OSCE’s advisory and decision-making bodies

Summits

Meetings of Heads of State or Government of OSCE participating States set priorities, take decisions and provide orientation at the highest political level.

Ministerial Councils

Between Summits the annual Ministerial Council, which gathers the foreign ministers of the OSCE participating States, is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE. The Ministerial Council discusses matters relevant to security in the OSCE area, reviews and evaluates the activities of the OSCE, and makes decisions.

Permanent Council

The Permanent Council is the regular body for political dialogue and decision-making among representatives of all OSCE States, meeting weekly in Vienna.

Committees

Under the Permanent Council there are three committees: the Security Committee, which focuses on non-military issues, the Economic and Environmental Committee, and the Human Dimension Committee. The committees prepare decisions and discuss current issues in their respective dimensions.

Forum for Security Co-operation

The Forum for Security Co-operation is an autonomous decision-making body where representatives of participating States meet weekly to consult on military stability and security.

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