Torture prevention has long been a priority of Switzerland

Minister Sikorksi,

Secretary General Sinirlioğlu,

Director Telalian,

High Commissioner Kamp,

President Pons,

Dear colleagues,

I am honoured to be with you today and to speak on behalf of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ignazio Cassis, who will address the participants later today via video message.

I would like to thank the Polish Authority for welcoming and hosting us again.

Today’s rapidly changing security environment is having a profound impact on human rights and democracy across the OSCE region.

Russia’s war against Ukraine is causing grave violations of human rights and eroding the principles and commitments on which our common security is built.

Democratic institutions and the rule of law are facing increasing challenges.

Civic space is narrowing, journalists, human rights defenders and other civil society actors face increasing intimidation and restrictions. Polarisation, disinformation and rapidly evolving technologies are further testing the resilience of our democratic societies.

Switzerland has been responding to these developments with a clear message: democratic resilience must be strengthened, fundamental freedoms protected, and human rights commitments effectively implemented.

This response is also at the heart of the OSCE’s concept of comprehensive security.

Let us remind ourselves that the human dimension of security is not simply an added layer. It is foundational. Without respect for human dignity, accountable institutions and meaningful participation, there can be no lasting security.

This principle has guided one of Switzerland’s priorities for its 2026 OSCE Chairpersonship: strengthening democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

Throughout this year, we have worked consistently to translate this into concrete action.

Our three Supplementary Human Dimension Meetings addressed democratic lawmaking; the protection of civic space in the digital age; and the prevention of torture and ill-treatment.

Across all three meetings, our emphasis was on implementation: on translating existing commitments into practice. States bear the primary responsibility. But effective implementation also depends on cooperation — across institutions and with a broad range of stakeholders.

Civil society is indispensable to this effort. It brings expertise, identifies gaps between commitments and reality, and gives a voice to those who might otherwise remain unheard.

For this reason, the Swiss Chairpersonship has renewed the mandate of the Special Representative on Civil Society, Ms Anu Juvonen.

Through country visits and direct engagement with authorities and civil society, she promotes meaningful participation and works to strengthen the conditions for civil society to engage with the Organization safely.

I am pleased that Anu Juvonen is with us today and will address these issues herself. I would like to thank her for her dedication to this important work.

Dear colleagues,

Allow me to turn to one area where continued action is required to close the gap between commitments and implementation: the prohibition of torture.

The prohibition of torture is absolute. It applies at all times and in all circumstances. It is based on a simple principle: respect for human dignity.

Yet torture and other forms of ill-treatment continue to occur across the OSCE region, in situations of conflict and in ordinary criminal justice systems.

Torture prevention has long been a priority of Switzerland and was already a focus of our 2014 Chairpersonship. We have worked with like-minded delegations to keep the issue high on the agenda and contributed to the adoption of the 2020 Tirana Ministerial Council Decision.

This year, we want to build on that foundation.

The Roadmap on the Prevention and Eradication of Torture helps participating States translate existing international obligations and OSCE commitments into practice.

I encourage all participating States, OSCE institutions and civil society to use the Roadmap, share their experiences and work together to turn our common commitments into effective protection.

The Roadmap will be presented tomorrow at 16:45 here at the Sofitel, and I warmly invite you all to join the launch event.

Excellencies,

The credibility of the human dimension ultimately depends on our efforts to implement our shared commitments.

The autonomous institutions and the field operations play an essential role in supporting participating States in this effort.

The Warsaw Human Dimension Conference provides a unique forum for participating States, OSCE institutions and civil society to engage directly with one another. This year, we introduced targeted adjustments to its format to strengthen its relevance and practical value.

I would like to thank Director Telalian and the entire ODIHR team for their excellent cooperation throughout this year and for their important contribution to its preparation.

Over the coming days, we have the opportunity to examine where our common efforts bear fruit, where gaps remain, and what we can do together to close them.

And with that, as always, je vous dis, au travail !

Je vous remercie !