The work of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Ukraine

A talk by Alexander Hug, Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. The event will be moderated by Dr Tom Simpson, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government.

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) was deployed on 21 March 2014, following a request to the OSCE by Ukraine’s Government and a consensus decision by all 57 OSCE participating States. The SMM is an unarmed, civilian mission, present on the ground 24/7. Its main tasks are to monitor and establish facts – so that decision-makers can reach resolution – to verify the sides’ commitments to cease fire, withdraw weapons, disengage forces and formations, and de-mine; and to facilitate dialogue on the ground in order to reduce tensions and promote normalization of the situation.

Although a sustainable ceasefire remains elusive, the SMM has achieved considerable and regular success in facilitating and monitoring localized adherence to the agreed ceasefire – essentially ‘windows of silence’ in specific areas allowing for assessment, maintenance and repair of critically important civilian infrastructure providing water, gas and electricity.

About the speaker
Alexander Hug is the Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine. A trained lawyer, Hug served as an officer in the Swiss Army, including a stint as regional commander of the Swiss Headquarters Support Unit for the OSCE in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has also worked for the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, the Temporary International Presence in Hebron, and the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX).