The new OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Switzerland's Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, will outline the Swiss Chairmanship's priorities to the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday, 16 January in Vienna.
Switzerland took over the rotating Chairmanship of the Organization on 1 January from Ukraine. During its Chairmanship Switzerland will work closely with Serbia, which will chair the OSCE in 2015.
The Swiss Chairmanship will work under the leitmotif 'Create a Security Community for the Benefit of Everyone' and focus on fostering security and stability, improving people's lives, and strengthening the OSCE's capacity to act. Burkhalter will discuss the plans of the Swiss Chairmanship in the areas of conflict prevention and resolution, with special emphasis on the Western Balkans and South Caucasus. He will also explain the priorities in the human dimension, in addressing transnational threats and in engaging young people in the OSCE.
Young people from the participating States will meet in parallel at the Hofburg as part of a Model OSCE initiative.
The Permanent Council is a regular decision-making body gathering representatives of all 57 participating States of the Organization and 11 Partners for Co-operation. It convenes weekly in Vienna to discuss developments in the OSCE area and to make decisions.
Journalists are invited to cover the speech set to start at 10.00 on 16 January in the Hofburg Congress Centre's Neuer Saal. After the speech, tentatively at 11:30, the Chairperson-in-Office Didier Burkhalter will give a press conference in room 201 in the Hofburg Congress Centre. The speech and the press conference will be webcast live at www.osce.org/live
Advance registration of journalists by email to press@osce.org no later than 15 January is mandatory. -0-
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