VALLETTA/VIENNA, 1 January 2024 – Today, Malta takes over as the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office with a focus on strengthening the Organization’s resilience and effectiveness.

“While it is a great honour to assume the Chairpersonship of the OSCE in 2024, it is also with a deep sense of responsibility and duty that Malta has taken on this role,” said Ian Borg, Malta’s Foreign Minister and the new OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

“Amidst the ongoing complex and critical challenges to security, the OSCE’s relevance and survival remain crucial” Minister Borg noted. “The decision to appoint the Chair for this year, though made at the eleventh hour, demonstrated a collective ambition to save our Organisation,” he added.

“The OSCE continues to have a crucial role to play as a unique security organization and a platform for dialogue. Malta, as Chairperson-in-Office, will continue to work on safeguarding and upholding the fundamental principles and commitments enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris,” Minister Borg affirmed.

“The absence of full respect for our shared values and commitments undermines trust, the possibility of meaningful dialogue, and the prospects of peace and security in our region.”

The Chairperson-in-Office emphasized that Malta will build upon the work of past Chairpersonships by supporting resolutions to ongoing conflicts in the OSCE area, placing human rights and the security of people at the centre of its endeavours while also providing support for the OSCE presence on the ground.

“Throughout the Chairpersonship, Ukraine will remain a priority. Malta will continue to emphasize the need to end Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine while seeking solutions to assist Ukraine and its people,” Minister Borg stressed emphasized.

“Malta believes in the importance of preserving the OSCE as an inclusive organization of diverse participating States, unique in gathering Euro-Atlantic and Euro-Asian communities, as well as fostering relations with Mediterranean and Asian Partners for Co-operation.”

At the core of its overarching priorities, the Maltese Chairpersonship will seek to strengthen the resilience of people across all three dimensions of comprehensive security. As Chair, Malta will strive to incorporate an inclusive approach by giving a voice to gender and youth perspectives, as well as increasing the engagement of women and youth in building peace and security.

As Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council until the end of 2024, Malta will be at the forefront of multilateral efforts to strengthen cooperation with a view to building back confidence and trust.

Malta looks forward to working closely with the OSCE Secretary General, as well as with the heads of the autonomous institutions: the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media.

Minister Borg will officially inaugurate Malta’s Chairpersonship at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna on 25 January 2024.