U.S. Helsinki Commission to Hold Hearing on OSCE with the Swiss President and Foreign Minister

WASHINGTON - The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) today announced the following hearing:

Switzerland's Leadership of the OSCE

Tuesday, February 25, 2014
10:00 a.m.
Dirksen Senate Office Building
Room 562

Scheduled to testify: His Excellency Didier Burkhalter, President of the Swiss Confederation, Foreign Minister and Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE

President of the Swiss Confederation and Foreign Minister, His Excellency Didier Burkhalter, will testify before the Helsinki Commission in his capacity as Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The hearing takes place at the beginning of Switzerland's 2014 chairmanship of the 57-country OSCE, which is based in Vienna, Austria and best known for its work in promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

President Burkhalter is expected to discuss the Chairmanship-in-Office's priorities and provide insights regarding the ongoing work of the OSCE. Switzerland's chairmanship comes at an important time in the development of an organization that operates on the basis of consensus and includes countries ranging from democracies to dictatorships. The OSCE region is facing challenges ranging from backsliding on human rights in some countries to the political crisis and recent violence in Ukraine.