Abstract / DOI
Europe in Conflict: OSCE’s Mission for Peace. With 57 participating states the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world’s largest regional security organisation. OSCE’s Councils, Secretariat, Institutions and Field operations work for stability, peace and democracy through political dialogue and practical work. OSCE helps to build trust and cooperation between and within states; it works to prevent conflicts, manages crises and promotes post-conflict rehabilitation. The Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (established in 2014) works to reduce tensions and contributes to bring about peace, stability and security. With 800 civilian monitors the SMM monitors and reports on the security situations and on incidents, and it facilitates dialogue at various levels. Since the outbreak of the armed conflict in the Donbass region in 2014, the OSCE through its Special Representative and through the practical work of the SMM also supports the continuous dialogue within the Trilateral Contact Group (Ukraine, Russian Federation, OSCE). The Minsk Agreements foresee concrete steps to be undertaken by the parties to restore peace and stability and to be monitored by the OSCE.