Representatives of the civil sector in the region meeting the Secretary of State of the USA, John Kerry

The Civic Solidarity Platform, a network of independent non-governmental organizations from the region where the OSCE is active, on the 1th and 2nd of December organized Parallel Civil Society Conference.

The Parallel Conference was held ahead of the meeting of the Ministerial Council of the OSCE. In it participated more than 70 representatives of the civil sector, coming from more that 25 countries of the region, as well as many speakers and observers from the political bodies of the OSCE, and from the institutions of the countries which participated in the Conference. The main subjects of this meeting were freedom of expression, migration, torture and defenders of human rights.

The recommendations which resulted from this Conference, including the Recommendations of the Civil Society to the Participants of the Ministerial Council Meeting, and the “Belgrade Declaration: Freedom of Expression under Threat: A Strong Response from the OSCE and Its Participating States Is Vital”,were handed over by the Civic Solidarity Platform representatives to the leadership of the OSCE/ODIHR at the closing session.

Uranija Pirovska, the Executive Director of the Helsinki Committee, also took part in the Conference, and jointly with several other representatives of various civil organizations, participated in a meeting with the Secretary of State of America, John Kerry. During that meeting, the representatives had the opportunity to discuss with the Secretary of State the situation regarding human rights in their respective countries.