OSCE participating States discuss how to leverage economic and environmental activities to foster dialogue, build trust and reduce tensions in OSCE region

VIENNA, 2 July 2019 – Leveraging economic and environmental activities to foster dialogue, build trust and reduce tensions, was the focus of a discussion held in Vienna today amongst OSCE participating States and experts from the field.

The aim of the workshop was to discuss how mechanisms in the OSCE’s economic and environmental dimension can further contribute to enhancing co-operation and confidence building, including in conflict and crisis situations.

Slavomir Kantor, representative of the 2019 OSCE Slovak Chairmanship, said that there are many examples where co-operation has worked across dividing lines and where the situation has improved as a result of the readiness to address environmental problems jointly, or to harness joint economic opportunities. “The OSCE has been a key enabler in some of these cases, by taking on a mediating role, building capacity and trust on all sides.”

“Economic and environmental issues can be used productively in conflict prevention, conflict management and resolution,” said Secretary General Thomas Greminger. He noted that they can also be useful to avoid escalation and to pave the way for future settlement in an ongoing conflict.

Discussions also focused on reducing disaster risks and environmental risks to watercourses, air pollution, or groundwater resources – hazards that often are not contained by political boundaries. “They bind societies together, for good or bad,” said Greminger. “When thinking about what may constitute the basis for dialogue and reducing tensions, it is often these common transboundary problems that offer the most direct entry points.”

Greminger emphasized that business contacts can also be key in re-establishing connections across boundaries. “If legal ways of doing business can be established, business contacts can be an important driver for diminishing tensions and enabling dialogue.” Attention was also paid to the necessity of enabling the legal framework for doing business in this regard.

The general role of the economic and environmental dimension in the OSCE’s comprehensive approach to security was also discussed at length, with many participants agreeing that this, so-called “second dimension”, is essential. Topics such as connectivity and rapidly developing trends such as the digital economy were identified as being particularly useful in building dialogue and trust.