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Secretariat established in Vienna

The decision that Vienna should be the location of the CSCE/OSCE headquarters was taken in November 1993. (OSCE/Mikhail Evstafiev) Photo details
<strong>29 November 1993:</strong> At its 24th Meeting, the Committee of Senior Officials decides to establish the CSCE Secretariat in the Austrian capital Vienna, with an office in Prague.

At its 24th Meeting in Prague on 29 November 1993, the Committee of Senior Officials decided to establish the CSCE Secretariat in Vienna, with an office in Prague.

The CSO's choice of Vienna as the location for the CSCE Secretariat followed its decision earlier in the year that the newly-appointed Secretary General, Ambassador Wilhelm Höynck, would be based in the Austrian capital.

"The CSCE Secretariat will be under the direction of the Secretary General and will consist of four departments," said the CSO. These departments would be as follows:

  • The department for Conference Services would have responsibility for conference services, joint language services, documentation and protocol;
  • The department for Administration and Budget would have responsibility for administrative services, personnel policies and services as well as for financial control and services;
  • The department for Chairman-in-Office Support would have responsibility for preparation of meetings, contacts with international organizations, press relations and public information;
  • The Conflict Prevention Centre would be responsible for overall support of CSCE tasks in the fields of early warning, conflict prevention and crisis management, operational support of missions in the field, data bank and communications network.

The office in Prague, noted the decision, would service CSO meetings, maintain CSCE archives and distribute documents, and would be managed by the Director of the department for Conference Services.