Switzerland to assume OSCE chairpersonship in 2026

In 2026, Switzerland will assume the chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for the third time, following its previous terms in 1996 and 2014. Switzerland was elected by the participating states of the organisation in a secret ballot. Switzerland will take on leadership functions on 1 January 2025 as a member of the OSCE's troika – comprising the 2024 (Malta), 2025 (Finland) and 2026 (Switzerland) chairs. Switzerland has already gained the necessary experience for this role through its past OSCE chairpersonships.

Vienna: The new Hofburg Palace, home to the OSCE headquarters, with the flags of the 57 participating states.

Vienna: The new Hofburg Palace, home to the OSCE headquarters, with the flags of the 57 participating states. Switzerland will assume the chairpersonship of the organisation in 2026. © Keystone

24.01.2025 – Swiss expert becomes OSCE Special Representative for South Caucasus

The chairperson-in-office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Finland's foreign minister Elina Valtonen, has appointed Christoph Späti as the Special Representative of the Finnish OSCE Chairpersonship for the South Caucasus. The Swiss expert, who most recently served as programme manager for the South Caucasus in the FDFA's Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD), took up the post of Special Representative on 21 January 2025.

Press release (fr, de)

22.01.2025 – Switzerland has taken up its work within the Troika

Yesterday, Switzerland took part in its first meeting as a member of the Troika, alongside Finland (2025 chairpersonship) and Malta (2024 chairpersonship). The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the first initiatives of the Finnish Chairpersonship, in particular the visit of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Elina Valtonen, to Ukraine and Moldova. The Troika also discussed the Finnish Chairpersonship's introductory day and the annual meeting planned with the heads of OSCE field missions, which will take place on 23 and 24 January.

30.12.2024 – Dialogue and cooperation with all participating States are essential

Switzerland is taking over the chairpersonship of the OSCE at a time when the organisation has little room for manoeuvre owing to geopolitical developments and Russia's war against Ukraine. In assuming the chairpersonship, Switzerland underscores how essential it is to ensure dialogue and cooperation with all participating states, especially in politically difficult times. Several participating states had asked Switzerland beforehand to stand as a candidate.

Having chaired the OSCE in 1996 and 2014, Switzerland has already gained the experience required for the chairpersonship role. Switzerland also faced numerous challenges during both previous chairpersonship years. These included the conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Chechnya, as well as the political upheavals in Ukraine following the Maidan revolution.

1996: organisation of free and fair elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Switzerland held its first OSCE chairpersonship in 1996. After the war between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia ended in 1995, the OSCE was tasked with overseeing the preparation and conduct of free and fair elections in the war-ravaged country, as well as monitoring the human rights situation. The OSCE mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina helped the parties to establish the framework for the elections: a politically neutral environment, the right to vote by secret ballot without fear of intimidation, and the right to freedom of expression.

FDFA head and OSCE chairperson-in-office Flavio Cotti speaking with members of the Swiss Yellow Berets in 1996.
FDFA head and OSCE chairperson-in-office Flavio Cotti speaking with members of the Swiss Yellow Berets unit in Sarajevo in 1996. © Keystone

Switzerland's efforts in both advocating for an appropriate election date and ensuring the successful organisation of the elections were widely recognised at the international level at the time. A contingent of Swiss Yellow Berets provided logistical support to the OSCE in organising the first elections after the war.

Another notable achievement for Switzerland in 1996 was overseeing the OSCE mission to Chechnya under the leadership of Swiss diplomat Tim Guldimann. As head of the mission, Mr Guldimann played a key role in the peace agreement during the first Chechen war. The mission in Grozny successfully facilitated contacts between the parties to the conflict.

2014: focus on Ukraine

After Flavio Cotti in 1996, in 2014 the head of the FDFA and president of the Swiss Confederation, Didier Burkhalter, became the second Swiss national to chair the OSCE.From the outset, Switzerland's chairpersonship was shaped by the Ukraine crisis. The Swiss approach was characterised by active, bridge-building diplomacy. Thanks to Mr Burkhalter’s dual role as OSCE chairperson-in-office and president of the Swiss Confederation, Switzerland was able to establish key contacts with the highest authorities of all the main actors in the crisis.Dialogue was fostered both in Vienna, at the OSCE headquarters, and within Ukraine.

The Swiss OSCE chairpersonship's involvement in the Trilateral Contact Group, where senior representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE sought solutions to the crisis, was also pivotal.Within this framework, the Minsk agreements were signed with the aim of serving as a foundation for de-escalation in eastern Ukraine.

Didier Burkhalter, then president of the Swiss Confederation and chairperson-in-office of the OSCE, speaking with members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine in Odessa, in April 2014.
Didier Burkhalter, then president of the Swiss Confederation and chairperson-in-office of the OSCE, speaking with members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine in Odessa in April 2014. © Keystone

Under the Swiss chairpersonship, a consensus was reached for the first time in over a decade on launching new OSCE field missions: an observation mission at two Russian border posts and the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM). This mission became a key instrument for advancing de-escalation efforts in Ukraine.

First OSCE leadership tasks as early as 2025

The leadership of the OSCE is usually ensured by a troika consisting of the preceding, the current and the succeeding chair. Switzerland will therefore form the troika together with Malta and Finland from January and will be primarily responsible for relations with the Mediterranean states outside the OSCE in 2025. The tasks of the troika also include personnel decisions.

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