OSCE 2021 Mediterranean Conference
12.10.2021
“The Mediterranean region plays an important role in our efforts to enhance global security and seek the road to the post-pandemic recovery for our economies. Therefore, while organising subsequent meetings, we focused on dialogue, actively requesting our Partners to contribute to the Conference preparations with their ideas and involvement,” said Deputy Minister Piotr Wawrzyk at a panel opening this year’s OSCE Mediterranean Conference.
The event was held on 12-13 October both at the premises of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Vienna and in an on-line formula. It is an annual conference within the OSCE Mediterranean Partnership for Co-operation, which is the OSCE coordination platform with the organisation’s six Mediterranean partners: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia. This year’s motto of the Conference was: Road to resilience: post-pandemic recovery and security in the OSCE and Mediterranean regions.
The opening session was attended by Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk, Sweden’s Foreign Minister and the current OSCE Chairperson Ann Linde, OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid, and Albania’s Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Megi Fino. Next, the high-level panel gathered representatives of OSCE governments and Mediterranean partners.
For the OSCE, the Conference is a key forum for cooperation with Mediterranean partners that have been closely related to the contemporary OSCE since the times of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe and the signing of the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, which contained the Mediterranean chapter. The meetings provide an opportunity for sharing experiences and views on security in the OSCE region and the organisation’s partner countries. They also cover areas of OSCE activities that have special significance to its partners – security, cooperation in the fields of economy and environment, human rights or support for the youth.
The thematic sessions focused on countering organised crime brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, combatting human trafficking on markets affected by the pandemic, and sustainable recovery of economies. The panels were attended by experts, academics, representatives of NGOs and government institutions as well as heads of missions of the OSCE Mediterranean Partnership countries.
As the country to take over the OSCE Chairpersonship in 2022, Poland has chaired the OSCE Mediterranean Partnership this year. In the framework of the partnership, Poland has already organised three expert-level seminars on post-pandemic recovery, countering organised crime and supporting the chances of the youth in the Mediterranean region. This year’s last meeting will be held in November and will be devoted to illegal trade in works of art. Moreover, the Polish chairpersonship is actively supporting extra-budgetary projects addressed to partner countries.
