This article is about a United States government agency. For the former international conference with a similar name, seeConference on Security and Co-operation in Europe. For the commission formed by countries around the Baltic Sea, seeHELCOM.
The commission is authorized and directed to monitor the acts of the signatories which reflect compliance with or violation of the articles of theFinal Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, with particular regard to the provisions relating to human rights and Cooperation in Humanitarian Fields. The commission is further authorized and directed to monitor and encourage the development of programs and activities of the United States Government and private organizations with a view toward taking advantage of the provisions of the Final Act to expand east–west economic cooperation and a greater interchange of people and ideas between East and West.[1]
The Commission consists of nine members from theU.S. House of Representatives, nine members from theUnited States Senate, and one member each from the Departments ofState,Defense, andCommerce. The positions of chair and co-chair are shared by the House and Senate and rotate every two years, when a new Congress convenes. A professional staff assists the Commissioners in their work.
The Commission contributes to the formulation of U.S. policy toward theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the participating states and takes part in its execution, including through Member and staff participation on official U.S. delegations to OSCE meetings and in certain OSCE bodies. Members of the Commission have regular contact with parliamentarians, government officials,NGOs, and private individuals from other OSCE participating states.
The Commission convenes public hearings and briefings with expert witnesses on OSCE-related issues; issues public reports concerning implementation of OSCE commitments in participating States; publishes a periodicDigest with up-to-date information on OSCE developments and Commission activities; and organizes official delegations to participating States and OSCE meetings to address and assess democratic, economic, andhuman rights developments firsthand.
In February 2018, the CSCE convened in Washington, DC to address the issue of Russian doping in international sport. Central to the discussion was an exploration of the need to protect whistleblowers. The meeting included testimony fromJim Walden,[3] attorney forDr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Russia's anti-doping laboratory who defected to the US.[4]
Russia: Human Rights and Political Prospects 2005 briefing document
On 1 July 2022 Ranking Member Sen.Roger Wicker (MS) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of RomaniaBogdan Aurescu co-chaired a conference on Euro-Atlantic security called "BLACK SEA SECURITY SUMMIT".[5]
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