Like other institutions, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been affected by the corona virus. Staff and meetings have been reduced, and issues that seemed like political and operational priorities are now less important than the crisis at hand. Since health is not on the OSCE’s agenda, it could be argued that the Organization will just have to sit this crisis out, keep basic services running (like support for field operations), and then try to return to normal when possible.
But this health crisis may soon have an impact on economic and social issues, which could also have an effect on security and good-neighborly relations. It is also a crisis of multilateralism. If governments don’t work effectively through the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the G20, the European Union or others, public trust in these organizations will be eroded even further.
What about the OSCE: how could it address some of the side effects of this crisis?