2022 OSCE Mediterranean Conference, Jordan, 24 - 25 October 2022

1. I warmly thank North Macedonia, chair of the OSCE Mediterranean Partners

for Co-operation Group, Jordan as the hosting country, the Polish Chairperson in

Office of the OSCE, and the OSCE Secretariat for organising this year's

Conference.

2. The topics chosen are of crucial importance in this period of post-pandemic

recovery and security crisis caused by the war of aggression by Russia against

Ukraine. This unjustified, illegal attack has not only shaken global peace and our

security order. Moreover, it has numerous negative impacts: it also endangers

global food security, energy security, puts those fleeing at risk of human

trafficking and exploitation and hampers our fight against climate change. In

addition, the use of irresponsible and unacceptable nuclear rhetoric puts further

strain on a global economy that is still trying to recover from the effects of the

pandemic.

3. These developments have caused the OSCE and Mediterranean regions to share common risks and challenges across the security, economic and environmental and human dimensions. The concept of comprehensive security and interconnection between all three dimensions of the OSCE founding document, the Helsinki Final Act, is more relevant than ever before. The fact that this year the Mediterranean Conference takes place in a Partner country for the first time since 2015 is also of particular significance, and we would like to reiterate our thanks to North Macedonia for its commitment to the Partnership throughout this challenging year and for convening us here today, together with our Jordanian hosts.

4. Cooperation and dialogue are the key concepts that need to be preserved. The issues addressed in the high-level and other sessions of this conference are a strong priority for the EU and even more relevant today for our Mediterranean partnership, since the youth, women and girls are disproportionately affected by the present crisis.

5. The EU attaches great importance to our cooperation with our Southern neighbourhood, including all six OSCE Mediterranean Partners, within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy as well as in the Union for the Mediterranean and the Anna Lindh Foundation. It aims to foster economic and social development and to promote good governance and the rule of law.

6. More than ever, it is important today to stress the relevance of dialogue between our regions. The EU’s holistic concept of security aligns with what all participating States stated in the Declaration on Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean adopted in Milan in 2018. Indeed, the security of the OSCE area is inextricably linked to that of the Mediterranean region.

7. The EU would like to reemphasize the vital role of the OSCE as a regional platform for dialogue and cooperation with our Mediterranean Partners. Mediterranean issues are one of the priorities of the EU’s Global Strategy, including in the context of the OSCE. We reiterate the appeal stated in the 2007 Madrid Ministerial Declaration on the OSCE Partners for Co-operation, and we encourage the Partners “to increase their interaction with the participating States and the OSCE executive structures in all three dimensions”.

8. The EU is fully committed to promoting the participation of youth within the inclusive partnership between the OSCE and the Mediterranean partners. We would like to commend the decision of the North Macedonia Chair to focus this high-level political segment on the role of youth, in line with its priorities for the upcoming Chairpersonship next year. The need fora constructive dialogue with and among young people is essential not only to overcome the difficulties of the present moment, but also to achieve the goal of creating a common area of security and cooperation, as stated by the Milan Declaration of 2018 and the EU Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood.

9. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on youth in the recent past years, by exacerbating existing inequalities and gender gaps, affecting access to education and to the labour market and resulting in increased youth unemployment. In Europe, the unjustified, unprovoked and illegal war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine has also disproportionately affected the Ukrainian youth, with many children being direct victims of the war, losing their relatives, being displaced or becoming refugees, and many more are affected by disrupted provision of health services or access to education. The destruction of the cultural spaces and educational infrastructures will have lasting negative consequences for the young generation.

10. Despite these challenges, Ukrainian young people continue to lead voluntary efforts and humanitarian initiatives throughout the country and are a stark reminder of the important role played by youth across the OSCE and the Mediterranean region in the construction of a common security area. Youth engagement in finding multilateral solutions is of paramount importance for our societies, our economies and the defence of human rights, fundamental freedoms and our common values promoting peace and security.

11. Women, children, the LGTBIQA+ community, people with disabilities, persons belonging to national minorities, and other vulnerable groups suffer the devastating consequences of this war of aggression disproportionately. The situation for girls was generally improving around the world, but progress was slow and uneven and is now under threat. Indeed, in too many places, girls continue to face unprecedented challenges to their education, their physical and mental wellbeing, and to the protections needed for a life without violence. It is

our responsibility to support them and other persons in vulnerable situations and guarantee equal and free societies based on human rights and democracy.

12. More than ever, the OSCE and the Mediterranean countries have the obligation of fostering an inclusive partnership to tackle the consequences of all the above-mentioned challenges. We wish to engage with the Mediterranean region in addressing mobility and all aspects of migration, including legal migration, in line with the EU and the Member States competences. The EU underlines the importance of working together with the Mediterranean region to jointly address in an efficient and effective manner the challenges of forced displacement, and irregular migration and to address its root causes by building socio-economic opportunities, especially improved perspectives for young people. The integration of migrants, refugees and displaced people in host societies should be one of our priorities. At the same time, fighting against human trafficking, extremism, discrimination and exclusion will be fundamental to defeat authoritarianism and to enable the necessary transformation of our societies

13. It is in this sense that the EU places youth at the centre of the debate. As you already know, 2022 has been proclaimed the European Year of Youth. A Youth Action Plan has been approved in order to promote the empowerment of young people and their participation in policy-making and implementation. In the OSCE framework, the EU has also fostered the participation of youth, supporting the activities of the Informal Group of Friends of Youth and Security and encouraging Member States to participate and financially support several extra-budgetary programs. Creating spaces in which youth representatives may have the opportunity of expressing their points of view and sharing their own experience- has proven to be essential for multilateral policy configuration within OSCE institutions.

14. The EU looks forward to discussing the role of youth in advancing security and cooperation within the wider OSCE-Mediterranean Partners region. The engagement of young people should be at the centre of our actions towards democratic governance, respect for human rights and Rule of Law. There are numerous young people on the shores of the Mediterranean and they are drivers of progress towards a prosperous future of peace and security across the OSCE and the Mediterranean area.

Thank you very much.

The Candidate Countries REPUBLIC of NORTH MACEDONIA*, MONTENEGRO*, SERBIA*, ALBANIA* and UKRAINE, the Potential Candidate Countries BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA* and GEORGIA, the EFTA countries ICELAND and NORWAY members of the European Economic Area, as well as ANDORRA and SAN MARINO align themselves with this statement.

* Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.