§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy in respect of an increase in the allocation of financial resources to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggOur policy is to seek to restrict the annual increase of the budgets of international organisations to zero real growth. In the case of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, we distinguish between administrative and operational expenditure. Administrative expenditure should be subject to ZRG. Operational expenditure is more difficult to foresee and requires more flexible treatment, although it, too, must be cost-effective.
Since the end of the cold war, the OSCE has increased its activities in conflict prevention and crisis management. These include OSCE missions presently operating in eight OSCE countries and an expansion of the preventive diplomacy work by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the High Commissioner on National Minorities. We fully support these activities.
The United Kingdom delegation to the OSCE plays an active role in the negotiation of the OSCE' s annual budget and ensuring value for money.