Background
Since 2021, on the background of the decreasing ability of the OSCE to address the deepening regional security crisis, anti-democratic developments, and growing repression in a number of participating States, members of an OSCE-wide civil society network, the Civic Solidarity Platform, put forward an idea of organising a process to discuss a role of the OSCE in the changing world and developing proposals for making the organisation better fit to address the multifaceted crisis and respond to new challenges. It was agreed that the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act in the summer of 2025 provides a good opportunity to present such an analysis and recommendations. Civil society may play an important role in advocating with participating states and OSCE bodies to adopt necessary reforms.
These ideas were discussed further and presented to the OSCE leadership and diplomats from delegations of participating States at the OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference in Skopje in November 2023 and included in the outcome document of the conference, the Skopje Declaration. The idea was further presented by the CSP to delegations of all participating States in February 2024 at the OSCE Human Dimension Committee meeting and discussed with the teams of the Maltese OSCE Chairpersonship 2024 and the incoming Finnish OSCE Chairpersonship 2025. In the spring of 2024, the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP) decided to organise the “Helsinki+50 reflection process”. It was launched in the summer of 2024 with the support of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany. Later in the year, the Delegation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the OSCE provided support as well.
Project goal
To analyse and reflect, with involvement of experts from civil society and academia, on the main challenges in the implementation of the Helsinki Final Act principles and the work of the OSCE 50 years after the signing of the Helsinki Final Act in the context of several interconnected international crises and the institutional crisis of the organisation, and develop a set of concrete recommendations on changes and reforms in several key areas of OSCE activities and the implementation of OSCE commitments by participating States, aimed at making the OSCE more effective and capable of effectively responding to the current crises and new challenges.
Project objectives
- To organise a process of analysis and reflection of the main challenges in the implementation of the Helsinki Final Act principles and the work of the OSCE 50 years after the signing of the Final Act, by establishing and organising the work of a “Helsinki+50 Reflection Group”, comprised of experts from civil society organisations and academic institutions, as well as selected former OSCE officials or former diplomats with experience of working with the OSCE, with strong expertise in the issues within the OSCE mandate.
- Identify, through discussions in the Reflection Group, the most important thematic areas to be addressed in the analysis, discussions, and elaboration of recommendations on strengthening and reforming the OSCE.
- Hold discussions and analysis on five selected thematic areas during a series of five in-person expert seminars. Discuss other identified topics through online communications. Each of the seminars will bring together around 20 experts in the chosen subjects (coming from both among members of the Reflection Group and outside of it) and will be focused not only on identifying and discussing specific challenges but on elaborating concrete recommendations for a way forward.
- A public written report on the seminar proceedings will be prepared each time and distributed among relevant actors, including OSCE bodies and institutions, participating States and civil society. In addition, expert papers on the themes covered at the seminars and online discussions will be commissioned, produced and distributed.
- Towards the end of the project, a outcome document of the Reflection Process will be produced and distributed. It will include key recommendations from the seminars and online discussions, aimed at strengthening the OSCE and making it more effective in responding to the current crises and new challenges.
- The outcome document of the Reflection Process will be presented at the OSCE Chairpersonship conference in the end of July 2025 in Helsinki and discussed in meetings with stakeholders.
Expected outcomes
- A broad range of civil society and academic experts and their organisations will engage in the process of analysis and reflection on the key challenges in the implementation of the Helsinki Final Act principles and OSCE programmatic activities and on the role of civil society in strengthening the OSCE, will develop recommendations for change. A circle of stakeholders interested in making the OSCE more effective will expand.
- OSCE bodies, participating States, civil society organisations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders will receive results of the Reflection Process, including analysis of key problems and a set of concrete recommendations aimed at strengthening the OSCE and making it more effective and capable of adequately responding to the current crises and new challenges as well as improving the implementation of the Helsinki principles and OSCE commitments.
- International attention to the Helsinki Final Act principles, challenges in their realisation, and the importance of strengthening multilateral mechanisms, including the OSCE, to respond to the current crises and new challenges, will increase support for change, thus building impetus for reform efforts. Civil society engagement in OSCE work will be more effective and visible.
Project implementation
1. In August-September 2024, the “Helsinki+50 Reflection Group” was formed through consultations with relevant organisations. It includes 32 experts from civil society and academia and is coordinated by the Civic Solidarity Platform.
2. In early fall 2024, a preliminary list of thematic areas has been identified by the Reflection Group to be addressed in the course of expert seminars and online discussions. The list is refined and updated as the Reflection Group continues its discussions.
3. On 29 September 2024, the first expert seminar, “Civil society’s role in the implementation of the Helsinki principles. Expanding civil society’s engagement with the OSCE”, was held in Warsaw and brought together 20 experts.
4. In October-November 2024, a public report on the first seminar, on civil society and the OSCE, was produced.
5. On 5 November 2024, the second seminar, “Environmental security and the OSCE” was held in Helsinki, in partnership with “Historians without Borders”, and brought together 25 experts.
6. In November-December 2024, a public report on the second seminar, on environmental security and the OSCE, was produced.
7. On 28 February, the third seminar, “Political-military security dimension of the Helsinki process: Roles of the OSCE and civil society”, was held in Vienna and brought together 26 experts.
8. In April, a public report on the third seminar, on the role of the OSCE and civil society in political-military security dimension, was produced.
9. On 28 April, the fourth seminar, “Civil society role in addressing security concerns: Reflecting on the engagement with the OSCE and beyond in the evolving security situation”, was held in Berlin and brought together 23 experts.
10. In June, a public report on the fourth seminar, on the role of civil society in addressing security concerns, was produced.
11. On 3 May, the fifth seminar, “Reclaiming and reshaping civil society space for action on comprehensive security in the new and evolving geopolitical environment”, was held in Vienna and brought together 22 experts.
12. In July, a public report on the fifth seminar, on reclaiming and reshaping civil society space, was produced.
13. In the framework of the project, thirteen expert papers have been produced by seminar participants. They can be found here.
14. An outcome document of the project, “Ten points for the present and the future”, with a selection of key recommendations to OSCE bodies, participating States, and civil society, was developed by the Reflection Group. It can be found here: https://civicsolidarity.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Helsinki50-Reflection-Process_Outcome-document.pdf
15. The Reflection Process participants developed a concise Civil Society Manifesto on the 50th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, “Putting human security in the centre of implementing the Helsinki principles”. The Manifesto can be found here: https://civicsolidarity.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Helsinki50_Civil-Society-Manifesto_eng.pdf
16. The outcome document of the Reflection Process and the Civil Society Manifesto were presented at a side event at the OSCE Chairpersonship conference in Helsinki on 31 July 2025. They will be discussed in further meetings with stakeholders.
Please visit this page for updates on the progress of the initiative.