OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopts the Birmingham Declaration

Posted: 10th July 2022

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopts the Birmingham Declaration:

Condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Supports legal measures in response.
Urges the adoption of no-first-use commitments.

On July 6, 2022, at the conclusion of its 2022 Annual Session, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, adopted the Birmingham Declaration in which it, amongst other things:

condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine;
supports the legal measures that are being implemented in response;
calls for nuclear risk reduction measures including the adoption of no-first-use policies by all nuclear armed and allied states;
encourages all parties in the Ukraine conflict to use conflict resolution mechanisms and negotiations to achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Plenary meeting of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly chaired by Margareta Cederfelt MP(Sweden), President of the OSCE PA. Photo: UK Parliament

Nuclear risks and no-first-use

The Birmingham Declaration expresses concern about the increased threat of nuclear war, condemns “the Russian Federation’s threatening nuclear rhetoric”, affirms the “Reagan-Gorbachev dictum that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” and “urges all nuclear-armed and allied states to implement this through no-first-use declarations and agreements, and by further reducing the role of nuclear weapons in security doctrines.”

The proposal to OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to include nuclear risk reduction and no-first-use committments in the Birmingham Declaration was submitted in June to the OSCE First Committee (Political Affairs and Security) by members of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), some of whom also serve on OSCEPA delegations.

This was promoted to other OSCEPA delegates in a memo Nuclear threats and common security in Europe in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and was advanced further by NoFirstUse Global Committee members Uta Zapf and Alyn Ware in the OSCE PA civil society consultation meeting on June 10, 2022.

NoFirstUse Global Committee members Alyn Ware and Uta Zapf (bottom panel) presenting proposals on nuclear risk reduction (including no-first-use), disarmament, conflict de-escalation/resolution and common security to Johan Buser MP (Sweden), OSCEPA Rapporteur of the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Kyriakos Hadjiyianni MP (Cyprus), OSCE PA Special Representative on Civil Society Engagement, and others in the OSCEPA civil society consultation meeting on June 10. Screenshot photo: OSCEPA

Upholding the law

The Birmingham Declaration refers to the Russian invasion as “a gross violation of the fundamentals of international law” and “a flagrant violation not only of the sovereignty of Ukraine and its territorial integrity, but as an attack against the human rights and fundamental freedoms, most notably of the right to life, of the people of Ukraine.”

It expresses support for a number of mechanisms to uphold the law and to hold Russia to account for the illegal invasion.

These include the work of the independent international commission of inquiry on Ukrainemandated by the UN Human Rights Council, the ongoing proceedings at the International Criminal Court which is conducting an investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine, and the International Court of Justice case initiated by Ukraine to address Russia’s allegations of acts of genocide by Ukraine – allegations that President Putin used as a pretext for the invasion.

Farah Karimi MP (Netherlands), OSCEPA Special Representative on Youth Engagement, and Kyriakos Hadjiyianni MP (Cyprus), OSCE Special Representative on Civil Society Engagement, two of the cosponsors of the proposals on nuclear risk reduction and no-first-use of nuclear weapons adopted in the Birmingham Declaration. Photo: UK Parliament

OSCE and conflict resolution

The Birmingham Declaration reiterates the role of the OSCE “as an effective all-inclusive platform where through the facilitation of diplomatic efforts and co-operation, participating States can rebuild basic trust and confidence” and “urges all sides to engage in negotiations aimed at a peaceful resolution of the crisis.”

The resolution notes that the war is creating a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, as well as regionally and globally, with negative impacts on food security, energy, climate and human displacement (refugees). As such, the Assembly “encourages the intensification of result-oriented mediation efforts and negotiations in the framework of the existing platforms for conflict resolution.”

PNND Members Lord Alfred Dubs (UK) and Dr Hedy Fry (Canada) at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. Dr Fry also serves as OSCEPA Special Representative on Gender Issues.
Photos: UK Parliament