Presentation of the 2027 Unified Budget Proposal: UK statement to the OSCE
Deputy Ambassador James Ford thanks Secretary General Sinirlioğlu for presenting the first 2027 Unified Budget Proposal, and underlines UK support for protecting the OSCE's outward-facing and operational work through an inflation-adjusted budget.
Thank you, Mr Chair.
Thank you, Secretary General Sinirlioğlu, for presenting the first 2027 Unified Budget Proposal, and for the considerable work this has required from you and your teams.
Mr Chair, the agreement of the 2026 Unified Budget was an important achievement. It restored financial certainty and placed the organisation on a more sustainable footing. It also required difficult choices. OSCE structures delivered substantial and, in many cases, painful savings, including reductions in staffing and operational expenditure. Those savings should now be embedded, allowing the organisation to plan effectively within a disciplined and sustainable baseline.
As the United Kingdom, we believe the priority for 2027 should be to protect the OSCE’s outward-facing and operational work. This means preserving the capacity of the autonomous institutions, field operations and essential conflict-prevention capabilities to deliver their mandates. These structures are not peripheral to the organisation. They are essential in delivering participating States’ shared commitments as practical support, and contributing to greater security across the OSCE region.
We must therefore avoid further reductions that fall disproportionately on frontline delivery. We should not allow inflationary pressures to erode the OSCE’s operational footprint just as the savings agreed for 2026 take effect. At the same time, participating States should expect full transparency, clear justification and continued efforts to contain costs, including those related to staffing.
For these reasons, the United Kingdom believes that a budget that provides this stability – by making provision for the effect of inflation on the figures agreed for 2026 – offers the best basis for 2027. For similar reasons we support a stable Secretariat structure during this period of consolidation.
A stable, inflation-adjusted envelope would institutionalise the savings made in 2026 while preserving the organisation’s ability to deliver. Maintaining continuity in the Secretariat would allow the OSCE to focus its limited resources on implementation rather than more internal reorganisation.
We support reform where it produces improvements in effectiveness, accountability or value for money. Reform of structures and processes should be evidence-based, strategically driven and with a clear focus on outcomes, and guided by participating States.
We believe the same logic applies to calls for a Zero Nominal Growth budget. There may be circumstances in which it represents a reasonable basis for agreement, especially after the conduct of more objective analysis of the OSCE’s processes and structures. The question is what outcome best supports the organisation’s priorities now. In 2027, a further real-terms reduction may not in fact be the best means of protecting a field-forward, outward-facing OSCE. It could risk shifting pressure back onto the very activities that participating States should be seeking to preserve.
Mr Chair, one final point. Decisions on resources and structures must follow a coherent strategic direction. Agreeing a Chair-in-Office for 2027 is therefore an essential first step in any further OSCE reform efforts. We fully agree with you – this must be our first priority. The incoming Chair must be able to guide participating States’ priorities and give the OSCE the political leadership and certainty needed for the year ahead. We should also follow this with a package of OSCE Chairs for 2028 and 2029 as well – providing the fundamental basis required for planned delivery and strategic reform.
The United Kingdom will engage constructively in the upcoming budget presentations and discussions through the ACMF. We encourage all participating States to work towards timely consensus on a credible budget that embeds the savings already achieved and protects the OSCE’s operational impact.
Thank you, Mr Chair.