in governance being other important areas of focus. Despite the pandemic, she observed, the OSCE continued to carry out its work, including through its unique field presence. In her role as Chairperson-in-Office, she carried out multiple visits to the OSCE’s field missions, during which she interacted with local parliamentarians.

Addressing governance issues within the OSCE, she argued that its decision-by-consensus model requires every participating state to take responsibility for enabling the OSCE to fulfill its mandate. She expressed concern about instances of participating States disrupting OSCE activities, such as negotiations over the unified budget and the holding of the annual security review conference, in order to gain leverage towards resolving unrelated issues. Ms. Linde warned that such behaviour amounts to taking the OSCE hostage and harms the credibility of the organization. To overcome these challenges, she argued, the OSCE requires constructive engagement from all participating States.

D. URGENCY ITEMS   

As previously stated, the Standing Committee decided not to recommend the three urgency items for inclusion on the agenda of the Assembly. However, Rule 26 of the OSCE PA’s Rules of Procedure allows that in

the event of the Standing Committee or the Bureau deciding not to recommend the inclusion of such an item on the agenda, the proposers shall have the right to appeal in writing to the Assembly, which may decide by a majority of two-thirds of the Members of the Assembly to place the proposal on the agenda.

Therefore, following debate on these urgency items, and despite objections from some delegations, a majority of members in the Plenary Session voted to put all three urgency items on their agenda:

• addressing the rise in hate, intolerance, violence and discrimination across the OSCE Region, proposed by Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (United States);

• the general approach to dissent in Belarus, proposed by Ms. Farah Karimi (Netherlands); and

• the destabilizing military build-up by the Russian Federation near Ukraine, in the temporarily occupied autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, proposed by Mr. Mykyta Poturaiev (Ukraine).

These three urgency items were subsequently adopted as resolutions of the Assembly.

E. REPORTS OF AD HOC COMMITTEES AND SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES   

Ms. Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) reported that the Ad Hoc Committee on Migration had focused primarily on migration issues in specific areas, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Canary Islands, and Greece. She thanked members of various delegations for the help and support they offered the Committee, including the Honourable Dr. Fry, P.C., M.P.

Reporting on the activities of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism, Mr. Reinhold Lopatka (Austria) underlined the continuing threat posed by terrorism and violent extremism to security in the OSCE region. He stressed different ways in which the legislative and oversight functions of parliamentarians can contribute to the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, for example in the development and implementation of counterterrorism policy, and through advocacy for the victims of terrorism.

Mr. Christopher H. Smith (United States), Special Representative on Human Trafficking Issues, reported that the pandemic has had significant impacts on human trafficking efforts, patterns, victims, and survivors. Mr. Smith spoke of U.S. efforts to fight child abuse and trafficking, notably through raising risk awareness of traffic among children, parents, and educators. He notably mentioned U.S. legislation requiring convicted sex offenders to register with local authorities upon being released from prison. He also explained that the reach of this legislation had been expanded beyond the U.S. border by the introduction of a requirement for U.S. law enforcement officials to alert their international counterparts if convicted sex offenders with previous offences against minors travelled abroad. He welcomed the establishment of the International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council, speaking of the moving courage and resiliency of trafficking survivors, and their determination to prevent others from suffering the same cruelty they suffered. He invited the Assembly’s members to consider supporting the establishment of similar councils and associations at the national level.

As Special Representative on Gender Issues, the Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P. delivered a summary of her work over the past year. She stated that she had served as a panellist in multiple events on a variety of issues, including the prevention of violence against women, women and nuclear disarmament, and the multifaceted impacts of the pandemic on women. Her 2021 annual report focuses on violence against women journalists and politicians, whose professional lives share many similarities: they operate in the public eye, have power to influence lives, and work in spaces traditionally reserved for men. Her findings show that violence against women journalists and politicians, including psychological violence such as verbal abuse and threats of sexual violence, is widespread and intensifying. Some of this violence is inflicted upon women by their own colleagues. She urged male parliamentarians to become valuable allies to their female colleagues in the fight to end such violence. Her report was accompanied by an Appeal to Act, which offered recommendations to parliamentarians, participating States, and the OSCE PA on actions to take to address the growing crisis of violence against women journalists and politicians in the OSCE region.

F. ELECTION OF OSCE PA OFFICERS   

The following members of the Assembly were newly elected as officers of the OSCE PA at this annual session:

• Ms. Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden), President;
• Ms. Pia Kauma (Finland), Vice-President;
• Ms. Daniela de Ridder (Germany), Vice-President;
• Mr. Askar Shakirov (Kazakhstan), Vice-President;
• Mr. Reinhold Lopatka (Austria), Vice-President;
• Ms. Irene Charalambides (Cyprus), Vice-President;
• Mr. Pere Joan Pons (Spain), Chair of the Second General Committee;
• Ms. Gudrun Kugler (Austria), Rapporteur of the Second General Committee;
• Ms. Sereine Mauborgne (France), Chair of the Third General Committee; and
• Mr. Johan Buser (Sweden), Rapporteur of the Third General Committee.

Respectfully submitted,

The Hon. Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P.
Director, Canadian Delegation to the OSCE PA