« The OSCE must act as both a guardian of the Helsinki
principles »
12
By. Youcef MAALLEMI
Le Courrier d’Afrique 54: Hello, Romantsova Oleksandra, can you tell us about your professional background?
Romantsova Oleksandra: Hello, my name is Romantsova
Oleksandra, I am the Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties, a
Ukrainian human rights organization that has been operating in Ukraine since
2007 and has been documenting war crimes since the beginning of the war in
2014. We also work to implement standards of fundamental rights and freedoms in
Ukrainian society. And in 2022, together with Memorial and Oles Bilyatsky from
the Belarusian organization "Viasna", we received the Nobel Peace
Prize.
Romantsova Oleksandra: The Helsinki +
50 conference was an important event to mark the anniversary of the signing of
the Helsinki Final Act. Which 50 years ago gave impetus to the civil movement -
the Helsinki Movement - which became the beginning of human rights defending in
all Soviet republics, and ultimately became an important factor in the collapse
of the Soviet dictatorship. So this event, thanks to the Finnish presidency,
became an important platform for discussing the role of civil society in the
actualization of the Helsinki Principles and the renewal of communication
between states within the framework of the Helsinki Process. In addition to
public panels with highly respected speakers, an important element of this
cooperation was group discussions and the presentation of recommendations by
civil society activists and the diplomatic corps of the OSCE participating
states. This is a unique opportunity to talk together about the difficulties
and opportunities of implementing the Helsinki Principles in the modern
situation of international relations.
Le
Courrier d’Afrique 54: Civil society vision on the future of the Helsinki
process: Recommendations of the Helsinki+50 is
the theme of your presentation. Why did
you choose this slogan?
Romantsova Oleksandra: It was the Helsinki Process 50 years ago that established in the Final Act that Security and Cooperation in Europe should be based on three baskets - arms control, economic and environmental cooperation and respect for democratic values, including human rights. Human rights defenders throughout the OSCE region support this model and, of course, want sufficient attention to be paid to each of the elements in the future. Civil society organizations are also ready to play an active role not only in the third - human - dimension, but also to support active cooperation and the development of agreements in the first dimension. Because we see "Human Security" as the central value of the modern Helsinki model.
Le Courrier d’Afrique 54: What is civil society's vision for the future of the Helsinki process?
Romantsova Oleksandra: We have set out
our vision in a document with 10 main points, which you can read at this link on the Civil Solidarity Platform page, an association
of over 100 human rights organizations from across the OSCE region. A short
version of it in the form of a memorandum was also presented at the platform's
side event during the Helsinki +50 Forum. In short: Urgent action is required
to address multiple international crises of comprehensive security and the
OSCE's institutional challenges. The OSCE must act as both a guardian of the
Helsinki principles and a forum for dialogue.
Respect for the Helsinki principles can only be ensured through a combination
of:
Le Courrier d’Afrique 54: What role should the
international community play to better protect human
rights defenders?
Romantsova
Oleksandra: Key Helsinki
principles of sovereign equality, refraining from the threat or use of force,
the inviolability of borders, and respect for the concept of comprehensive
security should be non-negotiable and remain at the center of the European
security order. Any disputes between states should be settled peacefully. Above
all, Russia must immediately end its war of aggression against Ukraine. The
recognition that the protection and promotion of human rights is the first
responsibility of governments and that developments in the human dimension are
not solely the internal affairs of any single State should retake center stage
in the OSCE. Ensuring respect for the OSCE acquis is impossible without
securing accountability of participating States for the failure to uphold the
Helsinki principles and OSCE commitments in practice. This respect has been
seriously eroded in the last decade and a half when a number of participating
States have been openly and systematically violating their OSCE commitments in
all three dimensions. We call on participating States that care about
democracy, human rights, and the rule of law to use all appropriate OSCE tools,
including the Moscow Mechanism, wherever large-scale violations of the Helsinki
principles occur in the OSCE region, and incorporate the promotion of the
Helsinki principles in their foreign policy. The prevention and resolution of
conflicts should be based on putting human security in the center of action as
opposed to using only military security means, applying a gender perspective on
security, and involving all sectors of the population, aimed at maximizing
their enjoyment of human rights. We urge OSCE participating States to act on
the basis of their common interest in effectively using the OSCE security
toolbox, limiting and controlling the capacity of weapons of mass destruction
and of hybrid actions that may contribute to a spiral towards all-out war. Sustainable
peace and prevention of new conflicts can only be achieved on the basis of
delivery of justice, including full rehabilitation of victims and ensuring
accountability of violators. We expect States to cooperate on protection of the
environment and mitigation of the climate crisis, as required for the survival
of civilization. OSCE bodies and participating States should recognize the
value of civic participation in all three dimensions, including the
contribution of women, youth and minorities, and translate this into opening
space in talks on the design and implementation of programs in all dimensions.
The OSCE bodies and States should defend civil society space and actors at
risk. We expect OSCE executive bodies and autonomous institutions to be bold in
promoting the Helsinki principles and OSCE commitments and to involve civil
society at every stage of their work in the most collaborative and meaningful
manner.