The Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe

Helsinki Declaration

Declaration

By: Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe

Date: August 1, 1975

Source: The Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, 14 I.L.M. 1292. August 1, 1975.

About the Author: The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe was established in 1973 by a group of thirty-five nations and states for the purpose of examining issues of European security. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the group became known as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It is currently headquartered in Vienna and has fifty-five member states.

INTRODUCTION

In 1970, on a visit to Poland, the West German Chancellor Willy Brandt kneeled in front of a monument for victims of the Warsaw ghetto. This action was an example of Ostpolitik, or an effort by West Germany to advance relations with Eastern bloc, or Warsaw Pact countries. The Cold War (1947–1991) had created a climate of conflict throughout the international community and the measure of a state's security and strength was found in its alliances. However, a movement toward détente facilitated the environment for cooperation between rival nations. In 1972, preparations began for a conference among states. During that same year, the two nations leading the Cold War, United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, signed the SALT I (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) to freeze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers. By 1973, oil-producing Arab states launched an embargo against the United States, Europe, and Japan for those nations support for Israel. This global energy crisis sparked continued movement toward cooperation in the international community. As a result, on July 1, 1973, the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) opened in Helsinki. The conference met in Geneva from September 18, 1973 through July 21, 1975 and concluded on August 1, 1975 in a meeting in Helsinki. Representatives participated from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, the German Democratic Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, the Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, USSR, United Kingdom, United States, and Yugoslavia. In addition, non-participating Mediterranean states that contributed to the conference were Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia.

At the close of the conference, the participating members signed the Helsinki Declaration, also called the Helsinki Final Act or Helsinki Accord. The agreement that emerged from the conference was intended to facilitate improved relations between Eastern and Western nations. The declaration identified that participating states possessed shared interests in creating security through confidence building measures rather than through the environment of force that prevailed during the Cold War. The agreement asserts detailed principles for relations between states. Intended to broaden peace and stability through cooperation in Europe, the agreement promoted détente by identifying a common purpose among participating states to create closer relations among nations, and asserted the recognition of a common history, tradition, and values within European states. The principles set out by the declaration include a respect for respective nation's sovereignty, the renunciation of force as a means to resolve disputes, the policy of non-intervention in internal affairs, acknowledgement of territorial integrity of states and inviolability of frontiers, and respect for human rights. In addition, the agreement affirmed the role of the United Nations in creating peace, justice, and security.

PRIMARY SOURCE

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SIGNIFICANCE

The initial thirty-five members of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe met throughout Europe in its movement toward the Helsinki Final Act. These meetings resulted in a series of non-binding agreements between states on international issues such as human rights. The meetings and agreements that came from the meetings, especially the Helsinki Final Act, displayed a consensus throughout participating countries that had never been seen before. This consensus was based on the ideological link between security and cooperation between states. In a press briefing recognizing the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Act, the White House stated that the declaration was a factor in "undermining despotism with ideals of freedom and human rights … premised on the belief that security should be defined by the ways that countries treat their own citizens and cooperate with their neighbors." As a result, the CSCE evolved from a diplomatic entity to an international organization. The group began by bringing 1975 Cold War rivals into a similar organization thereby creating channels of communication between opposing states. In addition, the CSCE brought human rights to the forefront of international relations. With the collapse of communism, the CSCE convened in Paris in 1990 to restructure its organization. As a result, by January 1995, the CSCE became the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. In July 2005, parliamentarians from Europe and North America convened in Washington, DC to promote continued involvement in the OSCE. As a result, the group reaffirmed the principles of international law set out in the Helsinki Final Act. In addition, the members once again identified human rights as a global foreign policy concern and adopted a resolution promoting women's involvement in the OSCE.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe emerged from the CSCE into the Western world's largest intergovernmental organization. In its support of the principles set out in the Helsinki Final Act, the OSCE has observed elections in eight regional countries and has monitored human rights in the region and continues to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Web sites

Department of State. "OSCE Parliamentarians Reaffirm Helsinki Final Act Principles." July 2005. 〈http://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2005/Jul/06-473450.html〉 (accessed April 30, 2006).

Economic Reconstruction and Development in South East Europe. "The Helsinki Final Act." 〈http://www.seerecon.org/region/sp/helsinki.htm〉 (accessed April 30, 2006).

Eurasianet.org. "The 25th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act: Evaluating Human Rights." July 31, 2000. 〈http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/rights/articles/eav073100.shtml〉 (accessed April 30, 2006).

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. "CSCE/OSCE Timeline." 〈http://www.osce.org/item/15801.html〉 (accessed April 30, 2006).

The White House. "Statement on the 30th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act." August 1, 2005. 〈http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050801-3.html〉 (accessed April 30, 2006).