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Holy See

The Holy See has been an OSCE participating State since June 25, 1973 and has a mission to the Organization in Vienna. (At the United Nations, the Holy See has voluntarily been a Permanent Observer to the United Nations, rather than a member State.) The Holy See represents the Catholic Church worldwide, including bilaterally – having full diplomatic relations with 180 countries – and in international fora. The Vatican City State is the smallest State in the world, with a population of 800 to 1,000 people and area of .17 square miles, and although a sovereign entity distinct from the Holy See, it is the physical base of the Holy See. The sovereignty of the Holy See extends globally to the entire Catholic Church.

The Holy See is recognized in international law as a non-territorial sovereign entity and is able to enter into treaties and other international agreements. At the OSCE, its priorities have included the peaceful resolution of conflicts, religious freedom, combating human trafficking, drug trafficking, and organized crime, disarmament and non-proliferation, refugees and migrants, protection of national minorities, combating terrorism, and the economy and environment and related implications for people.

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Articles

OSCE SHDM on Digital Technology and Human Rights

Jul 26, 2021

OSCE Conference on Risks and Opportunities Posed by Digital Technologies On July 12 and 13, 2021, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) held the third Supplementary […]

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Hearings

Sweden’s Leadership of the OSCE

Jun 11, 2021

In 2021, Sweden chairs the world’s largest regional security organization—the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)—which comprises 57 participating States stretching from North America, across Europe, and to […]

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Press Releases

Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde to Appear at Hels...

Jun 03, 2021

WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following online hearing: SWEDEN’S LEADERSHIP OF THE OSCE Priorities for 2021 Friday, June […]

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Press Releases

Helsinki Commission Commemorates 45 Years of Advanci...

Jun 03, 2021

WASHINGTON—To commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, on June 3, Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin (MD) and […]

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Press Releases

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to Appear at Helsin...

Sep 09, 2020

WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following online hearing: ALBANIA’S CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE OSCE Responding to the Multiple Challenges […]

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Articles

2019 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting

Sep 13, 2019

From September 16 to September 27, OSCE participating States will meet in Warsaw, Poland, for the 2019 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions […]

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Press Releases

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem D...

Jul 17, 2019

WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following hearing: STATE OF MEDIA FREEDOM IN THE OSCE REGION Thursday, July 25, […]

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Publications

The Helsinki Process: A Four Decade Overview

Jun 28, 2019

In August 1975, the heads of state or government of 35 countries – the Soviet Union and all of Europe except Albania, plus the United States and Canada – held […]

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Publications

The Holy See and Religious Freedom

Dec 20, 2018

Because of its unique status as the universal government of a specific religion, rather than a territorial state, the Holy See is probably the least understood of the 57 participating […]

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Briefings

Lies, Bots, and Social Media

Nov 29, 2018

From the latest revelations about Facebook to ongoing concerns over the integrity of online information, the U.S. public has never been more vulnerable or exposed to computational propaganda: the threat […]

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Press Releases

Helsinki Commission Briefing to Examine Computationa...

Nov 26, 2018

WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following briefing:   LIES, BOTS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA What is Computational Propaganda and […]

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Articles

Interview with Georgia Holmer, Senior Adviser for An...

Nov 20, 2018

By Yena Seo, Communications Fellow Georgia Holmer, an expert on counterterrorism policy, recently visited the Helsinki Commission offices to discuss her portfolio at the Anti-Terrorism Issues Unit in the Transnational […]

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