Asian Partners for Co-operation

The Partners for Co-operation in Asia started to foster a flexible dialogue with the CSCE/OSCE in the early 1990s, at the time when the Organization was taking on a more formal structure. This was also a time when the OSCE area was increasingly concerned with new security risks that emerged after the end of the Cold War. Japan's partnership started in 1992, Korea's in 1994, Thailand's in 2000, Afghanistan's in 2003, Mongolia's in 2004 (it became a participating State in 2012), and Australia’s in 2009.

The inter-linkage between European security and the broader context of world security has been emphasized in a number of OSCE documents, such as the Istanbul Charter for European Security and the Maastricht OSCE Strategy to Address Threats to Security and Stability in the XXI Century. In 2003, the Permanent Council (PC.DEC/571) decided to explore new avenues of co-operation and interaction with its Partners for Co-operation and to explore the scope for wider sharing of OSCE norms, principles and commitments.

Over the years, the OSCE has been able to share its experience with the Asian Partners for Co-operation on a number of topics, including: 

• New security threats and a new security paradigm 
• Search for conflict prevention in the new security circumstances 
• Applicability of OSCE confidence- and security-building measures in Northeast Asia 
• Human dimension of security 
• Comprehensive security in Central Asia 
• Anti-trafficking

Throughout the ongoing dialogue and joint activities with the Asian Partners for Co-operation, the OSCE shares its expertise and provides insight into current developments and is open to reciprocal enrichment provided by them. Keeping an open channel of communication between the OSCE and its Asian Partners, as well as among the Partners themselves, allows for the beneficial exchange of information and experiences.

Framework for co-operation

A number of meetings, conferences and special events provide a broad framework for regular contact: 

• Asian Partners for Co-operation participate as observers in the OSCE Ministerial Council Meetings. They actively participate in OSCE yearly events, such as the:
  -  Annual Security Review Conference
  -  Economic Forum 
  -  Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 
  -  Annual Implementation Assessment Meeting 
  -  Annual and Winter Sessions of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 
• Asian Partners for Co-operation are regularly invited as observers in Permanent Council and Forum for Security Co-operation meetings.
• Following a decision by the Permanent Council, the Contact Group with the Asian Partners for Co-operation was launched in 2003. It is an informal group, "which will enable the Asian partners to keep abreast of events and activities in the OSCE area and the participating States to find out about the main issues concerning their region".
• The regular conference with the Asian Partners for Co-operation provides the opportunity to exchange views and contribute to further developments in the OSCE's relationship with the Asian Partners for Co-operation. 
• On an operational level, Asian Partners for Co-operation are invited to send observers to electoral missions of ODIHR and to second, on a voluntary basis, mission members to OSCE field missions (PC.DEC/430).