Interview with OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier

Lamberto Zannier became the new Secretary General of the OSCE on 1 July 2011. A senior Italian diplomat, lawyer and specialist in security matters, he is no stranger to the OSCE. From 2002 to 2006 he directed the Conflict Prevention Centre, where his responsibilities included overseeing the OSCE’s field operations in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. He returns to the Organization from Kosovo, where he was United Nations Special Representative for Kosovo and in charge of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

“Your priorities are now my priorities,” Ambassador Zannier told delegates of the 56 participating States a speech on 4 July 2011. He outlined his intentions to enhance the political profile of his role and to make the Secretariat more effective for addressing new security issues such as transnational threats. On 16 September 2011 he spoke with Virginie Coulloudon, Spokesperson of the OSCE, about his plans and his vision for the Organization.

Virginie Coulloudon: How did you find the Organization five years after you left it?

Lamberto Zannier: The overall security situation has evolved and so has the Organization and the interaction between the OSCE and other organizations. The Organization has once again proven its flexibility and its ability to adjust to new security realities based on transparent dialogue and constructive discussion on the matter, in particular through the Corfu process, which has made discussions on security more substantial. Security challenges have changed significantly over the last 20 years and will certainly continue to evolve, possibly even more rapidly and unpredictably than before. Today, new threats have emerged that impact on each of us as individuals, on each of the participating States, and on the OSCE region as a whole.  

You refer to change. Do we need change today to address the new security challenges? How do you see your role in that respect?

The OSCE should continue to flexibly adapt itself to changing situations. This does not mean that we need to reform radically, but there should be constant efforts to make sure that we are in line with current challenges and that the structures reflect what is needed at any point in time. In that sense, I believe that change is positive. It should be encouraged not for its own sake but to make sure that in the way we operate, we reflect the current environment and our ability to respond to challenges. At the same time, we need to be careful not to undermine the core values and principles which must remain the very foundation of the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security.

As to my role, the Chairmanship is the political driving force in the Organization. The Secretary General plays a supporting role in helping the Chairmanship to achieve its objectives as well as directly supporting the dialogue process. He or she is the guardian of the core values of our Organization and a key element in ensuring the continuity of operations and the sound implementation of the decisions of participating States.

In your first address to the Permanent Council, you developed your priorities as Secretary General. Your first priority was to enhance the effectiveness of the Organization. Could you elaborate on this?

To tackle today’s security challenges and to provide maximum support to participating States, we need to sharpen our work processes. There is room for reshaping a few elements internally to bring them better into line with the current priorities of the Organization. We need to better equip the Organization if we want to address transnational threats and ensure that we make a difference in dealing with them.

Are transnational threats the ultimate security challenge in the modern world?

In an increasingly globalized world, there has been a significant evolution in the nature of security threats. Terrorism, organized crime, weapons smuggling, cyber crime: these are all threats of a global nature and we need to develop tools that are different from the ones we had in the past. We need to find ways to help countries to identify common approaches to combating these challenges. But this does not diminish the importance of the OSCE in other areas. We still need to focus on the protracted conflicts, where we in many cases managed to prevent the recurrence of conflict but unfortunately made only limited progress towards sustainable solutions. We also need to continue our work to strengthen democratic developments in our participating States, providing support across the three dimensions of security.

You mentioned raising the visibility of the Organization as your second priority.

The OSCE is an Organization that is unique in many ways, but we have often found it difficult to market ourselves, partly because our work in conflict prevention is not always visible. In today’s environment, it has become crucial to profile ourselves more effectively and explain our comparative advantage. We need to better communicate how the Organization operates and how we can contribute to improving the lives of people and their security – how we add value. But we also need to make an effort to reconnect with civil society so that the wider public appreciates our relevance and value in the face of today’s security challenges.

Another reason to raise the visibility of the OSCE is its commitment to developing a security community. In Astana, the heads of state entitled the Commemorative Declaration “Towards a Security Community”. Focus was placed on the need to build a security community, a community of states across the northern hemisphere working together to build a framework that provides security for each of us, relying on conflict prevention, political dialogue, building democratic institutions, promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and fostering economic co-operation. The OSCE works for individuals, states and the entire region across the three dimensions of security. This interaction and this spirit of co-operation need to be kept alive and dynamic.

How do you see the Organization ten years from now?

I believe the OSCE will still be relevant and needed ten years from now. The Organization has a unique ability to adapt; it was relevant in different ways in Helsinki 35 years ago, in Paris 20 years ago, in Istanbul 12 years ago and in Astana last year. The forum for dialogue that we represent is needed today and will certainly be needed ten years from now.

We also make a difference on the ground. I saw this in Kosovo, when I was working for the UN. Here, the OSCE is working with communities and helping people learn how to work together after a dramatic conflict. Or take Croatia, for example, where the OSCE has played an extremely positive role in the past years, supporting capacity building in the local judicial institution for war crimes or assisting with housing for displaced people. I truly believe that we have been instrumental in helping people. We should be proud of all the work and effort we have invested there and elsewhere. The OSCE participating States, our field operations and the Secretariat have worked side by side with the people in the countries in which we operate and supported difficult transition processes. But we also need to discuss how we should adjust as we proceed and develop the tools with which the Organization can continue its important work on the ground in the most efficient and effective manner.

Partnerships and co-operation seem to be key in your eyes.

It remains crucial for the OSCE to work with key partners in the international community. Coming from the UN myself, I see an important value in the OSCE strengthening its co-operation with the UN as a regional organization under Chapter VIII. I would really want to reinforce this element of the OSCE. Partnerships with other regional organizations are essential, because of the globalization of security challenges and because developments in neighbouring regions can impact the security of the region represented by the OSCE. For instance, we are now looking at developments in North Africa or in Afghanistan, because they can impact European security. The OSCE can play a role here, by discretely sharing some of its experiences and best practices and offering assistance when our partners request it and when our participating States agree to provide it. But for this to happen, it is important to develop proper partnerships with other regional organizations, such as the Arab League and the African Union. And this should take place as much as possible in close co-ordination with the United Nations. We never work in isolation and should maintain and even further develop our co-operative approach.

Co-operation is an integral part of the OSCE. We work positively through dialogue and mutual assistance. We define security through co-operation by building trust, setting up mechanisms of mutual assistance and exchange. For me, that is what the OSCE is about: security through co-operation.

If you had one wish for your tenure as Secretary General, what would that be?

Concrete progress in the resolution of conflicts. Working with the participating States, I wish to see progress towards a more stable and peaceful environment in which we are operating. This will ultimately lead to sustainable peace, prosperity and freedom for all people in our region. But for this to happen, we need everybody to be engaged. Different countries can play different roles; they can operate from different angles. This is the richness of the OSCE as a true security community, where everyone has a role to play and where everyone has an opportunity to contribute to strengthening our common security.