The OSCE Permanent Council, in a special meeting today in Vienna, formally submitted the names of officials to fill four senior-level positions in the Organization to the foreign ministers of the 57 participating States for their confirmation.
Agreed by consensus at the ambassadorial level, the Permanent Council proposes the following appointments to the four vacant positions:
OSCE Secretary General: Thomas Greminger (Switzerland);
Director, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights: Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir (Iceland);
OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities: Lamberto Zannier (Italy);
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media: Harlem Désir (France).
The OSCE Ministerial Council, comprised of foreign ministers from all the participating States, was asked to approve the appointments under a five-day silence procedure. The appointments will become final if no objections are received before the deadline of noon, 18 July 2017.
The process of overseeing these appointments is led by the OSCE Chairmanship, this year held by Austria.