The 28th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting was held under Swedish Chairpersonship on 2-3 December in Stockholm. The meeting took a ground-breaking decision on cooperation to address challenges caused by climate change.
Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde hosted the Ministerial Council meeting in Stockholm in her capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE in 2021. The meeting was attended by about 50 ministers from OSCE participating States and partners for Co-operation.
In her opening address, Ann Linde focused on Sweden's promise to go “back to basics” of the OSCE in 2021 and to let the spirit that laid the foundations of the OSCE guide the work of the Chairpersonship.
"The success of our common efforts is measured by how we improve the lives and well-being of people in the most vulnerable situations, I hope that during our two days together here in Stockholm we will have the courage to engage in real dialogue and seek common ground. And, wherever possible, to find common ways forward."
Read the full speech here.
An important result of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting and of the Swedish Chairpersonship was the decision on co-operation to address challenges caused by climate change. The decision means that the participating States of the organisation will strengthen their commitments in the field of climate and security.
On the margins of the meeting, the Swedish Chairpersonship and other participating States organised a series of side events to highlight current challenges for democracy and human rights, gender equality and the conflict in and around Ukraine, as well as other important issues on the OSCE’s agenda.
Given the pandemic, and in line with Sweden's resource-efficient Chairpersonship, the size of delegations was significantly limited compared to previous Ministerial Council meetings.
Another new feature this year was that negotiations on Ministerial Council texts were held in Vienna rather than during the Ministerial itself. The fact that these negotiations were concluded before the meeting in Stockholm is to be seen as a major success for the Swedish Chairpersonship, not least when it comes to increasing the effectiveness of the OSCE.
