AS (19) D E # LUXEMBOURG DECLARATION ## AND RESOLUTIONS ### ADOPTED BY THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY AT THE TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL SESSION #### LUXEMBOURG, 4–8 JULY 2019 ----- ##### Table of contents **Page** Preamble .................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter I: Political Affairs and Security .................................................................................... 1 Chapter II: Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment .................................... 6 Chapter III: Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions ................................... 11 Resolution on the Role of Civil Society – Individuals and Non-Governmental Organizations – in Realizing the Aims and Aspirations of the OSCE ................................ 20 Resolution on the Role of National Parliaments in Preventing and Combating Corruption in the OSCE Area ............................................................................................. 23 Resolution on Effective Migration Governance Based on Promoting Inclusive Societies and Dignified Returns .......................................................................................... 26 Resolution on the Militarization by the Russian Federation of the Temporarily Occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, Ukraine, the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov ..................................................................................... 30 Resolution on the Challenges Related to Returning and Relocating Foreign Terrorist Fighters ................................................................................................................. 33 Resolution on the Security and Human Rights Situation in Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali Region/South Ossetia, Georgia ............................................................ 40 Resolution on Energy Security in the OSCE Area .................................................................. 43 Resolution on Good Practices for States Related to Private Military and Security Companies ............................................................................................................ 45 Resolution on Strategic Foresight in Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development .................................................................................................... 47 Resolution on the Integration of Gender and Youth Perspectives in Efforts to Combat Climate Change ..................................................................................................... 50 Resolution on Digitalization as an Advantage for Gender Policies ......................................... 53 Resolution on Promoting Energy Security by Ensuring Access to Sustainable Energy.......... 56 Resolution on Educating Schoolchildren to Avoid Human Trafficking .................................. 58 Resolution on Neonatal Care as a Social Development Target ............................................... 61 Resolution on a Call for Stronger OSCE Action to Take Account of Increased Discrimination Against Christians and Followers of Other Minority Faiths in Certain OSCE Participating States ...................................................................................... 64 ----- **PREAMBLE** We, Parliamentarians of the OSCE participating States, have met in annual session in Luxembourg from 4 to 8 July 2019 as the Parliamentary dimension of the OSCE to assess developments and challenges relating to security and co-operation, in particular on Advancing Sustainable Development to Promote Security: The Role of Parliaments, and we offer the following views to the OSCE Ministers. We wish every success to the next OSCE Ministerial Council and bring to its attention the following declaration and recommendations. **ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO PROMOTE SECURITY:** **THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS** **CHAPTER I** **POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND SECURITY** 1. Recognizing that peace and sustainable development go hand in hand, and that the precarious state of global security requires a recommitment among all OSCE participating States to conflict resolution, arms control, confidence- and security-building measures, counterterrorism and multilateralism, 2. Recalling OSCE principles outlined in the Helsinki Final Act on sovereign equality, the inadmissibility of the threat or use of force, inviolability of frontiers, territorial integrity of States, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-intervention in internal affairs, co-operation among States, and the fulfilment in good faith of obligations under international law, 3. Reaffirming our commitment to the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security – encompassing the politico-military, economic and environmental, and human dimensions – which promotes meaningful multilateral co-operation on conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, 4. Reiterating the relevance of the OSCE as an essential forum for dialogue, debate and trust- and confidence-building, 5. Welcoming the OSCE Slovak Chair-in-Office’s action plan for preventing, mediating and mitigating conflict while focusing on the people it affects, providing for a safer future and promoting effective multilateralism, 6. Noting the adoption at the Milan 2018 OSCE Ministerial Council of relevant declarations and statements in the politico-military dimension of security, including on the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, the role of youth in peace and security efforts, promoting norms and best practices on small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition, and security and co-operation in the Mediterranean, 7. Emphasizing the commitment of OSCE PA members to implementing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development ----- Goals, which are worthwhile guidelines for fostering peaceful, just and inclusive societies free from fear and violence, 8. Underscoring the impact of conflict on women and girls, including increased sexual violence, and consequently the vital importance of gender mainstreaming in peace processes, conflict resolution, decision-making and institution-building in the security sphere, 9. Regretting the Russian Federation’s material breach of its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and the resulting collapse of the INF Treaty regime, as well as the further general deterioration in the interlocking architecture of arms control agreements, and confidence-building and transparency measures, including the Open Skies Treaty, the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, and the Vienna Document, which have all been undermined by Russian non-compliance, making it necessary for all sides to recommit to the preservation of effective arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, 10. Acknowledging the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship aimed at achieving a peaceful and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and welcoming the recent constructive dialogue between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan aimed at establishing an environment conducive to peace and undertaking measures in the humanitarian field, 11. Alarmed that Ukraine ranks among the most mine-affected countries in the world, with nearly 2,000 landmine casualties in eastern Ukraine since 2014, and recalling that antipersonnel mines violate international humanitarian law, endanger the lives of civilians, and hinder economic recovery and future development, 12. Reiterating its strong support for a comprehensive, peaceful and sustainable settlement of the conflict in the Republic of Moldova, based on sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, underlining the importance of the “5+2” format as the only mechanism to achieve comprehensive and sustainable settlement, welcoming the progress made so far and urging the sides to fully implement the commitments and continue to pursue steps to improve the lives of people, 13. Further reiterating the need to have a complete withdrawal of the armed forces and ammunition stockpiles of the Russian Federation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova and to transform the current peacekeeping operation into an international civilian mission, 14. Condemning all forms of terrorism and extremist violence regardless of their motivations, and extending its deepest condolences to the victims of terrorist attacks and their families, 15. Recognizing the essential role of parliaments in advancing sustainable development and security by adopting relevant legislation, providing oversight, ratifying treaties, approving budgets and setting agendas that prioritize the need to comply with international commitments in the political and security spheres, 16. Acknowledging concerns related to the growing influence of China within the OSCE area, particularly in relation to economic and technological matters, and the security ----- considerations resulting from this, and affirming that the Silk Road initiative is not a measure of support for China, but is a project which supports many central Asian countries, 17. Welcoming the important work being done by the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism to advance a multidimensional, multi-stakeholder approach to counterterrorism through field visits, participation in international forums and exchanging best practices, 18. Stressing the need to keep cybersecurity as a priority for the OSCE, as cybercrime is one of today’s fastest developing threats to international security, and to continue to work on confidence-building measures to reduce the risk of conflict stemming from the use of information and communication technologies, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 19. Urges participating States to reduce all forms of violence and significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal 16; 20. Calls for the full implementation of the OSCE’s 2004 Action Plan on the Promotion of Gender Equality and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and associated Resolutions, and urges OSCE participating States to identify priorities, allocate necessary resources and commit to government action to promote the meaningful participation in the settlement of international disputes and post-conflict peacebuilding of a broad range of women with diverse life experiences, including racialized women, women with disabilities and low-income women; 21. Encourages the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to intensify their dialogue in the context of the mediation led by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and to take specific and tangible measures to reach a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, including in particular refraining from the use or threat of force, and respect for territorial integrity and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples; 22. Encourages the intensification of result-oriented talks in the framework of the agreed formats for conflict resolution, and calls on the parties to conflicts to engage in negotiations in good faith without preconditions for achieving comprehensive and longlasting peace, in full respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova; 23. Encourages the OSCE to continue to work with the parties to the conflicts on confidencebuilding measures, particularly in the humanitarian field, as well as synchronizing them with the political processes; 24. Calls for the cessation of military hostilities in eastern Ukraine, the full withdrawal of heavy-calibre weaponry by both sides, an immediate end to the use of landmines and greater investment in demining efforts, the de-occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the withdrawal of Russian military forces from Ukrainian territory, and a comprehensive settlement of the conflict based on full ----- implementation of the Minsk Agreements, in particular the obligations under the Minsk Agreements which have not been fulfilled by the Russian Federation; 25. Calls for the safe, dignified and unhindered return of internally displaced persons and refugees from conflict zones to their places of origin in accordance with the Helsinki Final Act, Charter of the United Nations and the relevant documents, principles and commitments of the OSCE and the OSCE PA, and with consideration for the unique impact of gender on whether return is safe for a particular individual; 26. Urges the OSCE and its participating States to pay close attention to the situation along the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, particularly in light of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union and the importance of protecting the Good Friday Agreement, which protects the continuance of peace on the island of Ireland; 27. Calls on all participating States to recommit to the preservation of effective international arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament; 28. Urges participating States to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons of 2017, the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons, with the goal of their total elimination; 29. Urges participating States to support international negotiations to ban lethal autonomous weapons with a view to establishing international, legally binding rules; 30. Urges parliaments to pursue budgetary priorities in support of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament treaties, mechanisms and initiatives, and to advance nuclear threat reduction and disarmament as priorities in nuclear posture reviews and national policies; 31. Calls on parliaments to establish and strengthen parliamentary bodies for scrutiny of the security and intelligence services, both public and private, and urges OSCE participating States to ensure that all security and intelligence services abide by the rule of law, that crimes committed by security and intelligence officers are prosecuted, and that the norms and principles outlined by the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security are fully implemented; 32. Urges parliaments to be cognizant of security challenges related to technology, and calls on parliaments to refrain from utilizing artificial intelligence in situations where its use may carry risks; 33. Urges the OSCE and its participating States to monitor security implications which may arise due to the growing influence of China, both in relation to economic and technological matters, in the OSCE area; 34. Calls on parliaments and governments to respond effectively to the challenges stemming from returning and relocating foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), including by sharing relevant information, promoting inclusive education and specialized social services to counter the spread of violent extremism, developing gender- and age-sensitive responses that reflect the varying roles of women and children as FTFs and as family members of FTFs and fully implementing international obligations stemming from United Nations ----- Security Council Resolutions 2178 and 2396 on the establishment of Advance Passenger Information, Personal Name Record, and biometric systems; 35. Urges the OSCE to pursue internal reforms in order to ensure its viability and protect against abuse of its consensus rule so that it is not used to block key meetings or shut down field offices, with consideration given to adopting a modified consensus procedure for practical and technical issues. ----- **CHAPTER II** **ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT** 36. Recalling that in the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, participating States recognized that “efforts to develop co-operation in the fields of trade, industry, science and technology, the environment and other areas of economic activity contribute to the reinforcement of peace and security in Europe and in the world as a whole”, 37. Emphasizing the essential role of national parliaments in developing legislative proposals with the aim of advancing sustainable development, human rights – including economic and social rights – and security, and implementing OSCE commitments in the economic and environmental dimension, 38. Welcoming the Slovak Chair-in-Office’s priorities to promote sustainable development and manage enhanced connectivity and cybersecurity, 39. Recognizing that the rapid digitalization process taking place across the OSCE area is generating substantial changes in all spheres of life and carries many security implications and opportunities for cross-border co-operation and confidence-building, including in the economic and environmental dimension, 40. Noting that OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 5/18 on Human Capital Development in the Digital Era adopted at the 25th OSCE Ministerial Council called upon participating States to further examine opportunities and challenges associated with new forms of employment arising from the digital transformation of the economy, 41. Also noting that OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 8/17 on Promoting Economic Participation in the OSCE Area adopted at the 24th OSCE Ministerial Council called for the strengthening of co-operation on economic activities promoting sustainable economic, social and environmental development, 42. Recalling the OSCE PA 2018 Berlin Declaration, which underlined that rapid advances in digitalization are causing fundamental changes in all aspects of life and emphasized the role of parliamentarians in the modernization of national and international legislation and legislative flexibility to adapt to an ever-changing world order, 43. Recognizing the important role of new and exponential technologies, the digital economy, artificial intelligence and science in solving environmental problems and facilitating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the robust deployment of “enabling technologies”, 44. Noting the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2018, which found that conflict and climate change were major contributing factors leading to growing numbers of people facing hunger and forced displacement, as well as curtailing progress towards universal access to basic water and sanitation services, 45. Recalling the adoption of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement as well as the United Nations New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants adopted in 2016 that aims to protect the human rights of all refugees and migrants and gave impetus to the negotiations for the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees in 2018, ----- 46. Recalling the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals that provide action plans to reach 169 targets to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure peace and prosperity, with the ultimate goal of sustainably improving life for current and future generations, 47. Considering that the lack of economic and social prospects inherent in high unemployment among the most vulnerable groups, in particular young people, fuels organized crime and human trafficking, 48. Stressing that gender equality is crucial for sustainable development and peace, and acknowledging that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development states that the “achievement of full human potential and of sustainable development” requires that women and girls “enjoy equal access to quality education, economic resources and political participation as well as equal opportunities with men and boys for employment, leadership and decision-making at all levels”, 49. Recalling the OSCE PA 2018 Berlin Declaration, which urged parliaments to adopt legislation to establish or further develop anti-corruption policies, including beneficial ownership transparency, and to promote best practices to ensure a genuinely free and competitive market, as well as enable sustainable and environmentally friendly economic growth, 50. Recalling the need for stronger co-operation between national parliaments and governments, and acknowledging the good practices and expertise provided by the ODIHR, in particular with regard to anti-corruption policies, transparency, effective legislation and the digitalization of public administration, 51. Acknowledging that human-induced climate change is disrupting weather systems, impacting national economies, costing lives and affecting communities in countries around the world, 52. Acknowledging that increased ocean acidification owing to increased CO2 emissions, along with changing ocean oxygen levels resulting from ocean warming, can negatively impact marine ecosystems and threaten food chains, 53. Taking note of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report issued in October 2018 which warned that governments have just 12 years to take bold action on climate change before the most devastating impacts take hold, and welcoming the steps taken since the 2015 United Nations Paris Climate Conference (COP21) and the convening in New York of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 on 23 September to review progress made, 54. Underscoring the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls, and the subsequent need to implement gender-responsive climate policies and promote women’s leadership and participation in the development of policies and programmes to address climate change, 55. Acknowledging that together with food security, water security is a growing issue for the OSCE area, particularly in water-scarce regions, ----- 56. Recalling the OSCE PA 2018 Berlin Declaration, which stressed the importance of energy security as a crucial factor for economic growth and stability and provided its support to regional efforts to interconnect energy networks and other infrastructure projects enhancing energy security, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 57. Urges national parliaments to develop legislative proposals with the aim of advancing sustainable development and security and implementing OSCE commitments in the economic and environmental dimension, in particular: preventing and combating corruption, money laundering and financing of terrorism; migration governance; human capital development; disaster risk reduction; and fighting organized crime; 58. Reiterates the importance of the OSCE PA 2018 Berlin Declaration, which calls on OSCE participating States to further elaborate and implement policies that promote environmental good governance to place renewed attention on the development and expansion of renewable and sustainable energy with the ultimate aim of reaching energy efficiency through clean energy sources; 59. Reiterates its call on all OSCE participating States to redouble their efforts to identify and pursue comprehensive solutions to our common environmental and economic challenges, including food and water security, climate change, energy security, migration, trafficking in human beings, and improved management and oversight of financial institutions; 60. Calls on OSCE participating States to consider necessary measures at the national and subnational levels to improve mapping of energy and water networks and increase their protection against natural and man-made disasters, and encourages OSCE participating States to share best practices on strengthening the security and safety of the energy networks in the OSCE region; 61. Urges parliaments and governments of OSCE participating States to facilitate ratification of the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, thereby fulfilling their obligations under the Agreement, and to strengthen their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions with the goal of limiting the use of fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas and replacing them with cleaner sources of energy while increasing energy efficiency; 62. Recommends that OSCE participating States implement policies such as cap-and-trade schemes and carbon taxes that place a financial price on CO2 emissions to both account for the environmental harm that this pollution is causing and leverage economic incentives to move away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy; 63. Acknowledges that temperatures in the Arctic region are rising at twice the global rate, and therefore urges OSCE participating States to regard climate change as a fundamental challenge facing the Arctic and to take mitigating action while maintaining a spirit of cooperation in the High North and focusing on sustainable and peaceful development in the Arctic; 64. Calls on OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation to strengthen coordination at the subnational, national and international levels, including through enhanced co-operation with institutions such as INTERPOL and EUROPOL in ----- combating corruption, money laundering, financing of terrorism, drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings, and stresses that these issues, including corruption and money laundering, constitute threats to the security and legitimacy of society; 65. Welcomes the adoption in December 2018 of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees; 66. Urges the OSCE to work with countries of the region and OSCE Partners for Cooperation to protect migrants and provide gender-responsive services and facilities for them after their arrival in Europe; 67. Calls on OSCE participating States and OSCE Partners for Co-operation to create in their countries the conditions necessary to ensure respect for the human rights of migrants and to combat discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia towards migrants and their families; 68. Encourages parliaments of OSCE participating States to improve legal frameworks for migration with the aim of increasing effective international co-operation, promoting integration, facilitating labour mobility, addressing drivers of migration such as poverty and conflict, establishing pathways for regular migration, promoting education opportunities and protecting the right to family life; 69. Supports the OSCE’s Economic and Environmental Forum and its 2019 theme “Promoting economic progress and security in the OSCE area through energy cooperation, new technologies, good governance and connectivity in the digital era”; 70. Reiterates the support of the OSCE PA for the work of the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), and welcomes the priorities of the Office for 2019, in particular: preventing and combating corruption, money laundering and financing of terrorism; connectivity; migration and environmental governance; human capital development and economic participation; water management; disaster risk reduction; assessing potential security risks stemming from climate change; and energy security and sustainable energy; 71. Encourages OSCE participating States and parliaments to put in place, in addition to basic education structures that impart universal values, high-quality non-discriminatory vocational education systems tailored to the needs of the labour market, in order to address youth unemployment; 72. Welcomes the OCEEA’s plans to assist the incoming 2020 Albanian OSCE Chair-inOffice in the preparation of the 28th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum; 73. Reiterates the importance of a multidimensional approach to food and water security, including all those areas of science and technology that can have a valuable impact; 74. Calls on the OSCE, the OSCE PA and participating States to enact policies and programmes to increase young women’s and girls’ enrolment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with a view to promoting innovation, ensuring that advances in STEM benefit from a variety of perspectives, and minimizing bias in new and existing technologies; ----- 75. Notes the ongoing work of the Silk Road initiative aimed at promoting co-operation between the participating States – an initiative which is useful for achieving the security, stability and prosperity of OSCE participating States; 76. Emphasizes that infrastructure projects should be planned and implemented to contribute to environmental sustainability and increased equality, and underlines the potential of connectivity in promoting democracy and human rights; 77. Acknowledges that the rapid digitalization process taking place across the OSCE area is generating substantial changes in all spheres of life and carries many security implications, including in the economic, labour and environmental dimension, and calls on national parliaments to keep abreast of developments in this field and respond appropriately with relevant legislation wherein human beings remain at the centre of the digitalization process and technology is employed to improve wealth, access and labour conditions; 78. Stresses that corruption represents a global threat to peace and security, and calls on parliaments of OSCE participating States to further develop preventive anti-corruption legislation with the aim of removing a major obstacle to sustainable development; 79. Calls on parliaments of OSCE participating States to consider the need to modernize national legislation in the fields of science and technology with the aim of solving the negative impacts of climate change on the environment; 80. Calls on parliaments and governments of OSCE participating States to take action, including through the adoption of new legislation, to encourage and facilitate corporate behaviour that is responsible, sustainable and transparent with regard to citizens, communities, land and the environment, social and cultural assets and activities, associations and other stakeholders, notably by promoting laws to set up and foster companies that pursue – alongside profits – one or several goals with social or environmental benefits; 81. Calls on the parliaments and governments of OSCE participating States to promote impact assessments for companies operating in the environment, social and government sectors and to foster the creation and widespread use of fit-for-purpose metrics correlated to the SDGs. ----- **CHAPTER III** **DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN QUESTIONS** 82. Considering that until today the role of national parliaments in advancing the Helsinki principles has not been fully utilized, 83. Acknowledging the huge potential for improvement in further utilizing national parliaments’ capacity in contributing to human rights protection, 84. Recognizing the key role that national parliaments have, both through parliamentary diplomacy and through parliamentary scrutiny, in efforts to advance sustainable development to promote security in the OSCE area, 85. Recalling that, more than seven decades after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the struggle to respect and promote human rights continues, 86. Further recalling that all OSCE participating States have recognized through the Helsinki Final Act that respect for human rights is a critical security issue in stable societies, 87. Affirming the need to recommit to the Helsinki principles, 88. Deploring the diminishing importance of human rights in the foreign policy of some OSCE participating States, 89. Concerned that a trend of increasing authoritarianism and impunity for human rights violations is growing in many participating States, causing untold suffering and threatening international peace and stability, 90. Deploring the lack of implementation of human rights commitments in pertinent Ministerial Council decisions and OSCE PA Resolutions, 91. Deeply disturbed at the continued increase of populism across the OSCE region, often based on the demonization of persons belonging to national minorities and reckless spreading of false narratives, particularly about migrants, 92. Concerned about the continued, and in some countries worsening, discrimination and hostility towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons in the OSCE region, recognizing that their rights, including the elimination of all discrimination against them, the right to peaceful assembly and the right to family life, are indivisible human rights, and stressing that the OSCE PA fully supports the rights of LGBTI persons, 93. Acknowledging that serious security concerns may at times require the declaration of states of emergency, but also noting that national security protection may serve as a pretext to declare a state of emergency that impacts upon human rights, 94. Regretting that even after the lifting of a state of emergency, democratic principles, as well as fundamental freedoms and human rights, are not restored, 95. Recognizing that the continued stability and security of all OSCE participating States rests primarily on today’s children and youth and that such vulnerable groups require special protection, ----- 96. Convinced of the need to once again prioritize the protection of children in this 30th anniversary year of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 97. Recognizing that participating States have a primary responsibility to protect their populations from genocide and atrocities, the obligation under international conventional and customary law to ensure that those responsible for acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes are held to account, and that victims have the right to an effective remedy, 98. Welcoming the recent recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the Italian Chamber of Deputies, as well as the designation by France of 24 April as the day for the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, as measures which promote awareness and contribute to the eradication of such atrocities, and calling on other national parliaments to follow suit, 99. Remembering the genocide of Roma by Nazi Germany and its Axis partners, and commemorating the 75th anniversary ” on 2–3 August 1944 of the destruction of the “Gypsy Family Camp” at Auschwitz where Roma were interned, 100. Concerned that Roma, Sinti and indigenous persons continue to be targets of racism and bias-motivated violence in the OSCE area, and noting that Roma, Sinti and indigenous women and girls are particularly vulnerable to multiple forms of discrimination, as well as to violence and harassment, 101. Conscious of the fact that, in an era of unprecedented migration, national and international systems ensuring respect and protection for migrants are more important than ever, 102. Noting with concern the grave human rights and fundamental freedoms violations in Chechnya, including in particular against LGBTI individuals, 103. Deeply concerned that journalists continue to face persecution, including targeted assassinations, imprisonment, abductions, physical and psychological abuse throughout the OSCE region and the world, 104. Welcoming the adoption by the OSCE Ministerial Council in December 2018 of Decision 3/18 on the Safety of Journalists, 105. Condemning the continued politically motivated abuse by some participating States, in particular the Russian Federation, of INTERPOL databases and mechanisms, including red notices and diffusions, to harass political opponents, journalists, members of civil society and business people beyond their own borders, 106. Alarmed that in some OSCE participating States that have abolished the death penalty, senior public officials advocate its reintroduction, 107. Deeply disturbed that women across the OSCE region continue to suffer from gender based violence, which often is unreported and rarely leads to convictions when reported, thereby encouraging a culture of silence and impunity for offenders, 108. Recognizing that women and girls are not just victims but are essential agents of change and leaders of movements to end gender-based violence and to promote gender equality ----- in all sectors of life, in particular in decision-making, and that their leadership, perspectives and participation are vital to prevent and address gender-based violence and all forms of gender inequality, 109. Welcoming the adoption by the OSCE Ministerial Council in December 2018 of Decision 4/18 on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women as an important step in countering gender-based violence in the OSCE region, 110. Deeply concerned by the continuation of child and forced marriages in the OSCE area, 111. Welcoming the work done by OSCE institutions and field missions to support participating States in fulfilling their commitments, 112. Commending the legal reviews of laws and draft laws prepared by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as a tool to help participating States comply with their OSCE commitments and advance reforms, 113. Acknowledging that parliamentary diplomacy can contribute to the promotion of implementation of participating States’ commitments in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, while also recognizing that the primary role for the oversight of States’ adherence to their commitments lies with their national parliaments, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 114. Urges all OSCE participating States to place promotion and protection of human rights at the centre of their domestic as well as their foreign policy agendas, and urges national parliaments to publicly hold governments accountable for violations of their OSCE commitments, particularly in this field; 115. Calls on national parliaments to develop a range of diplomacy and co-operation tools to support the implementation of commitments in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law; 116. Encourages participating States, including their governments, parliaments, judicial bodies and national human rights institutions, to consider requesting that the ODIHR prepare legal reviews of laws and draft laws to ensure compliance with OSCE commitments; 117. Calls for the establishment of a dialogue and communication mechanism between the parliamentary committees on human rights in participating States and the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions of the OSCE PA, aiming to better assess the implementation of commitments in the field of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in participating States; 118. Calls on participating States to ensure the implementation of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; 119. Calls on OSCE national parliaments to adopt 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, as well as to ensure that their educational systems and security forces training are geared towards the prevention of such atrocities in the future; ----- 120. Calls upon OSCE participating States, when working to address conflicts, to focus attention on the human rights, fundamental freedoms and humanitarian challenges of people in conflict areas and occupied territories and people affected by conflicts and occupation of territories, including refugees and internally displaced persons, to conduct gender needs assessments of such people, and to focus also on the obligations under international law of occupying powers and armed groups under their command; 121. Urges participating States to combat the destruction of cultural heritage and trafficking in cultural property, aggravated by conflict, as a factor which significantly impacts upon the identity of individuals; 122. Urges national parliaments to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property, criminalizing the illicit trafficking, destruction, theft, unlawful excavation, importation and exportation, illegal acquisition and placing on the market of cultural property; 123. Applauds the work carried out by the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine and other OSCE field missions to support people’s humanitarian and human rights needs, often under difficult circumstances; 124. Welcomes the work carried out by the leaders of the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions during their recent missions to Ukraine, and supports their calls for an immediate and lasting ceasefire and for further efforts to address the humanitarian tragedy in the conflict-affected areas, including in particular through increased demining efforts and specific measures to facilitate freedom of movement along the contact line; 125. Calls upon the OSCE Permanent Council to adopt multi-year budgets and mandates covering the human dimension in OSCE field missions to ensure that they can continue their work in promoting human rights and democracy; 126. Welcomes steps by the OSCE PA and its International Secretariat to enhance transparency procedures for election observation missions, further contributing to the OSCE’s credibility in this critical field of democratic development; 127. Welcomes steps by the OSCE PA and its International Secretariat to enhance monitoring not only of the formal conduct of elections but also of political processes in the run-up to votes and in election campaigns; 128. Considers the OSCE’s Human Dimension Implementation Meeting to be a vital forum for dialogue on human rights topics, calls for timely agreement of the agenda for the meeting, and expresses concern regarding attempts by some participating States to obstruct the effective preparation of the meeting; 129. Calls for the strengthening of dialogue with NGOs, including in the framework of the annual Human Dimension Implementation Meetings; 130. Considers that intolerance, including aggressive nationalism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or Christianophobia, presents a real threat to societies and is contrary to a fundamental belief in the equality of all people; ----- 131. Urges all members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and national parliaments to create a coalition of respect by publicly speaking out against hate speech and other manifestations of intolerance and to make use of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to share best practices and experiences in counteracting these phenomena of intolerance; 132. Encourages OSCE PA national delegations to closely co-operate with the OSCE PA Special Representative on Anti-Semitism, Racism and Intolerance and to provide information regarding parliaments’ efforts to address intolerance and discrimination in their home countries; 133. Supports the work of the OSCE ODIHR in raising awareness about discrimination, hate crimes, anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance, including against Muslims and Christians, and encourages further study and guidance on how key actors, including parliamentarians, can prevent and fight intolerance; 134. Urges participating States to ensure that those who report hate crimes or bias-motivated abuse of authority, including by law enforcement officials, do not face retaliation for doing so; 135. Calls upon competent authorities to see to the protection of human rights of persons of the LGBTI community in Chechnya who face persecution and to implement the recommendations of the report issued pursuant to the 2018 invocation of the Moscow Mechanism; 136. Calls upon the Russian Federation to co-operate with the OSCE in addressing these serious concerns; 137. Calls upon OSCE national parliaments to increase and improve reporting on hate speech, including through unified reporting standards, and to identify senior contact points to work internationally to this end; 138. Calls upon OSCE participating States’ national parliaments, to actively engage with the OSCE Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues so as to promote protection of the human rights of Roma and Sinti, to exert greater efforts to ensure their access to education, and to provide opportunities for their equal participation in social, political, economic and cultural life; 139. Urges all OSCE participating States to exercise the utmost restraint when imposing any limitations on fundamental freedoms or human rights or other extraordinary measures which impact upon democratic or rule of law commitments, when they might be required to address urgent national security concerns; 140. Urges OSCE national parliaments to exercise full oversight of extraordinary measures and of any limitations on fundamental freedoms and human rights in cases of emergency and to regularly evaluate whether such measures may be considered legitimate, taking into account modern communication methods; 141. Calls on the OSCE Permanent Council to develop clear and effective monitoring mechanisms, to be implemented through OSCE institutions, to ensure that human rights are fully respected during states of emergency, martial law or other cases in which extraordinary powers are assumed by governments; ----- 142. Notes with concern that since the introduction of the state of emergency and of subsequent measures by the Turkish Government, the number of asylum applications by Turkish citizens has risen dramatically, and calls on Turkey to effectively implement its commitments in the field of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights; 143. Condemns the use of torture and other forms of cruel, degrading or inhuman treatment in the OSCE area; 144. Condemns all forms of ill treatment in prisons or any form of custody, and calls for the effective investigation of such crimes; 145. Calls on OSCE participating States to seek to ensure the release of all unlawfully detained persons, including those held without a trial, and political prisoners; 146. Demands effective protection for threatened human rights defenders; 147. Urges participating States to combat the politically motivated abuse of INTERPOL systems by respecting the rule of law and, within appropriate INTERPOL channels, urging faithful implementation of INTERPOL’s Constitution and Rules on the Processing of Data, challenging abusive requests for INTERPOL notices and diffusions, calling for greater accountability for abuse, supporting transparency that exposes abuse, and effectively and efficiently communicating with INTERPOL on behalf of victims of abuse, in particular refugees and asylum seekers; 148. Calls on OSCE participating States to ensure that the protection of human rights is not sacrificed for political gain and to further develop political human rights dialogue at government level; 149. Calls on all OSCE participating States, of which ISIS militants are citizens, to repatriate them and bring them to justice, ensuring a fair trial, unless a fair trial can be held in the country in which crimes have been committed; 150. Urges all OSCE participating States to collect statistics at the national level related to all forms of gender-based violence, including emerging forms, such as online harassment, and to work with the OSCE PA Special Representative on Gender Issues and the OSCE’s Gender Section to protect women’s rights; 151. Calls upon OSCE national parliaments to review and revise their legislation to clarify that sex without consent is rape in all cases, regardless of whether physical violence or threats were used, and is subject to legal prosecution; 152. Calls upon OSCE national parliaments to ban child and forced marriages by introducing specific legislation; 153. Stresses that sexual and reproductive health and rights are crucial for gender equality and for the elimination of violence against women and LGBTI persons, and that education on sexual and reproductive health rights should be provided to all in the OSCE region; 154. Encourages all OSCE participating States to make the promotion of women’s rights a foreign policy priority, including in their relations with countries outside of the OSCE region; ----- 155. Regrets that persons with disabilities remain widely under-represented in parliaments across the OSCE region more than a quarter of a century after OSCE participating States agreed to ensure protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities and to promote their participation in decision-making and public life; 156. Reiterates its call on all OSCE participating States to commit to promoting more inclusive and representative societies and ensure participatory processes for persons with disabilities in all phases of developing legislation or policies in the spheres of political and public life, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; 157. Reiterates its call upon OSCE participating States to fully integrate human rights education into primary and secondary school curricula with the aim of promoting longterm respect for human rights concepts and commitments, and suggests that national parliaments oversee this process; 158. Recommends that strategies for empowering youth to resist drug addiction be included in the educational systems of OSCE participating States; 159. Notes the critical importance of the active participation of young people in decision making towards achieving stability in our societies and the world; 160. Encourages Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to explore and promote ways to effectively engage young people in political processes and to share their experiences within the OSCE PA; 161. Calls on OSCE national parliaments to support international forums for dialogue among young people, with a particular focus on human rights and security issues, including by establishing a Model OSCE PA; 162. Calls on OSCE participating States and legitimate local authorities to prioritize the protection of children affected by armed conflicts, to take all possible measures to protect children from accidents caused by the explosive remnants of war, to ensure adequate healthcare and living conditions for children in conflict zones, and to promote schools as safe havens to ensure continued education; 163. Further calls on OSCE participating States to support and protect stateless children within their borders and to take all possible measures to ensure that all stateless children can benefit from the right to citizenship, in accordance with international law; 164. Calls upon national parliaments to oversee the establishment of national programmes for the protection of children; 165. Urges national parliaments to ban military service for persons under the age of 18; 166. Stresses that international humanitarian and human rights law must be upheld during armed conflicts and that it is applicable in its entirety in areas under military occupation; 167. Underlines that the right of voluntary, safe and dignified return for refugees and internally displaced persons to their homes and properties must be guaranteed; ----- 168. Calls upon OSCE participating States which, in violation of international law, have occupied areas of other States, turning them into ghost towns, to immediately restore the human rights of the lawful inhabitants forcibly expelled from these areas; 169. Declares that persons fleeing persecution must be protected against prejudice and social discrimination; 170. Encourages participating States to guarantee the protection of the rights of internally displaced persons until their return is made possible; 171. Urges national parliaments to legislate in order to safeguard the rights of internally displaced persons, persons missing as a result of conflict, their relatives and other persons affected by conflict; 172. Encourages all OSCE participating States to ensure that their government agencies interacting with asylum seekers respect their human rights, including the right to seek asylum; 173. Calls on all OSCE participating States to ensure access of refugees and asylum seekers to national health and education systems, in order to save lives and to protect local populations; 174. Calls on OSCE participating States hosting refugees and internally displaced persons from protracted conflicts to provide them with all possible opportunities to fully integrate into their host communities, particularly to alleviate the stress on second and third generation children growing up outside their home regions; 175. Expresses concern over reports regarding the increase of modern-day slavery for purposes of sexual or labour exploitation, resulting from ongoing conflicts, instability and lack of economic opportunity in regions neighbouring the OSCE region; 176. Stresses that national parliaments must ensure that competent authorities in their States have the necessary legislative tools, resources and training to effectively prosecute traffickers; 177. Invites OSCE governments to regularly evaluate the general situation of migrant workers, including their human, economic, social and cultural rights; 178. Deplores that the persecution of journalists, particularly investigative journalists, and the aggressive/hate rhetoric against their work, remains prevalent throughout the OSCE region and undermines freedom of speech and freedom of the media, which constitute a central pillar of a stable society; 179. Condemns the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul as an appalling crime and an unacceptable attack on journalistic freedoms, stresses OSCE participating States’ responsibility to protect freedom of expression, and further stresses that the perpetrators must be brought to justice and that decisions by competent courts, based on a transparent and credible judicial process, must be fully respected and implemented by all OSCE participating States; ----- 180. Calls upon OSCE participating States to ensure that efforts to protect journalists should not be limited to those formally recognized and documented as such, but should also cover support staff, citizen journalists, bloggers and others active in this field; 181. Encourages national parliaments to ensure effective parliamentary oversight of governments’ actions towards solving all cases of journalists’ murders, imprisonment and/or ill treatment; 182. Applauds the strong support to journalists by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, and calls on all OSCE participating States to actively co-operate with the Representative; 183. Calls on OSCE participating States to develop strategies to eliminate the harassment of women journalists, who are disproportionately attacked both online and offline due to their gender, commends the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media on its Safety of Female Journalists Online campaign and encourages the Office to continue its work on this topic; 184. Reiterates its call upon participating States to refrain from the reintroduction of the death penalty; 185. Calls upon all participating States to work towards a complete legal abolition of the death penalty and, in this respect, to co-operate with the ODIHR to conduct awareness-raising activities against recourse to the death penalty, particularly with the media, law enforcement officials, policymakers and the general public; 186. Invites participating States which still apply the death penalty to consider declaring an immediate moratorium on executions, turning them into life imprisonment; 187. Strongly urges that, pending the abolishment of the death penalty, wherever executions take place, all necessary medical, psychological and practical measures be taken so that the prisoners’ and their families’ suffering is limited to the extent possible; 188. Reiterates that all previous OSCE PA Resolutions must be implemented. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY – INDIVIDUALS AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL** **ORGANIZATIONS – IN REALIZING THE AIMS AND ASPIRATIONS** **OF THE OSCE** 1. Stressing the role of parliamentarians, as elected officials, in making the work of the OSCE reflect the needs of the people they represent, and to be relevant to their interests and aspirations, 2. Recalling that the multilateral diplomacy initiated by the Helsinki Final Act has been enhanced significantly by individuals who, acting upon their rights, formed nongovernmental organizations to monitor and report on government compliance with the principles and provisions of the Final Act and subsequent documents, and thereby to encourage all participating States to implement their existing commitments and adopt new and more specific ones in response to repeated violations, 3. Regretting that, despite the many contributions of individuals, civil society, and nongovernmental organizations to the OSCE and its goals, their role continues to be restricted in many participating States, and those who seek to know and act upon their rights, including the defence of the rights and freedoms of others, often face various forms of harassment, including threats and physical attacks, as well as punitive legal action by governments, including fines, restricted ability to travel and imprisonment, 4. Attributing the rise of public protests in several participating States to the failure of governments to be responsive to the concerns, needs and aspirations of the people they represent, the immunity of public officials from prosecution for corruption or other criminal acts, and the failure to provide other effective means for the redress of grievances, 5. Remaining concerned by the increase in the number of political leaders and platforms that encourage and support aspects of populism that negatively impact human rights and fundamental freedoms within and among the participating States, 6. Noting with concern that academic freedom continues to be threatened to varying degrees in some participating States and in other parts of the world, 7. Believing that the OSCE can, through active and direct engagement, do more to make its work known to the public and to civil society and non-governmental organizations in particular, 8. Expressing deep concern regarding efforts by some participating States to make the OSCE less open to public observation and less conducive, particularly in the human dimension, to the participation of non-governmental organizations, 9. Observing with considerable frustration the efforts of some participating States to dilute the impact of non-governmental organizations by creating additional ones controlled by governments and, by definition, supporting government policy, 10. Noting that greater openness and access to OSCE meetings and activities, including those of the Assembly, can enhance the visibility of the Organization and make its work more effective, ----- The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 11. Honours those individuals who, often at great risk and cost to their own human rights and physical safety, have worked within non-governmental organizations or otherwise engaged as civil society to deepen security and co-operation between the participating States, particularly by defending human rights and fundamental freedoms; 12. Commits, as a body of elected representatives of the people in participating States, to protect and promote the work of individuals, alone or in association with others, to know and act upon their rights and freedoms, to peaceably assemble to advocate those rights, to observe the ongoing work of the OSCE and to contribute directly to that work; 13. Urges governments and parliaments of the participating States to rescind laws restricting the ability of individuals, civil society and non-governmental organizations to work together and to receive voluntary financial contributions from national and international sources for promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms; 14. Reiterates its ongoing request for the unconditional release of human rights defenders and other persons detained for peaceably exercising their rights to freedom of expression, assembly, association and religion or belief; 15. Welcomes the contributions of individuals, civil society and non-governmental organizations to assist refugees, asylum seekers and all those otherwise victimized by natural disasters, conflict, repression, terrorism, human trafficking, domestic violence and other challenges in the OSCE region; 16. Encourages the active engagement of individuals, civil society, and non-governmental organizations to advance safe, inclusive and equitable societies, including by responding to all manifestations of intolerance, prejudice and discrimination; 17. Considers the work of non-governmental organizations critical to efforts to expose and combat corruption as well as to promote environmental protection in the OSCE region; 18. Recognizes the rights of individuals to have access to information, including in regard to hazards or other threats to their persons, homes and communities; 19. Commits to efforts to increase transparency and accountability in government; 20. Urges that academic freedom and respect for the rights of freedom of expression, assembly, association and movement be protected from politically motivated interference, restrictions or retaliation as an essential basis for the sharing of opinions, ideas and knowledge envisaged by the Helsinki Final Act to promote mutual understanding and benefit all peoples, including future generations; 21. Notes the value of the contributions of civil society at the annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting organized by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to hold the participating States accountable for non-compliance with their OSCE commitments, the Supplementary Human Dimension Meetings organized under the auspices of the Chair-in-Office to foster dialogue on specific issues of concern, as well as relevant meetings and events organized by various OSCE institutions and structures; ----- 22. Encourages parliamentarians to provide opportunities for OSCE officials to appear in public to highlight the work of the Organization in responding to today’s challenges; 23. Expects governments to engage civil society rather than create and control purportedly non-governmental organizations that seek to dilute public criticism by reinforcing official policies criticized by genuine non-governmental organizations; 24. Urges the participating States, through the OSCE and its institutions and field activities, to: a. maintain and build upon existing practices and precedents relating to the participation of non-governmental organizations in meetings and seminars organized under OSCE auspices and particularly those in the human dimension, and reject efforts to restrict their participation; b. allow the Chair-in-Office, in consultation with the previous and incoming Chairsin-Office (the Troika) as well as relevant OSCE institutions, the discretion to rule on the validity of claims by representatives of participating States that an individual or non-governmental organization seeking to participate in an official OSCE event “resorts to the use of violence or publicly condones terrorism or the use of violence”; c. open sessions of the Permanent Council to public observation, including but not necessarily limited to live streaming on the Internet; d. expand regular consultation and co-operation with non-governmental organizations which engage in domestic election observation, monitor human rights and fundamental freedoms, provide expertise on democratic institution building, promote respect and tolerance in society, and respond to the needs of victims, including by considering the appointment of a Special Representative of the Chair-in-Office for Civil Society; 25. Suggests that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: a. consider designating a representative among its delegates to serve with Secretariat support as a focal point for public engagement, with the goals of facilitating access of individuals and non-governmental organizations to meetings of the Assembly and broadening the inclusion of non-governmental organizations and experts more frequently in official presentations made to the Assembly to introduce debate topics at Annual Sessions as well as Winter and Autumn Meetings; b. develop and present to the Assembly for consideration proposals to increase opportunities for non-governmental organizations to suggest and work with delegates to organize side events, especially at Winter and Autumn Meetings, within the existing timeframes and venues; c. be strongly represented by its officers, special representatives and delegates at Human Dimension Implementation Meetings and other meetings of the OSCE where the rights of individuals and the role of civil society and non-governmental organizations in achieving the aims of the Helsinki Final Act are discussed. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **THE ROLE OF NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS IN PREVENTING AND** **COMBATING CORRUPTION IN THE OSCE AREA** 1. Recognizing that corruption poses a significant threat to security, undermines democracy, diminishes the rule of law, erodes the legitimacy of institutions and the confidence of citizens, impedes social and economic development, discourages investment, facilitates international crime and contributes to human rights violations, 2. Bearing in mind that the OSCE takes a comprehensive approach to security and that anticorruption efforts are an integral part of this comprehensive approach, 3. Recognizing that corruption is caused by the failure of political, economic and judicial systems to provide robust and independent oversight and accountability, 4. Deeply concerned about the lack of improvement in the OSCE region in regard to anticorruption, 5. Stressing that corruption cannot be tackled without strong political commitment at the highest level, regardless of the existence, skill and willingness of national oversight and law enforcement bodies, 6. Recalling previous OSCE PA Declarations, which confirm the commitment of participating States to address corruption, including the OSCE PA 2018 Berlin Declaration, in which the OSCE participating States expressed their dedication to the prevention and elimination of corruption, 7. Recalling key international legal instruments and key commitments assumed by OSCE participating States, 8. Welcoming the establishment by the Italian OSCE Chair-in-Office of the post of Special Representative of the OSCE Chair-in-Office on Combating Corruption and the fact that the post has been maintained by the current Slovak OSCE Chair-in-Office, 9. Stressing the shared responsibility of all members of parliament in OSCE participating States to combat corruption and encourage governments to increase their efforts in anticorruption, focusing in particular on corruption of high-level public officials, 10. Acknowledging the special significance of preventing corruption within the judiciary, which is of vital importance for maintaining the rule of law, 11. Acknowledging that an independent media is particularly well placed to investigate, report and expose corruption, especially through investigative journalism, and that a diverse and pluralistic media landscape is conducive in this regard, 12. Emphasizing the need for effective access to public information, 13. Cognizant of the significance of active civil society participation, 14. Acknowledging that new technologies and methodologies, including blockchain, offer new opportunities to increase transparency and combat corruption, ----- 15. Underlining the increased significance of transparency and accountability in efforts to address corruption, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 16. Stresses that corruption is one of the most urgent challenges for the OSCE participating States; 17. Emphasizes that anti-corruption work must be integrated into all OSCE projects; 18. Encourages parliaments of OSCE participating States to evaluate and further develop existing anti-corruption legislation and to ensure compliance with existing legislation; 19. Encourages parliaments of OSCE participating States to adopt legislative and other measures to criminalize bribery of foreign public officials and officials of public international organizations; 20. Recommends that national parliaments of OSCE participating States see to the ratification of relevant international instruments, where applicable; 21. Recommends that, in the context of parliamentary scrutiny, national parliaments see to the implementation of assumed commitments by their governments, as stemming from their participation in the OSCE, as well as in the context of their participation in the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the United Nations, where applicable; 22. Urges all OSCE participating States to ensure the safety of whistle-blowers, members of anti-corruption non-governmental organizations, members of parliament who engage in combating corruption, and investigative journalists, including by special protection enshrined in legislation; 23. Calls on OSCE participating States to release journalists detained for their work in exposing corruption; 24. Reiterates that members of parliament need to adhere to strict transparency and accountability standards themselves, and calls upon national parliaments of participating States to adopt prevention measures that include: a. adopting legally binding codes of conduct for members of parliament; b. addressing conflict of interest situations through appropriate legislation which embodies international standards; c. ensuring transparency and accountability in political party funding; d. regulating lobbying activities with the highest degree of transparency; 25. Calls upon national parliaments of participating States to ensure that the highest standards of transparency and accountability regarding the appointment and evaluation of members of the judiciary are guaranteed through relevant legislative action; 26. Recommends that the OSCE PA Bureau and International Secretariat provide all necessary support to interested participating States to fully implement their OSCE ----- commitments in combating corruption, including by the preparation of specific guidelines and/or questionnaires that members of OSCE PA delegations can utilize visà-vis their governments and by making sure that the OSCE PA is routinely being informed about developments in the domain of combating corruption at the OSCE level; 27. Calls on members of national parliaments to be actively engaged within international forums, especially GRECO; 28. Stresses that, given the link between corruption and organized crime, members of parliament who engage in combating corruption should be afforded protection, in order to preserve their independence; 29. Encourages national parliaments to hold an annual, public debate in parliament on the state of play of anti-corruption policies; 30. Encourages the establishment of closer co-operation with GRECO, including by inviting officials to address OSCE PA meetings and sessions; 31. Calls upon participating States to strengthen the OSCE’s mandate to upgrade co-operation between participating States in addressing corruption, including by mobilizing technical assistance, the necessary expertise and resources, as well as to support participating States and OSCE Partners for Co-operation in utilizing relevant regional and international instruments and institutions to combat corruption; 32. Urges subsequent OSCE Chairs-in-Office to maintain the post of Special Representative on Combating Corruption. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **EFFECTIVE MIGRATION GOVERNANCE BASED ON PROMOTING** **INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES AND DIGNIFIED RETURNS** 1. Acknowledging the challenges, including security concerns, associated with mass migration for countries of origin, transit and destination and the difficult decisions that must be made by OSCE participating States receiving migrants and refugees, 2. Underlining the importance of implementing comprehensive integration policies to ensure that those who are granted the right to stay are fully integrated, with a view to building inclusive societies and to ensure that both migrants and the receiving societies benefit, 3. Emphasizing that an effective and humane return policy is one of the main pillars of a comprehensive migration policy, and that it is not only necessary in order for States to be able to show generosity and solidarity towards those in need of protection, but that it can also have a deterrent effect and discourage irregular migration, thereby saving lives, 4. Noting with concern the decline in the rate of effective returns of non-EU citizens from the European Union to third countries, from 45.8 per cent in 2016 to 36.6 per cent in 2017, and welcoming the initiative of the European Commission to revise (“recast”) the Return Directive (Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on common standards and procedures in Member States for returning illegally staying third-country nationals) with a view to increasing the effectiveness of the EU’s return policy in full respect of fundamental rights, 5. Emphasizing that the principle of _non-refoulement is a principle of customary_ international law which applies also to States that are not parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention, 6. Concerned by the continued practice of detaining asylum seekers in violation of the right to seek asylum, separating families, as well as of “pushbacks” of asylum seekers at borders, and furthermore concerned about the slow progress in reuniting separated children with their families, 7. Dismayed that in a number of OSCE participating States, rejected asylum seekers, including families with minor children, are being detained for extended periods of time, with no durable solution in sight, and with serious implications for their mental health as well as for the children’s access to adequate education, 8. Recalling OSCE commitments and previous Parliamentary Assembly Resolutions in the field of migration governance and integration, in particular the Resolution on Ensuring a Coherent, Shared and Responsible Governance of Migration and Refugee Flows (2017), as well as the Resolution on Minors on the Move: The Role of the OSCE and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Building an Effective Protection Framework (2018), 9. Welcoming the adoption of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, and recalling in particular objective 21, in which States Parties agree to “co-operate in facilitating safe and dignified return and readmission, as well as sustainable reintegration,” objective 13 to “use migration detention only as a measure of last resort ----- and work towards alternatives,” as well as objective 16 to “empower migrants and societies to realize full inclusion and social cohesion”, 10. Noting expert opinions, such as that of the Rapporteur of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament, which underline that returns carried out within the framework of assisted voluntary return and reintegration programmes are not only the best means of ensuring that migrants return in a safe and dignified manner and also the preferred method of return by countries of origin, but are also more cost-effective and sustainable in the longer term, 11. Commending the important work carried out by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in promoting the exchange of good practices in the field of migrant integration, and encouraging OSCE participating States to make use of the ODIHR’s expertise in assessing, formulating and implementing migration policies and legislation, 12. Noting the positive effect of multi-stakeholder involvement in labour market integration policies, such as the tripartite co-operation between government, trade unions and employers’ organizations, co-operation between the public and the private sectors to promote migrant entrepreneurship, as well as the key role which local government actors play in promoting integration, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 13. Calls upon OSCE participating States to ensure that persons who are not entitled to asylum are returned with dignity and with full respect for their fundamental rights and freedoms and for the principle of non-refoulement; 14. Calls for an immediate end to family separation practices and the deportation of parents without their children, and for every effort to be made to reunite children with their parents or to place them in homes with family members; 15. Encourages OSCE participating States to adopt comprehensive action plans in the field of returns and to base policy on the principle of “voluntary if possible, forced if necessary”, carrying out forced return only as a last resort; 16. Stresses the importance of ensuring a clear link between asylum decisions and return procedures by swiftly notifying rejected asylum seekers of the outcome of their application or appeal, and clearly informing them, in a language that they understand, of the consequences of this decision and the options available to them; 17. Calls upon OSCE participating States to expand their support for assisted voluntary return and reintegration programmes, such as those implemented by the International Organization for Migration ; 18. Strongly recommends that OSCE participating States grant a sufficient period for voluntary departure of at least 30 days to comply with a return decision, unless exceptional circumstances warrant a shorter period or the irregular migrant requests it; 19. Furthermore urges OSCE participating States to consider extending the period for voluntary departure or to postpone forced returns to allow children to finish the school year; ----- 20. Urges OSCE participating States to move families with minor children to closed facilities only as a measure of last resort and only when a forced return is feasible and in the final stages of the return process, in order to minimize the period of detention as well as its impact on the child’s mental well-being and disruption to the child’s education; 21. Furthermore urges OSCE participating States to refrain from detaining rejected asylum seekers together with individuals convicted of a criminal offence; 22. Appeals to OSCE participating States to always implement alternatives to detention in the case of unaccompanied minors and to prioritize such alternatives in the case of families with minor children; 23. Encourages OSCE participating States to continue to grant basic minimal services, including accommodation, to rejected asylum seekers with minor children until the order to leave the territory expires; 24. Recommends that OSCE participating States provide the possibility of applying for regularization or consider granting a special status for a specific period of time to rejected asylum seekers who cannot return or be returned through no fault of their own (“no fault” cases) in exceptional cases, such as on humanitarian or medical grounds or in the case of an unreasonably long asylum procedure; 25. Encourages OSCE participating States to adopt effective return monitoring systems, consisting of following up on orders to leave the country as well as post-removal followup on each individual case of forced return in order to ensure that the returned migrant has not been subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and relying, in the case of EU Member States, on the forced return monitors of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex); 26. Reiterates its appeal to the OSCE and its participating States to adopt measures to ensure greater intra-institutional cohesion, co-ordination, information sharing and impact with respect to migration and refugee flows, through the establishment of a high-level task force on migration supported by a network of focal points throughout OSCE bodies, field missions and institutions, as well as the Partners for Co-operation; 27. Reiterates in particular its appeal to OSCE participating States to harmonize their lists of “safe countries of origin” for which accelerated asylum procedures and, in principle, swift removals, are applied; 28. Furthermore encourages OSCE participating States to exchange examples of good practice in the field of returns, for example by developing a “return path” consisting of a step-by-step individual counselling path offered to asylum seekers whereby they are prepared for return early on in the asylum process and which includes information on voluntary returns in a language that they understand, at multiple stages in the asylum process, and also to provide the option of voluntary return to migrants in detention, unless there is sufficient evidence to believe that the individual poses a genuine threat to the security of the country; 29. Also encourages OSCE participating States to contribute to a more effective evaluation of return systems by collecting and sharing disaggregated data on forced returns and ----- voluntary returns and on the sustainability of returns, including access to reintegration assistance upon return to the third country; 30. Underlines the importance for OSCE participating States to continue to pursue formal readmission agreements with countries of origin, as co-operation with third countries is an essential element of achieving a sustainable, dignified and effective return policy; 31. Urges receiving countries to adopt integration programmes for recognized refugees such as mandatory introduction programmes designed to promote a quick and efficient introduction of refugees to the labour market by activating and enhancing skills and providing language training; 32. Encourages OSCE participating States to draw upon examples of good practice in the area of labour market integration of migrants, such as fast-track procedures to speed up the entry of skilled migrants into professions characterized by a labour shortage, as well as measures to promote migrant entrepreneurship through microloans; 33. Highlights the importance of facilitating the recognition of foreign degrees and qualifications of refugees in the absence of formal documents, as well as harmonizing procedures between OSCE participating States to ensure that new entrants to the labour market are not employed below their qualification level and that they can continue their education at the appropriate level; 34. Encourages OSCE participating States to facilitate multi-stakeholder involvement in labour market integration policies as well as to promote participation at all levels of government, especially of local government actors, in the design, implementation and evaluation of integration policies; 35. Encourages OSCE participating States to fulfil their obligations under international law and invest in development strategies, including strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim of eliminating the adverse circumstances that drive people to leave their countries of origin – including wars, violence and protracted conflicts – and building peaceful and inclusive societies. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **THE MILITARIZATION BY THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION OF THE** **TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED AUTONOMOUS REPUBLIC OF CRIMEA AND THE** **CITY OF SEVASTOPOL, UKRAINE, THE BLACK SEA AND THE SEA OF AZOV** 1. Faced with the continuation by the Russian Federation of clear, gross and uncorrected violations of the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Helsinki Final Act, in particular concerning respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of frontiers of States, peaceful settlement of disputes, and refraining from the threat or use of force, non-intervention in internal affairs, co-operation among States, and fulfilment in good faith of obligations under international law, 2. Recalling the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Resolution on Clear, Gross and Uncorrected Violations of Helsinki Principles by the Russian Federation (2014), the Resolution on the Continuation of Clear, Gross and Uncorrected Violations of OSCE Commitments and International Norms by the Russian Federation (2015), the Resolution on Adherence to the Helsinki Principles in Inter-State Relations Across the OSCE Area (2015), the Resolution on Violations of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol (2016), the Resolution on Restoration of the Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity of Ukraine (2017), and the Resolution on Ongoing Violations of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol (Ukraine) (2018), 3. Taking into account UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 of 27 March 2014 “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine”, UN General Assembly Resolution 71/205 of 19 December 2016 “Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine)”, UN General Assembly Resolution 72/190 of 19 December 2017 “Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine”, UN General Assembly Resolution 73/194 of 17 December 2018 “The Problem of militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine), as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov”, and UN General Assembly Resolution 73/263 of 22 December 2018 “Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine”, 4. Recalling the Declaration of the 1034th (Special) OSCE Permanent Council Meeting of 20 January 2015 and UN Security Council Resolution 2202/2015 of 17 February 2015 concerning the “Package of measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements”, reaffirming full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and full implementation of the Minsk Agreements, 5. Having regard that the temporary occupation of Crimea and the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine by the Russian Federation is in contravention of the commitments made under the Memorandum on Security Assurances in Connection with Ukraine’s Accession to the Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Budapest Memorandum) of 5 December 1994, in which, inter alia, the commitment to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine was reaffirmed, and hereby recalling the non-nuclear status of Ukraine as a State Party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, ----- 6. Recognizing that the ongoing temporary occupation and attempted annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, and the illegal mounting military presence of the Russian Federation in Crimea and territorial waters of Ukraine represent the most serious threats to security and stability in the OSCE area, 7. Stressing that the construction and opening of the Kerch Strait bridge between the Russian Federation and temporarily occupied Crimea, which was built against the will and without the consent of the Government of Ukraine, represent yet another flagrant violation of Ukraine’s sovereign rights and international law, facilitate further militarization of Crimea, and hamper the economic development of Ukraine, notably by limiting the size of ships that can reach the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov, 8. Concerned over the increasing military presence of the Russian Federation in the Sea of Azov, the Kerch Strait and the Black Sea, and also the selective search of Ukrainian and foreign ships, which impedes the lawful exercise of navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with applicable international law, which results in a decrease in cargo flows and tangible financial losses for the local economy in Ukraine and the merchants whose vessels are subject to this regime, 9. Reaffirming that the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) covers the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, which include the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and maritime areas, 10. Taking note of the OSCE SMM reports on the severe socio-economic implications of the Russian Federation’s ongoing systematic disruptions of freedom of international navigation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, in particular for the Ukrainian ports of Mariupol and Berdiansk, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 11. Reaffirms its full respect for the sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, which include the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and maritime areas; 12. Reiterates its condemnation of the ongoing illegal occupation and attempted annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and urges the Russian Federation to reverse them and withdraw Russian occupation forces from Crimea and to bring it back under the control of the Government of Ukraine; 13. Reiterates its grave concern over the increasing militarization of the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian Federation’s intention to deploy nuclear weapons in that area, violating the non-nuclear status of Ukraine and further undermining global, European and regional peace and security; 14. Condemns the increasing militarization of the Sea of Azov, the Kerch Strait and the Black Sea by the Russian Federation; 15. Condemns the unprovoked act of armed aggression and unjustifiable and disproportionate use of military force by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian ----- vessels and their crews, which took place in the neutral international waters of the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait on 25 November 2018; 16. Encourages the OSCE Chair-in-Office, OSCE institutions and the participating States to make every effort and use all instruments available to facilitate the immediate and unconditional release of Ukrainian prisoners of war held in captivity by the Russian Federation, and the seized vessels; 17. Urges the Russian Federation to grant, pending their release, the necessary medical, legal and/or consular assistance to Ukrainian prisoners of war in accordance with relevant provisions of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions; 18. Urges the Russian Federation to ensure freedom of passage in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait in accordance with applicable international law, in particular the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; 19. Supports providing the necessary resources to enhance OSCE SMM capabilities, in particular through the use of technical surveillance equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles and satellite imagery, to monitor the situation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, and urges the Russian Federation to lift all impediments to the monitoring activities of the OSCE SMM, in particular in the Russian-occupied southern parts of the Donetsk region adjacent to the Sea of Azov; 20. Supports the development of other relevant measures by the OSCE participating States and institutions aimed at deterring further aggressive actions and impediment of the freedom of shipping by the Russian Federation on the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, _inter alia, by exploring ways of effective international monitoring of the shipping traffic_ in the Kerch Strait and around it. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **THE CHALLENGES RELATED TO RETURNING AND RELOCATING** **FOREIGN TERRORIST FIGHTERS** 1. Condemning in the strongest possible terms terrorism and all terrorist attacks, including those against critical infrastructure and “soft” targets, conducted by returning or relocating foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) or by other terrorists, 2. Reiterating that terrorism constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, that any act of terrorism is criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of its motivation, and that terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any race, religion, nationality or civilization, 3. Condemning unequivocally the indiscriminate killing and deliberate targeting of civilians, numerous atrocities, and the persecution of individuals and communities, inter _alia on the basis of their religion or belief, by terrorist groups and associated individuals,_ groups, undertakings and entities, 4. Reaffirming its solidarity with the victims and survivors of terrorism, offering its heartfelt condolences to their families and to the people and governments that have been targeted, and emphasizing the need to promote international solidarity in support of all victims of terrorism and to ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect, 5. Welcoming in this context the discussions and outcomes of the international Conference on Victims of Terrorism in the Sphere of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, held in Madrid, Spain, on 15–16 November 2018, which underlined the urgent need to coherently address the complex needs of the victims of terrorism by duly integrating them into comprehensive counterterrorism policies and practices at the national level, 6. Deploring, in the strongest terms, the incitement of terrorist acts and repudiating attempts at the justification or glorification of terrorist acts, which may incite further terrorist acts, while respecting the right to freedom of expression reflected in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 7. Underscoring that respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law are complementary to and mutually reinforce effective counterterrorism measures, and are an essential part of a successful counterterrorism effort, and noting the importance of respect for the rule of law so as to effectively prevent and counter terrorism, as well as that the failure to comply with these and other international obligations, including under the Charter of the United Nations, is one of the factors contributing to increasingly radicalized violence, and fosters a sense of impunity, 8. Expressing its grave concern about the terrorist and extremist ideology and actions of terrorist groups, such as ISIL, Al-Qaida and the al-Nusrah Front, and the growing presence of their affiliates around the world involved in the recruitment of FTFs, 9. Underscoring the central role of the United Nations in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism, and the need for all States’ actions to be conducted in compliance with the UN Charter and all other applicable obligations under international ----- law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, as well as relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, 10. Emphasizing the continued relevance of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and its balanced implementation by participating States, 11. Reiterating that States bear the primary responsibility for preventing and countering terrorism, and violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (hereinafter VERLT), while respecting their obligations under international law, 12. Stressing the importance of building whole-of-society resilience to terrorism and VERLT, as well as of fostering the role of civil society in supporting a global campaign against terrorism and the need to further promote public–private partnerships, 13. Underscoring the importance of involving civil society, in particular families, youth, women, victims of terrorism, and religious, cultural and educational leaders, as well as the media and the private sector, including information technology companies, in preventing terrorism and VERLT, 14. Noting with concern the evolving nature of terrorism and violent extremism, which have led to increasing numbers of terrorist attacks in the OSCE area, including attacks by terrorists acting alone or in small cells, as well as the proliferation of the terrorist and violent extremist ideology and narratives that motivate all these acts, 15. Deploring that, despite military defeats in the Middle East, ISIL and Al-Qaeda remain active in conflict-affected zones, and stressing that the threat to our societies remains high, whether from large-scale bombings perpetrated by returning foreign fighters or lone wolf attacks by violent extremists on our streets, 16. Acknowledging that the drivers of terrorism are also changing, with factors related to racism, political extremism, and disenfranchisement in our societies becoming more prominent, and recognizing that addressing the numerous causes of radicalization more effectively becomes imperative, 17. Recognizing the differential impact terrorism and VERLT have on women and children, with particular respect to such matters as violations and abuses of human rights and that they are often directly targeted by terrorist groups, and underlining that their vulnerability should be more central in our policy debates, 18. Noting that religious education is often a key element in the de-radicalization process, offering a perspective over religion which is not linked to violence, 19. Underlining the urgent need to strengthen information-sharing at local, national, regional and international levels, thereby ensuring a timely and reliable exchange of operational data aimed at strengthening our counterterrorism responses in line with human rights and the rule of law, 20. Deploring the use and/or abuse of the Internet and social media for terrorist purposes, including the dissemination of radical and violent ideologies, as well as terrorist recruiting, ----- 21. Drawing attention to the poorly explored multifaceted interlinkage between terrorism and crime, including the recruitment of terrorists from the criminal underworld and the financing of terrorism through the illegal proceeds generated by other criminal activities, 22. Reaffirming our determination and commitment to remain united in preventing and countering terrorism, through increased international co-operation and a sustained and comprehensive approach at all relevant levels, involving the active participation and cooperation of all participating States and relevant international and regional organizations, as well as local communities and civil society, 23. Recalling the definition of FTFs contained in UN Security Council Resolution 2178 (2014), and expressing grave concern, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017), over the acute and growing threat posed by FTFs returning or relocating from/to conflict zones to their countries of origin or nationality, or to other countries, 24. Welcoming the 2015 Guiding Principles on Foreign Terrorist Fighters (Madrid Guiding Principles) and the 2018 Addendum adopted by the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (UN-CTC) designed as practical tools to assist Member States in stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters and implement the requirements of the Security Council Resolutions 2178 (2014) and 2396 (2017), 25. Recognizing that the OSCE participating States may face challenges in obtaining admissible evidence from zones adjacent to the OSCE area where conflicts are ongoing that can be used to help in prosecutions of FTFs and those supporting FTFs, 26. Recalling relevant OSCE commitments and OSCE PA Resolutions adopted in the field of preventing and countering terrorism and VERLT, including the 2018 Resolution on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremisms and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism, which, inter alia, promotes a whole-of-society approach and reaffirms the urgency of fully implementing UN Security Council Resolutions 2396 and 2178 to counter the threat posed by FTFs to the countries of origin, transit and destination, 27. Taking positive note of the dedicated efforts of the 2018 Italian Chair-in-Office of the OSCE in the field of countering and preventing terrorism and VERLT, and particularly in the context of the challenges posed by returning and relocating FTFs, 28. Noting with concern that, despite overwhelming political convergence on the urgent need to effectively counter and prevent terrorism and VERLT, over the last few years the OSCE participating States have been unable to reach consensus to push forward the agenda of the organization in this field through the adoption of new commitments, 29. Underlining that, by leveraging its comparative advantages, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is bringing new impetus to the Organization’s efforts by creating political momentum for action through policy making, oversight, and convening powers of its participating States, 30. Welcoming the innovative efforts of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism aimed at prompting national parliaments to advocate, in a co-ordinated fashion and building on their oversight powers, for the full implementation of critical obligations on border security and information sharing stemming from UN Security Council Resolutions 2178 and 2396 – notably, the ----- establishment of Advance Passenger Information (API), Personal Name Record (PNR) and biometric systems – thereby translating international action to the national level, 31. Commending in this context the goal-oriented partnership established by the OSCE PA with the OSCE executive structures and with relevant UN organs and agencies, including the UN-CTC, its Executive Directorate, the United Nations Office for Counter Terrorism and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to promote a greater parliamentary engagement in counterterrorism, fully leveraging the strengths of our Assembly, 32. Welcoming the continued efforts of the Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism to promote the exchange of lessons learned and good practice in countering and preventing terrorism and VERLT in the OSCE region, including through the organization and contribution to various visits, conference and experts events in Albania, Austria, France, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Spain and United States of America, 33. Commending the increased level of co-ordination on counterterrorism of the OSCE PA with other regional parliamentary assemblies, including with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and taking positive note of the inter-parliamentary exchanges occurred under the auspices of the United Nations, including the framework of the St. Petersburg Conference on Countering International Terrorism on 18 April 2019. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 34. Urges OSCE participating States to find and bring to justice, extradite or prosecute any person who supports, facilitates, participates or attempts to participate in the direct or indirect financing of terrorist acts, as well as to afford one another the greatest measure of assistance in connection with criminal investigations or proceedings relating to the financing or support of terrorist acts, including assistance in obtaining evidence in their possession necessary for proceedings involving FTFs, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and consistent with obligations under domestic and applicable international law; 35. Urges national parliaments to ensure that their domestic laws and regulations establish serious criminal offences sufficient to provide the ability to prosecute and to penalize the activities of FTFs described in paragraph 6 of UN Security Council Resolution 2178 in a manner duly reflecting the seriousness of the offence; 36. Calls on OSCE participating States to address challenges related to FTFs and accompanying family members by taking appropriate steps to develop legal frameworks to enable prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration, as well as comprehensive and tailored prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration strategies and measures, during and after imprisonment, or as part of non-custodial measures of justice; such strategies and measures should ensure national ownership, be implemented on a case by case basis through a whole-of-society and multidisciplinary approach and address specific concerns, vulnerabilities and needs of men, women and children – including accompanying family members of FTFs – as appropriate; 37. Encourages OSCE participating States to consider providing assistance to women and children associated with FTFs who may be victims of terrorism based on a gender ----- sensitive and age-sensitive approach, in recognition that women and children returning or relocating from conflict zones may have served in many different roles, including as supporters, facilitators or perpetrators of terrorist acts, and require special focus when developing tailored prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration strategies; 38. Urges national authorities to treat children formerly associated with FTFs, or who have been forced to travel to conflict zones affected by terrorist attacks, in a manner consistent with their rights, dignity and needs, and to provide timely and appropriate reintegration and rehabilitation assistance to children associated with FTFs, including through access to healthcare, psychological support and education programmes that contribute to the well-being of children; 39. Appeals to OSCE participating States to take appropriate steps to develop and maintain effective, fair, safe, humane, transparent and accountable criminal justice systems compliant with human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as to ensure effective prison management consistent with applicable international law and national legislation, as a fundamental basis of any strategy to prevent and counter terrorism and VERLT in prisons; 40. Exhorts OSCE participating States to strengthen international law enforcement and judicial co-operation in order to bring terrorists to justice, including by making full use of applicable international instruments to which they are parties as a basis for mutual legal assistance and for extradition in terrorism cases; 41. Invites national authorities to complement law enforcement measures with preventive efforts, while upholding human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law, in order to respond effectively to the challenges presented by relocating and returning FTFs, as well as by terrorists acting alone or in small cells; 42. Urges OSCE participating States to take appropriate steps to prevent and suppress terrorist financing in accordance with the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, and to swiftly and effectively implement the Financial Action Task Force’s standards; 43. Calls on national authorities to redouble their efforts to prevent the movement of terrorists, in particular FTFs, notably through effective national border controls, the rigorous checking of identity and travel documents, and measures for preventing counterfeiting, forgery or fraudulent use of identity and travel documents; 44. Calls on in this context national authorities to improve border security measures, notably by employing evidence-based risk assessments, screening procedures, and the collection and analysis of travel data, in accordance with domestic and international law, including international human rights law and international humanitarian law, without resorting to any profiling that would be inconsistent with international law; 45. Urges OSCE participating States to establish national API systems, in line with OSCE commitments, as well as with standards and recommended practices developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); 46. Calls on OSCE participating States to ensure that API is analysed by all relevant national authorities, with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, for the purposes ----- of preventing, detecting and investigating terrorist offences and related movement, and to report, as expeditiously as possible, any attempts by terrorists, in particular FTFs, to depart from, enter or transit through their territory, notably by sharing relevant information with the State of residence or nationality and/or the countries of return, transit or relocation, and/or relevant international organizations, as appropriate and in accordance with domestic law and international obligations; 47. Further calls on national authorities to develop the capability to collect, process and analyse PNR data, in line with ICAO standards and recommended practices, and to ensure that PNR data are used by and shared with all relevant national authorities, in conformity with the requirements of Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017) and with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, for the purposes of preventing, detecting and investigating terrorist offences and related travel; 48. Exhorts OSCE participating States to develop and implement systems to collect biometric data in order to responsibly and properly identify terrorists, including FTFs, consistent with domestic law and human rights and fundamental freedoms; 49. Appeals to national authorities to develop watch lists and databases of known and suspected terrorists, including FTFs, that can be used by law enforcement and border security agencies, customs, intelligence services and the military to screen travellers and conduct risk assessments and investigations, in compliance with domestic and international law, including human rights and fundamental freedoms; 50. Prompts national authorities to make use of existing databases, including those of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and ensure that the relevant national agencies are connected to and make regular use of such databases; 51. Calls upon national authorities to enhance co-operation with the private sector, in accordance with applicable law, especially with ICT companies, including in gathering digital data and information related to terrorism and FTFs; and strengthen international co-operation when taking national measures to prevent and counter terrorist exploitation of technology and communications to support terrorist acts, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and consistent with their obligations under domestic and applicable international law; 52. Encourages participating States to deepen and expand existing partnerships among relevant organizations, and further develop the role and profile of the OSCE as a regional platform for the exchange of good practice, lessons learned and information, as well as for promoting co-operation among participating States; 53. Urges parliamentarians in the OSCE region to continue to engage at regional and international levels with a view to strengthening relevant legislative and policy frameworks, and exchanging best practice and lessons learned on the challenges stemming from the return and relocation of FTFs; 54. Calls on the 2019 and 2020 Chairs-in-Office of the OSCE to build on the successful efforts of the previous Chairs-in-Office and continue to promote an active role for the OSCE in this domain, in full co-ordination with the OSCE PA and leveraging their respective strengths; ----- 55. Calls on the OSCE executive structures, in line with the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security and taking into account a gender and child-sensitive perspective, to continue to raise awareness, promote good practice and to assist the OSCE participating States in the implementation of relevant international obligations and OSCE commitments; 56. Encourages the OSCE PA Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism to continue to add value in this field through targeted initiatives in partnership with national and international stakeholders aimed promoting the full implementation of the global counterterrorism framework while at same time fostering a greater parliamentary engagement in counterterrorism matters; 57. Tasks the OSCE PA International Secretariat to continue to provide technical support to the work of the OSCE PA Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism through the organization of regular meetings, visits and other targeted initiatives, as relevant and within available resources. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **THE SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN ABKHAZIA, GEORGIA,** **AND THE TSKHINVALI REGION/SOUTH OSSETIA, GEORGIA** 1. Guided by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and all OSCE norms, principles and commitments, starting from the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris, the 1992 Helsinki Document, the 1994 Budapest Document, the 1996 Lisbon Document, and the Charter for European Security adopted at the 1999 Istanbul Summit, 2. Recalling the relevant OSCE Parliamentary Assembly documents, including the Oslo (2010), Monaco (2012), Tbilisi (2016) and Berlin (2018) Declarations, 3. Recalling the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Security Council’s relevant Resolutions on Georgia, the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions on the Status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution on Cooperation with Georgia, and the Council of Europe Ministers’ Deputies Decision on The Council of Europe and the conflict in Georgia, and welcoming reports of the United Nations Secretary-General, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe prepared pursuant to the mentioned Resolutions and Decisions respectively, 4. Welcoming the OSCE Slovak Chair-in-Office’s priorities, particularly preventing, mediating and mitigating conflict and focusing on the people it affects, 5. Reaffirming full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders, 6. Expressing serious concern over the fact that Georgia is deprived of the option to exercise the legitimate jurisdiction over its territory due to the Russian Federation’s illegal occupation and steps towards de facto annexation of Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, and herewith stressing the primary responsibility of the Russian Federation, as an occupying power, for grave violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms on the ground, 7. Strongly condemning the deterioration of security, human rights and the humanitarian situation in the occupied territories of Georgia due to the Russian Federation’s illegal actions, including intensified military build-up and military exercises, installation of razor wire fences and artificial barriers along the occupation line, ethnic discrimination against Georgians residing in Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, among them proven instances of murder, torture, ill treatment, kidnapping and illegal detentions, restrictions on rights related to freedom of movement and residence, housing, land and property, as well as the prohibition of education in native Georgian language, as well as the introduction of the death penalty in the occupied Abkhazia region in violation of the fundamental right to life, 8. Strongly condemning the murder of Georgian citizens – Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Otkhozoria, and Davit Basharuli – by representatives of the Russian occupation regimes in Sokhumi and Tskhinvali, and the recent death of detained Georgian internally ----- displaced person (IDP) Irakli Kvaratskhelia at the Russian military base illegally stationed in the occupied Abkhazia region of Georgia, 9. Reaffirming support for the fundamental rights of hundreds of thousands of IDPs and refugees expelled following the multiple waves of ethnic cleansing from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, to return to their places of origin in safety and dignity, 10. Expressing grave concern that international human rights monitors continue to be denied access to Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, by the Russian Federation, exercising effective control over these regions, 11. Expressing deep concern that the EU Monitoring Mission, which remains the only international monitoring mechanism in Georgia since the closure of the relevant OSCE and UN missions, is continuously being denied access to the occupied regions, in breach of its mandate, which covers the entire territory of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders, 12. Recognizing the necessity of a peaceful resolution of the Russian Federation–Georgia conflict in full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders, and underlining the importance of the implementation of the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, including the withdrawal of Russian Federation’s military and security forces from Georgian territory and the establishment of international security mechanisms inside Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, 13. Recognizing the necessity of achieving tangible results in the Geneva International Discussions, an important negotiation format for addressing security and humanitarian challenges stemming from the Russian Federation’s full-scale military aggression, pursuant to the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, 14. Expressing strong support for the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms (IPRMs) in Ergneti and Gali that contribute to addressing the urgent needs of the conflictaffected population and preventing the escalation of the conflict, and herewith noting the importance of the resumption of IPRM in Gali without further delay and in full respect of the founding principles and ground rules, 15. Underlining the importance of reconciliation and confidence-building between the communities divided by war and the occupation line, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 16. Urges the Russian Federation to uphold the fundamental norms and principles of international law and reverse its illegal decision on the recognition of the so-called independence of the occupied territories of Georgia; 17. Calls upon the Russian Federation to implement the EU-mediated 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, _inter alia, to withdraw its military and security forces from_ Georgian territory and remove the impediments to establishing international security mechanisms inside Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia; ----- 18. Calls upon the Russian Federation, as the power exercising effective control in Georgia’s occupied territories, to cease its illegal actions and human rights violations, including deprivation of life, abductions, illegal detentions, torture, and ill treatment, harassment, politically motivated so-called prosecutions and other violations and ethnic discrimination against people residing in the occupied territories of Georgia and along the occupation line; 19. Urges the Russian Federation to remove all obstacles to ending the impunity in the cases of murder of Georgian citizens and bringing the perpetrators to justice; 20. Welcomes the Resolution of the Parliament of Georgia on “Gross Human Rights Violations in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region Occupied by the Russian Federation and on the Otkhozoria-Tatunashvili List” of 21 March 2018 as well as the follow-up Decree of the Government of Georgia on the approval of the List of 26 June 2018, and calls upon the participating States of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to impose sanctions/restrictive measures on the persons accused and convicted of murder, abduction, torture and inhuman treatment, and serious injury of citizens of Georgia as well as the concealment of those crimes in the occupied territories in line with the mentioned Resolution, as a preventive step to end impunity and avoid further grave human rights violations in Georgia’s occupied territories; 21. Urges the Russian Federation to allow the return of hundreds of thousands of IDPs and refugees forcibly expelled from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, to their places of origin in safety and dignity; 22. Urges the Russian Federation to allow access by international human rights mechanisms, including the relevant OSCE executive structures, to Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia; 23. Supports the peaceful conflict resolution policy of Georgia, including Georgia’s compliance with the 12 August 2008 Ceasefire Agreement, unilateral affirmation and implementation of the non-use of force commitment, and urges the Russian Federation to reciprocate; 24. Supports the constructive engagement of Georgia in the Geneva International Discussions, its policy of dialogue with the Russian Federation, as well as efforts towards reconciliation and confidence-building between communities divided by war and the occupation line; 25. Supports the peace initiative of the Government of Georgia – “A step to a better Future” – aimed at improving the humanitarian and socio-economic conditions of people residing in Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, as well as fostering people-to-people contacts and confidence-building between the divided communities; 26. Calls upon the OSCE Chair-in-Office to redouble its efforts towards the re-establishment of a fully-fledged OSCE presence in Georgia with access to the entire territory of the country within its internationally recognized borders. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **ENERGY SECURITY IN THE OSCE AREA** 1. Recalling the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, whereby OSCE participating States committed in all circumstances to refrain from any act of economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by another participating State of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind, 2. Reaffirming the OSCE PA 2017 Minsk Resolution on Strengthening Energy Security in the OSCE Region, which recognizes the link between energy security, stability and security within and between participating States, 3. Emphasizing the importance of energy-related co-operation in promoting good neighbourly relations between States in the OSCE area, 4. Recognizing that affordable energy resources and security of supply are key prerequisites for the economic growth, stability and sustainable development of participating States, contributing to peace and security, 5. Acknowledging that natural energy resources and trade between States in natural energy resources should not be used in a way in which the energy importing or exporting country is subjected to discrimination or political or economic coercion aimed at depriving the right of any country to belong or not to belong to international organizations, or to be or not to be a party to bilateral or multilateral treaties, including the right to be or not to be a party to treaties of alliance or to be neutral, 6. Expressing particular concern about the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipeline projects and their potential to be used for the political or economic coercion of supply-dependent participating States, 7. Underlining the need to introduce market-oriented principles in the energy markets, in particular applying these principles to state-owned, vertically integrated monopoly companies in order to prevent domination of energy markets, 8. Expressing concern about corrupt practices, particularly those that are carried out by state-owned monopoly companies operating in the energy sector, for example by involving intermediary energy suppliers, applying different types of contracts for the same products, making the price dependent on politically motivated decisions, exerting non-transparent influence on policymakers, 9. Welcoming steps undertaken by the European Union to create a regulatory framework to facilitate the creation of competitive low-carbon energy markets in the gas and electricity sectors (Third Energy Package), which serve as a positive example for countries in the OSCE area, 10. Emphasizing the need to foster dialogue between energy exporting and importing countries, as well as transit countries, in order to reflect the interests of all participating States and avoid situations that could undermine the security of energy supply, ----- The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 11. Calls on the governments of participating States to learn from the experience of the European Union in creating a regulatory framework for competitive low-carbon energy markets in the gas and electricity sectors (Third Energy Package); 12. Underlines that the dependence on a single source of energy supply poses a risk to energy security and the security of supply, and thus creates the conditions for potential abuse in energy markets; 13. Encourages the participating States to promote and facilitate dialogue between energy exporting, transit and importing countries, with a view to strengthening the security of supply in the entire OSCE region; 14. Stresses the importance of diversification of energy sources, suppliers and routes and the need to avoid the isolation of any country or region from the broader energy networks; 15. Encourages participating States to build the necessary infrastructure – including by enhancing regional interconnections – to join an increasingly globalized natural gas market; 16. Calls on governments of participating States to refrain from using energy resources as a tool to subjugate or exert influence on countries dependent on the import, supply or transit of energy resources; 17. Encourages mutual support among participating States to deter and counter attempts from within the OSCE region, or elsewhere, to use energy supplies as a form of economic coercion contrary to the Helsinki Final Act of 1975; 18. Encourages the demonstration of a commitment towards greater security and solidarity in energy co-operation by enhancing and respecting the principles of fair, transparent and open energy markets; 19. Urges participating States to ensure that large-scale energy projects having a transboundary impact are implemented in accordance with the highest international environmental and, where relevant, nuclear safety standards; 20. Urges OSCE participating States to ensure that the implementation of nuclear power projects is carried out strictly in accordance with all international instruments, namely the Safety Standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Convention on Nuclear Safety, the Espoo Convention and the Aarhus Convention, and that the violation of international instruments may not be justified for any reason. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **GOOD PRACTICES FOR STATES RELATED TO PRIVATE MILITARY AND** **SECURITY COMPANIES** 1. Noting that since the start of the 1990s, the state role in guaranteeing security has changed, with certain traditional public security tasks now being delegated to private military and security companies (PMSCs) at both the national and international levels, 2. Recalling the 1994 OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, based on FSC.DEL/29/15, as an essential normative document governing the role of armed and security forces in democratic societies, 3. Welcoming the launching of a structured dialogue on the current and future challenges and risks to security in the OSCE area, as mandated in MC.DOC/4/16, 4. Underlining that States contracting with PMSCs retain their obligations under international law, 5. Bearing in mind that States have an obligation to ensure, through national legislation, that PMSCs operating in or from their territory act in accordance with international humanitarian law, human rights law and customary international law, 6. Emphasizing the existence of the Montreux Document on the pertinent international legal obligations and good practices for States related to the operations of private military and security companies during armed conflict, 7. Noting with satisfaction that the OSCE and a number of its participating States have joined the Montreux Document, 8. Noting the recent development of innovative international multi-stakeholder initiatives to ensure compliance of the private security sector with international human rights and humanitarian law obligations, such as the International Code of Conduct Association, 9. Concerned that the private security industry is not systematically subject to adequate democratic controls at the national level, 10. Repeating the concern voiced in its 2014 Baku Declaration that the absence of any specific regulatory framework for private military companies and private security companies and the lack of parliamentary oversight of these companies limit the most essential role of parliaments, 11. Concerned about the proxy role of private military companies in escalating conflicts in the OSCE area, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 12. Calls on participating States to discuss the topic of PMSCs within a structured dialogue as an important challenge and risk to security in the OSCE area; ----- 13. Calls upon the participating States to provide voluntary information on PMSCs within the information exchange on the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security; 14. Calls on the participating States to meet their obligations under international law, even in cases where they contract PMSCs to perform certain activities; 15. Reminds participating States that their right to outsource activities to PMSCs is subject to certain restrictions, notably in relation to the supervision of prisoner-of-war camps and places of internment of civilians; 16. Urges parliaments to draw up legislation that efficiently regulates the activities of private security companies on the basis of existing international standards; 17. Calls on parliaments to strengthen their powers on matters relating to the privatization of security services, democratic control and the regulation of the private security industry; 18. Recommends to parliaments of participating States not yet supporting the Montreux Document to raise awareness about it and to encourage their respective governments to consider joining the Montreux Document. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **STRATEGIC FORESIGHT IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION** **FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT** 1. Welcoming the significant achievements and continuing potential contribution of science, technology and innovation to human welfare and prosperity, 2. Recalling the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, in which OSCE participating States recognized that efforts to develop co-operation in some fields, including in science and technology, contribute to the reinforcement of peace and security in Europe and in the world as a whole, 3. Recalling also United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which adopted a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-oriented set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, 4. Recalling also UN General Assembly Resolution 73/17 of 3 December 2018 entitled “Impact of rapid technological change on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets”, as well as the outcome of the 4th UN Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, held in New York on 14 and 15 May 2019, 5. Recognizing the critical role and contribution of science, technology and innovation in addressing global challenges and realizing sustainable development, as well as in building and maintaining national competitiveness in the global economy, and welcoming the operationalization of the United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in 2018 in Turkey which marks the achievement of the first SDG target (17.8), 6. Noting that rapid technological advancements present opportunities and challenges, and that governments, parliaments, the private sector, international organizations, civil society, and the technical and academic communities should take into account the social, economic, ethical, cultural and technical issues related to rapid technological advancements in order to understand how to harness their potential to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, 7. Recognizing the role of new technologies, the digital economy and science in solving the environmental problems that the world is facing, 8. Noting that new technologies create new jobs and development opportunities, thus increasing the demand for digital skills and competencies, and underlining the importance of building digital skills and competencies so that societies can adapt and benefit from technological changes, 9. Recalling the OSCE PA 2017 Minsk Declaration, which stipulates that the implications derived from rapid advances in digitalization should be given due consideration, 10. Acknowledging that strategic foresight is the systematic assessment of science, technology and innovation in the long term and their impacts on society, with a view to ----- identifying areas of scientific research and technological development likely to influence change and produce the greatest societal benefits, 11. Emphasizing that strategic foresight is critical in order to ensure that technologies respond to demands and needs in diverse areas, 12. Recognizing that strategic foresight and assessment exercises could help policymakers and stakeholders in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through the identification of challenges and opportunities that can be addressed strategically, and that technology trends should be analysed, keeping in view the wider socio-economic context, 13. Acknowledging the central role that the Commission on Science and Technology for Development plays as the United Nations focal point for science, technology and innovation for development in analysing how science, technology and innovation serve as enablers of the 2030 Agenda by acting as a forum for strategic planning, sharing lessons learned and best practices, providing foresight about critical trends in science, technology, and innovation in key sectors of the economy, the environment and society, and drawing attention to emerging and disruptive technologies, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 14. Welcomes the remarkable evolution and diffusion of technologies which have seen penetration into many corners of the globe, created new opportunities for social interaction, enabled new business models, and contributed to economic growth and development in all other sectors, while noting the unique and emerging challenges related to their evolution and diffusion; 15. Calls on OSCE participating States to integrate science, technology and innovation policies into their national development strategies and ensure that such policies and programmes are supportive of national development agendas and inclusive development; 16. Encourages OSCE participating States to support the UN Technology Bank for LDCs with voluntary financial or in-kind contributions; 17. Encourages OSCE participating States to undertake strategic foresight activities on new trends in science, technology and innovation and their impact on sustainable development, particularly in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 18. Reaffirms the extremely important role of national parliaments, with active contributions from stakeholders from the public and private sectors, in the passing of legislative acts on strategic foresight activities, in accordance with national priorities; 19. Invites OSCE participating States to use strategic foresight activities as a process to encourage structured debate among all stakeholders, including representatives of parliaments, governments, science, industry, civil society and the private sector towards creating a shared understanding of long-term issues, such as the changing nature of work, and building a consensus on future policies, and to help meet current and emerging demands for competence and adaptation to change; ----- 20. Encourages governments of OSCE participating States to strengthen and foster investment in strategic foresight activities and to promote the involvement of the business and financial sectors in these activities; 21. Invites OSCE participating States and their national parliaments to encourage international co-operation in the dissemination of good practices in the field of strategic forecasting focused on sustainable development and the exchange of forecasting outcomes; 22. Calls on the OSCE executive structures to assist participating States, upon their request, in these undertakings in accordance with the provisions of the present Resolution. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **THE INTEGRATION OF GENDER AND YOUTH PERSPECTIVES** **IN EFFORTS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE** 1. Recognizing that climate change has become a multi-faceted threat resulting in environmental stresses, competition for natural resources, sea-level rise, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, and forced migration, all of which can lead to conflict, 2. Highlighting the importance of respecting commitments made in the Paris Agreement to keep global temperature this century well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and applauding the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Gender Action Plan by the parties to the Agreement, 3. Taking note of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to which OSCE participating States have agreed, and particularly Goal 13, which calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, 4. Acknowledging that the greatest threat to the future well-being of humanity is climate change and that today’s youth will face a disproportionately high burden in managing the resulting serious consequences, including those outlined in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s October 2018 Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5°C, 5. Noting that climate change and associated impacts, such as natural disasters and lost economic opportunities, are drivers of global migration which can be expected to increase in the coming years, 6. Recognizing that individuals experience climate change differently due to gender and other areas of inequality and that women and girls are often disproportionately affected by climate change, 7. Acknowledging that women and girls play important roles in ensuring water, food and energy security for their families and communities, and that when climate change makes this work more challenging and time consuming, girls are more likely to drop out of school to meet the basic needs of their family, perpetuating cycles of poverty, 8. Acknowledging that women and girls face unique challenges as primary caregivers and are at higher risk of sexual and gender-based violence in situations of natural disaster, displacement, and conflict, all of which can be expected to increase as a result of climate change, 9. Expressing concern that if women and youths from diverse backgrounds are excluded from decision-making with respect to climate change policy, existing inequalities are likely to be perpetuated, and the effectiveness of policies and programmes reduced, 10. Recalling OSCE Ministerial Council Decisions No. 4/09 (Athens), No. 5/13 (Kyiv) and No. 6/14 (Basel), which acknowledge the OSCE’s role in combating climate change, and the risks that climate change and other environmental challenges pose to security; and the OSCE PA’s climate change-related Resolutions, including the 2017 Resolution on Drinking Water: Fostering Co-operation to Protect a Scarce Resource Adversely Affected by Climate Change, ----- 11. Recalling the 2004 OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality and OSCE Ministerial Council Decisions No. 14/05 (Ljubljana) and No. 7/09 (Athens), which promote women’s involvement in decision-making and call for equal opportunities irrespective of gender; the OSCE PA Resolutions addressing this same topic, including the Berlin Declaration; and the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on women, peace and security, 12. Recalling the youth-related commitments made in the Helsinki Final Act, as well as OSCE Ministerial Council Declarations No. 3/14 (Basel), No. 5/15 (Belgrade) and No. 3/18 (Milan); the youth-related Resolutions of the OSCE PA, including the 2018 Resolution on A Shared Priority: Fostering Peace and Security through Enabling Young People to Reach their Full Potential; and the United Nations Security Council Resolutions on youth, peace and security, 13. Encouraged by recent youth-led protests and social movements calling for greater action to address climate change that have been led and inspired by the actions of a young woman, Greta Thunberg, 14. Noting the lack of information and data analysis with respect to the intersection of gender, youth and climate change, 15. Affirming the need for gender- and youth-responsive climate change policy that encompasses mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures, and that considers the differential impacts of climate change on various groups, including people with disabilities, racialized individuals, indigenous people, and other minority groups, 16. Stressing the importance of enabling youth from diverse backgrounds to play active and meaningful roles in international and domestic efforts to address climate change, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 17. Calls on the OSCE and participating States to address the threats posed to future generations by climate change and to integrate conflict prevention in all efforts to understand and address the impacts of climate change; 18. Urges the OSCE and the OSCE PA, in collaboration with regional and international partners, to collect, analyse and disseminate data on the intersection of gender, youth and climate change, and calls on participating States to take that data into account in the development of climate change policy and mitigation, adaption and resilience measures; 19. Encourages participating States to incorporate diverse gender and youth perspectives in developing their climate change policy to ensure that different impacts for different groups are considered in all mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures so that everyone benefits from investment to address climate change; 20. Calls on the OSCE and participating States to meaningfully include diverse youth and individuals from across the gender spectrum in the design and implementation of climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience projects, and in domestic and international policy discussions and climate change negotiations; 21. Urges the OSCE and participating States to facilitate youth leadership on climate change action by providing funding for youth-led organizations, and by offering capacity ----- building opportunities for youth in project management, negotiation, financial management and other relevant skills; 22. Strongly recommends that participating States develop Climate Change Gender Action Plans that address the specific needs of youth and ensure opportunities for their participation in policy development and implementation. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **DIGITALIZATION AS AN ADVANTAGE FOR GENDER POLICIES** 1. Welcoming the significant achievements and continuing potential contribution of science, technology and innovation to human welfare and prosperity, 2. Recalling the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, in which OSCE participating States recognized that efforts to develop co-operation in some fields, including in science and technology, contribute to the reinforcement of peace and security in Europe and in the world as a whole, 3. Also recalling United Nations General Assembly Resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which adopted a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-oriented set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets – 3) Good Health and Well-being, 4) Quality Education, 5) Gender Equality, 4. Recalling the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 5. Calls for the enhancement of the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women (SDG 5); 6. Also calls for recognition and value of unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies, and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate; 7. Further calls for participating States to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life; 8. Underlines that the right to Internet access is the right of every individual, and therefore a priority of all participating States needs to be to enable equal access of all the citizens to this right, regardless of their gender, age or nationality; 9. Invites all participating States to include the gender equality issue in all segments of society, including in digital initiatives, and emphasizes the limited participation of women in this field and the need for greater encouragement to women to opt for applying new technologies; 10. Indicates the need to better use digitalization’s potential to enable more efficient participation of women in decision-making process, and underlines that digitalization contributes to affirmation of basic democratic principles by enabling women to have a more direct access to decision-making on relevant social and political issues; 11. Encourages participating States to put technologies in place to enable parliamentarians who are pregnant or have recently given birth to work and vote remotely, thereby ----- allowing them to be physically absent from the chamber to which they belong when there is no alternative mechanism for their substitution; 12. Encourages greater involvement of civil society organizations in general informatization, digitalization and digital transformation processes, and recognizes their constructive role in promoting women’s participation in these processes; 13. Urges greater attention be paid to gender segregation and gender discrimination issues in the information and communication technologies (ICT) sector, particularly as regards the division into the so called “male” and “female” sectors, and to unequal pay for the same type of jobs which may result in greater gaps in pension and invalidity insurance contributions; 14. Proposes to the participating States that, with regard to respect for human rights, special attention should be paid to women’s labour rights in the ICT sector, and notes that, regardless of the positive changes and progress achieved in the field of legislation, women still find it difficult to exercise their labour rights in practice; 15. Emphasizes the need to implement gender analysis and produce statistics involving the gender component for the purpose of creating and implementing gender equality policies in the ICT sector, based on gender-sensitive indicators; 16. Invites participating States to promote the principle of gender equality in the ICT sector and to work towards removing the formal and informal barriers that are preventing women from having access to higher positions in the hierarchy of this sector; 17. Emphasizes the importance of establishing special funds to provide financial support to women entrepreneurs starting up their own businesses in the ICT sector; 18. Welcomes the possibility of greater flexibility and more flexible working practices that digital technologies provide for the purpose of achieving balance between private and business obligations, which significantly contributes to increasing the quality of women’s lives; 19. Stresses the need for raising public awareness of the advantages provided by the use of digital technologies and digital skills, and of their impact on the improvement of position of women of all ages in the modern digital era; 20. Encourages participating States to move away from gender stereotypes related to some professions, including in the ICT sector, when planning their educational policies; 21. Emphasizes the need for raising public awareness of the importance of improving women’s digital literacy through education curriculums and professional training; 22. Urges the implementation of professional and mentoring support programmes for female students obtaining a university education in the fields of technology and mathematics for their further training and employment in the ICT sector; 23. Praises the fact that digitalization enables women to have better access to healthcare system services, and thus to be better informed on their health, and emphasizes the need to invest more in efforts in this regard; ----- 24. Points to the importance of registering healthcare services provided to women in electronic systems, and of ensuring their right to privacy; 25. Invites participating States to work on digitalization of their healthcare systems and implementation of strategies and policies enabling establishment of electronic medical databases, and to raise women’s awareness of the importance of these processes, including to strengthen efforts to achieve universal health coverage; 26. Indicates the necessity for timely identification of threats and risks posed by the Internet and ICT, the use of which may generate threats, violent acts and crimes endangering women’s safety; 27. Suggests that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and participating States: a. work towards affirmation of these issues through all OSCE dimensions; b. promote digital literacy and insist on a higher participation of women in obtaining technical and information literacy by encouraging the establishment of mechanisms for monitoring the results of defined programmes, measures and courses; c. establish forums and organize events on the margins that would serve as platforms for including all the relevant stakeholders in discussions on the concerned issues, including through the exchange of experience and implementation of proposed measures; d. insist on a consistent application of existing institutional mechanisms at all levels of government, as well as private sector and civil society organizations, and to work towards their availability for citizens; e. through national strategies, ensure higher participation of women in the ICT labour market, thus reducing the gender gap, contributing to higher employment and increasing gross domestic product; f. develop and stimulate special curriculums and educational and retraining projects for elderly women and women from rural areas. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **PROMOTING ENERGY SECURITY BY ENSURING ACCESS** **TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY** 1. Highlighting that the production, use and distribution of energy fulfils basic human needs and propels economic growth, but can also be a source of societal tension and cause significant environmental harm, 2. Guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which OSCE participating States have agreed, specifically SDG 7, which calls on all States to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all and to substantially increase the share of renewable energy in global energy sources, among other targets, 3. Noting OSCE commitments related to the environment and energy enshrined in the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, the 2003 OSCE Strategy Document for the Economic and Environmental Dimension (Maastricht Strategy), the 2007 Madrid Declaration on Environment and Security, and other OSCE documents which address the importance of sound environmental governance and co-operation among OSCE participating States regarding the implementation of environmental protection measures, 4. Recalling OSCE Ministerial Council Decisions No. 12/06 (Brussels), No. 6/09 (Athens), No. 5/13 (Kyiv) and No. 6/13 (Kyiv) which acknowledge that energy security is dependent on co-operative dialogue and that affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is a precondition for sustainable development, 5. Welcoming the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration of the 2018 United Nations Highlevel Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which called on States to accelerate efforts to meet the SDG 7 targets, 6. Encouraged that the use of renewable energy in the OSCE region and worldwide has risen in the past decade, but concerned that the SDG 7 targets will not be realized by 2030 without significant progress, 7. Underscoring that the shift to sustainable and renewable energy is an integral part of efforts to combat climate change, given that two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions are from the energy sector alone, 8. Recognizing the work of the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which brings together national and subnational governments, businesses and organizations with the aim of rapidly phasing out traditional coal-fired electricity, a significant emitter of greenhouse gases and cause of air, water and soil pollution, 9. Convinced that transitioning to sustainable energy sources not only benefits the environment but also facilitates economic growth and job creation, 10. Underscoring the adverse gender-based impacts associated with a lack of access to sustainable energy, as women are most often the primary household energy managers and are significantly under-represented in energy sector leadership positions, ----- 11. Acknowledging the meaningful role of the OSCE in promoting the use of sustainable energy among participating States and Partners for Co-operation, including through capacity-building workshops and publications, 12. Noting that increasing energy interdependence creates opportunities for collaboration and dialogue on sustainable energy initiatives but also increases the risk of tension if the interests of all stakeholders are not addressed, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 13. Urges participating States to take all action necessary to meet the SDG 7 targets, including by increasing investment in sustainable energy research and development, reducing reliance on non-renewable sources of energy, ensuring universal access to affordable and renewable energy, and providing aid to other countries requiring assistance in meeting these targets; 14. Encourages participating States to involve relevant stakeholders, including all levels of government, the private sector and civil society, as appropriate, in energy-related decision- and policy-making to ensure that these processes are transparent and address environmental and social concerns; 15. Urges participating States to make use of the OSCE and the OSCE PA as a platform to promote enhanced dialogue, co-operation and sharing of best practices on sustainable energy and energy security with a view to meeting the SDG 7 targets, while preventing tension related to the production and accessibility of energy; 16. Calls on the OSCE and the OSCE PA to establish forums and tools on sustainable energy and energy security that could form the basis of discussions aimed at developing an OSCE-wide action plan to encourage co-operation on these issues; 17. Urges participating States to implement gender-inclusive sustainable energy policies that are developed in consultation with women and women-led civil society organizations, and to strengthen women’s leadership and participation in their countries’ energy sectors; 18. Encourages participating States to communicate the benefits of sustainable energy to the public, which include but are not limited to: job creation, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and reduction in air, water and soil pollution. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **EDUCATING SCHOOLCHILDREN TO AVOID HUMAN TRAFFICKING** 1. Recalling the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Resolutions on human trafficking adopted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in St. Petersburg (1999), Brussels (2006), Oslo (2010), Belgrade (2011), Monaco (2012), Istanbul (2013), Baku (2014), Helsinki (2015), Tbilisi (2016), Minsk (2017) and Berlin (2018), and all OSCE commitments related to combating human trafficking, as well as efforts by participating States to implement the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (2003 and 2005), and the Addendum to the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (2013), 2. Recalling the OSCE Sofia Ministerial Council Decision on The Special Needs for Child Victims of Trafficking for Protection and Assistance (2004), the OSCE Brussels Ministerial Council Decision on Combating Sexual Exploitation of Children (2006), the OSCE Madrid Ministerial Decision on Combating Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Internet (2007), the OSCE Vienna Ministerial Decisions on Strengthening Efforts to Prevent Trafficking in Human Beings and on Strengthening Efforts to Combat All Forms of Child Trafficking, including for Sexual Exploitation, as well as Other Forms of Sexual Exploitation of Children (2017); and the OSCE Milan Ministerial Decision on Strengthening Efforts to Prevent and Combat Child Trafficking, Including of Unaccompanied Minors (2018), 3. Recalling the 2000 Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, annexed to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, 4. Alarmed that, according to the latest worldwide research by the International Labour Organization, at any given time 16 million people are exploited in labour trafficking, 4.8 million people are exploited in sex trafficking, and 4 million are exploited in Stateimposed trafficking, such as prison labour, forced military service, and forced communal service, 5. Concerned that children account for one in four trafficking victims according to research by the International Labour Organization, 6. Aware that children of all socio-economic statuses can be easy prey for traffickers due to lack of awareness and understanding about the threat of trafficking, and that this vulnerability can be compounded by additional factors, such as a previous history of abuse and neglect, institutionalization, running away from home, being an unaccompanied or separated minor, disability, belonging to a national minority, a lack of citizenship or birth registration, being an asylum seeker, refugee or internally displaced person, or poverty, 7. Concerned that traffickers are misusing internet communication technologies to systematically lure children into trafficking and other forms of sexual exploitation by, according to a study of 6,000 reports to the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline, engaging a child in sexual conversation/role-play as a grooming method, rather than a goal (34 per cent); asking a child for sexually explicit images of themselves (33 per cent); developing a positive rapport with a child, often ----- through compliments and praise; discussing “shared” interests or “liking”/commenting on children’s online posts, etc. (29 per cent); sending unprompted sexually explicit images of themselves (23 per cent); pretending to be younger (20 per cent); offering sexually explicit images of themselves to a child (10 per cent); asking children to reciprocally/mutually exchange images (9 per cent); offering incentives in exchange for explicit content (8 per cent), 8. Concerned that in the NCMEC’s research, children are inadvertently making themselves vulnerable by engaging in high-risk behaviours online, such as lying about being older in order to access certain platforms which would allow communication with older individuals; initiating online communication and/or offering an exchange with offenders, such as requesting financial compensation, alcohol/drugs, gifts, etc. for sexually explicit content of oneself; and sending explicit photos or videos (known as “sexts”) of oneself to another user, 9. Alarmed that the average age of online enticement was 15 years old in the NCMEC study, and that nearly all of the children reported not knowing the offender, except through online communication, 10. Aware that the Human Trafficking Institute reported that in 28 per cent of federal trafficking prosecutions in the United States of America in 2018, the victim met the trafficker through social media, 11. Alarmed that most children are unprepared for a trafficker’s use of blackmail, abuse, force, psychological coercion or false promises of work, education and romance to enslave the children, 12. Aware that children may not ask for help due to lack of understanding of what has happened to them, fear of their traffickers, fear of punishment, lack of information about their options, or mistrust of authorities, 13. Concerned about reports of children who go to school by day and suffer trafficking at night, 14. Encouraged that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives Protect project, A21, Just Ask, the NCMEC, and others have developed age-appropriate school courses to educate students on how to avoid trafficking traps, and to educate teachers on how to identify and help students who may be trapped in sex trafficking work and other forms of sexual exploitation, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 15. Calls on OSCE participating States to begin preventively educating students to avoid trafficking traps at an early age before traffickers can begin grooming the children; 16. Calls on OSCE participating States to assess the percentage of trafficking victims that are children, children’s average age of entry into trafficking, types of trafficking in which children are involved, and whether child victims are concentrated in certain regions, cities or schools within the respective States, or are members of a particular minority group; ----- 17. Requests OSCE participating States to identify courses where trafficking prevention could be easily integrated, such as classes on health, government, history, criminal justice, or sex education; 18. Calls on OSCE participating States to consider various modes of educating teachers and guidance counsellors, such as online courses, continuing teacher education requirements, or in-person workshops; 19. Requests OSCE participating States to collaborate with school districts, law enforcement, child and family welfare agencies, shelters for runaway and homeless youths, antitrafficking NGOs, and faith or cultural communities in prevention education and the development of a unified, written response protocol for responding to identified victims; 20. Encourages OSCE participating States to pay particular attention to preventing traffickers’ abuse of internet communication technologies by offering comprehensive and ongoing education of children to avoid high-risk behaviours online, such as lying about being older in order to access certain platforms which would allow communication with older individuals; initiating online communication and/or offering an exchange (financial compensation, alcohol/drugs, gifts, etc.) with offenders for sexually explicit content of oneself, and sending explicit photos or videos of oneself to another user; 21. Encourages participating States to teach adolescents to distinguish between a credible job offer and a job offer that may be a gateway to human trafficking, particularly when such offers are associated with major events known to involve high rates of sexual exploitation; 22. Encourages participating States to establish culturally relevant prevention programmes for indigenous children and other vulnerable groups in each local context, given the prevalence of human trafficking involving persons from those groups. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **NEONATAL CARE AS A SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT TARGET** 1. Considering that enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being from their neonatal stage, as well as an investment for the future of the whole society, that enables people in need of prompt assistance to become active members of society, 2. Taking stock of the data on infant mortality made available by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to which as many as 6.3 million children under 15 years of age died in 2017, of whom 5.4 million were under 5 years and 2.5 million under one month of age (on the whole, some 15,000 children die every day in the world), 3. Bearing in mind that over half of these early deaths are caused by preventable or curable diseases through simple, easily available treatment and that the neonatal mortality rate is increasing, although child mortality among over 5-year-olds is constantly decreasing, 4. Recalling that the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 aim at ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all and that Goal No. 3 aims to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age by 2030, through the achievement of the following ad hoc targets in all countries: a. reducing newborn mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1,000 live births in every country (SDG 3.2), b. reducing under-five mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1,000 live births in every country (SDG 3.2), 5. Acknowledging that for many curable genetic metabolic disorders an early diagnosis can indicate risks of permanent disability and even death, 6. Acknowledging that early diagnosis of genetic metabolic disorders may be instrumental in optimizing healthcare and making savings in health budgets, to the advantage of both households and national health services, 7. Welcoming the vast availability of neonatal screening, an important preventive medicine programme that can identify diseases for which only early diagnosis and timely treatment can provide an expectation of recovery and normal life for children and also for the women who usually carry the greater burden of pre- and post-natal care, 8. Considering that: a. comprehensive newborn screening is a fundamental tool for the prevention of rare diseases, including hereditary metabolic disorders, which are curable if detected in time, b. roughly 40 genetic metabolic disorders can already be diagnosed, and for these disorders, if treatment and care are administered during the first days of life and before the emergence of symptoms, the life of the child can be improved significantly, to the point that death can be avoided, ----- c. these disorders are very hard to diagnose and they advance rapidly, sometimes in a matter of hours, and unless immediate action is taken, damage can be irreversible and lead to serious physical or mental disability, or even death, d. there is no contraindication on the performance of comprehensive newborn screening; the test is non-invasive and can in no way harm the baby, 9. Believing that a fresh effort must be made in the OSCE area to study and implement innovative national legislative and policy instruments and tools, in order to promote effective access to adequate services and medical care, as well as the integration of culturally and socio-economically vulnerable people, 10. Recognizing that lack of respect for and abuse of women during childbirth, also known as obstetric violence – a concept recognized by the WHO – may include physical and verbal abuse, care without consent, non-confidential care, refusal or abandonment of care, detention and discrimination based on particular attributes, such as ethnic origin or socio-economic status, and that this may have a significant negative impact on the newborn and his or her care, The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 11. Urges participating States to comply with WHO directives in order to improve overall child health protection, by ensuring effective access of children to medical checks and care, including the achievement of SDG 3 on the reduction of child and newborn mortality; 12. Encourages participating States to consider the medical, human and economic benefits connected with prevention strategies based on techniques for the early diagnosis of as many curable diseases emerging in the neonatal stage as possible, and to develop ad hoc measures to inform and train private and public health providers; 13. Encourages participating States to intensify co-operation and synergies in the health sector, so as to ensure, in this context, basic services to the benefit of vulnerable persons, such as children and newborn babies; 14. Calls on OSCE participating States to: a. make efforts in order to create a legislative framework so as to ensure that the right to comprehensive newborn screening is ensured in a uniform fashion across the OSCE region; b. strengthen data gathering and protection and sharing mechanisms in the framework of the comprehensive newborn screening at national, European and international levels; c. make efforts to develop common awareness and disseminate a culture and practice of comprehensive newborn screening as an important instrument for prevention; 15. Urges participating States to fight inequality and the social determinants of health that effectively hinder the access of children and newborn babies to adequate care in line with the WHO health guidelines; ----- 16. Calls for the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to be mandated to initiate a study on the frequency with which women experience a lack of respect and abuse during childbirth (obstetric violence) in participating States, including abusive medical interventions during childbirth, and for this study to be undertaken with a view to making recommendations to participating States on how best to address this important issue in collaboration with professionals in their healthcare systems and the women concerned and to incorporating this issue into programmes that promote gender equality. ----- **RESOLUTION ON** **A CALL FOR STRONGER OSCE ACTION TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF INCREASED** **DISCRIMINATION AGAINST CHRISTIANS AND FOLLOWERS OF OTHER** **MINORITY FAITHS IN CERTAIN OSCE PARTICIPATING STATES** 1. Recalling that, when the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) was established in the early 1990s, it took place in the context of a fundamentally new pan-European political opening, and hope for a future of ever closer international cooperation, liberty and tolerance – including freedom of religion, as underlined in the OSCE's founding documents such as the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, 2. Commending the persistent efforts by both the OSCE and its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to also defend and expand freedom of religion or belief across its membership area, for instance by holding, in June 2017, a major and highly successful conference in Vienna on the subject “Freedom of Religion or Belief: Issues, Opportunities, and the Specific Challenges of Combating Anti-Semitism and Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians, Muslims and Members of Other Religions”, 3. Recalling the ODIHR’s comprehensive account of the hate crimes situation in the OSCE area in its study “Hate crime against Christians”, published in July 2018, 4. Greatly concerned that discrimination against and outright oppression of minority religions in certain OSCE participating States seem to have increased in number and severity in recent times, including oppressive legal acts against various Christian denominations, which may serve to facilitate and encourage hate crimes against members of those denominations, 5. Noting with apprehension that discrimination practices include: a. vague or ambiguous legislation as regards religious freedom, allowing authorities to take arbitrary action against certain churches, including raids and closures, inter alia against “house churches” in rural regions that lack officially registered church buildings, b. oppression of and arbitrary actions against certain denominations and their clergy in occupied territories, c. the prohibition for certain denominations from obtaining or renewing official registration of their status, or holding services, or performing missionary work, or constructing new church premises due to opaque or biased “zoning standards”, d. official stigmatization of converts to Christianity, including pressure on them to renounce their faith, the confiscation of bibles and other religious literature, or restrictions on the appointment of church office holders, thereby obliging churches to send candidates abroad for further education or recruit office holders from abroad, ----- The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: 6. Calls upon the OSCE participating States to take account of increased discrimination against Christians and followers of other minority faiths in certain OSCE participating States; 7. Recognizes the full sovereignty of all Christian denominations and their ecclesiastical bodies, their independence from political pressure, and their unquestionable right to make their own decisions regardless of political conflicts; 8. Recommends, against this background, to the OSCE that it embark on new concrete projects in response to the many calls for action advocated by the ODIHR conference on freedom of religion and belief and “Hate crime against Christians” study, in order to overcome persisting discrimination against minority faiths. -----