Documents

Since negotiations began between East and West on a new European security framework in the early 1970s, the CSCECSCE
Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe/OSCE participating States have adopted a series of decisions and declarations that outline their commitments in this context. This includes documents adopted at Summit meetings of heads of state or government, as well as of Ministerial Council meetings on the level of foreign ministers.

OSCE decisions are adopted by consensus by the participating States and reflect their agreed views. They are politically but not legally binding.

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One of OSCE's fundamental documents, the Charter of Paris, was signed on 21 November 1990 at the Second CSCE Summit.

© Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France/Frédéric de la Mure Photo details
Heads of State and Government at the OSCE Summit in Astana, 1 December 2010.

© OSCE/Vladimir Trofimchuk Photo details
Erich Honecker, First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany signs the Helsinki Final Act, as President of the United States Gerald Ford looks on, 1 August 1975.

© Bundesarchiv/Horst Sturm Photo details
Family photo of the Heads of State or Government taking part at the Second CSCE Summit in Paris, 19-21 November 1990.

© Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France/Frédéric de la Mure Photo details
East meets West: US President Gerald Ford and USSR General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev (with translator Viktor Sukhodrev at his ear) at Helsinki 1975. Flanking them are Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (l) and Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko (r).

© Gerald R. Ford Library Photo details

Since 1973, a number of key documents on Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security have been adopted by the CSCE and the OSCE.

The Helsinki Final Act (1975) is considered the Organization's founding document.

The Paris Charter for a New Europe (1990) set the basis for the institutionalization of the Conference in the new decade.

The Istanbul Charter for European Security (1999) strengthened the Organization's ability to prevent conflicts, settle them peacefully and rehabilitate societies ravaged by war and conflict.

The Astana Commemorative Declaration: Towards a Security Community (2010) reaffirmed the participating States’ commitments and adherence to OSCE principles.

Documents adopted by an OSCE decision-making body

Page

Summit documents

Political commitments and priorities agreed by Heads of State or Government at OSCE Summits

Document collection

Final Documents of the OSCE Ministerial Council

Ministerial Council decisions, statements and declarations; statements by delegations; and reports to the Ministerial Council

Event Series

Plenary Meetings of the Permanent Council

The OSCE’s weekly forum for regular political consultations

Event Series

Plenary Meetings of the Forum for Security Co-operation

Official OSCE politico-military security meetings

Compilations of recently released OSCE documents and publications

The selections include publications, consensus and non-consensus documents, statements, summaries, agendas, reports from ODIHR election observation missions, as well as articles, studies and releases on specific OSCE issues.