“DIPLOMACY IS AN ART”.
“Bring young people to play leadership roles”.
H.E. Mr. Lamberto Zannier
As part of the Geneva Lecture Series concepted and conducted by prof. Anis H. Bajrektarevic, former Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Ambassador Lamberto Zannier gave a highly mesmerizing and content intensive lecture for the faculty members and Geneva-based diplomats.* Excellency Zannier outlined his view on current affairs as the first speaker of the newly created executive program on world politics and diplomacy (EMIRGP).
H.E. Ambassador Mr. Lamberto Zannier is a distinguished Expert at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, a career diplomat with high-level experience in the Italian Foreign Service and in International Organizations, namely NATO and UN specialized agencies, mainly specializing in multilateral and security affairs. Before joining the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in September 2020, H.E. served as OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (2017 – 2020), OSCE Secretary General (2011 – 2017), UN Special Representative for Kosovo with the rank of UN Under-Secretary-General (2008 – 2011), Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre (2002 – 2006).
Ambassador Zannier has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, the Advisory Board of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and the EU ISS Board of Directors. Ambassador Zannier holds a law degree and an honorary degree in International and Diplomatic Sciences from the University of Trieste, Italy. His Excellency has authored a number of publications on security, conflict prevention and crisis management issues.
During his lecture, Ambassador Zannier gave a comprehensive analysis of the current security issues in Europe, in which he discussed a number of topics, such as: global politics; OSCE development phases; the war in Ukraine; challenges to multilateral diplomacy; the Kosovo case.
Presenting the development phases of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which is the world’s largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations, H.E. Ambassador Zannier mentioned that its mandate includes issues such as arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of press, free and fair elections. The Organization has its roots in the 1973 Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). The CSCE opened in Helsinki on 3 July 1973 with 35 states sending representatives. The Stage I, took five days to agree to follow the Blue Book. Stage II was the main working phase and was conducted in Geneva from 18 September 1973 until 21 July 1975. The result of Stage II was the Helsinki Final Act, whichwas signed by the 35 participating states during Stage III in Finlandia Hall between 30 July – 1 August 1975. It was opened by the Holy See’s diplomat Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, who was the Chairman of the conference. The concepts of improving relations and implementing the act were developed over a series of follow-up meetings, with major gatherings in Belgrade (4 October 1977 – 8 March 1978), Madrid (11 November 1980 – 9 September 1983) and Vienna (4 November 1986 – 19 January 1989). The Moscow Mechanism was agreed in 1991. (See https://www.osce.org/odihr/20066).
Relating to the further development of the OSCE, the fall of the Soviet Union required a change of role for the CSCE. The Charter of Paris for a New Europe, signed on 21 November 1990, marked the beginning of this change. The process was capped by the renaming of the CSCE as the OSCE on 1 January 1995, in accordance with the results of a conference held in Budapest in 1994. The OSCE now had a formal secretariat, a Senior Council, a Parliamentary Assembly, a Conflict Prevention Centre, and an Office for Free Elections, which later became the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (see https://www.osce.org/whatistheosce).
During the day, special focus was put on the current war in Ukraine, its consequences for the European Union and its struggle with energetic crisis. Ambassador Zannier portrayed geopolitical angles proficiently and detailed, with rigour and precise structure. Audience therefore anticipated with many interesting questions, understanding how geopolitical situation and security architecture, embedded in OSCE and NATO, alongside active involvement in global crisis management, creates a subtle, delicate, wobbly and unstable entity.
Faculty fellows and diplomats received the first hand insights by Mr. Zannier on the Kosovo case, as he was appointed as the UN Special Representative for Kosovo with the rank of UN Under-Secretary-General from 2008 to 2011.
Regarding the challenges of multilateral diplomacy, H.E. Ambassador Mr. Lamberto Zannier also explained the importance of multilateral endeavours and all obstacles we encounter in vast international milieu:
“All the trends outlined above have significant implications for efforts of the international community to prevent, manage and resolve current and future armed conflicts. Multilateral institutions like the UN or the OSCE struggle to keep up with the latest developments in modern warfare and address adequately crisis and conflict situations erupting around the globe. Challenging and complex conditions in many conflict areas, often marked by a very volatile and unstable security environment, make it extremely difficult for multilateral actors to adapt to a rapidly evolving situation on the ground. Despite increasing efforts to invest in prevention, the international community is too often engaging too late in crisis management and prevention policies focus mainly on the risk of further escalation”.
Excellency Zannier is a polyglot, open, wise, and extremely interesting conversationalist. We decided to ask him some mundane questions about the personal growth and competence development. Here is an interesting insight:
Q: “How do you win, by talking or by listening?
H.E.: “I believe by listening. Listen very carefully and make your own conclusions. Listen and understand what the concerns are”.
* OSCE Secretary-General Amb. Lamberto Zannier answered the call of the Geneva Swiss University on September 02nd, 2022, and gave this lecture under the auspices of so-called ‘Executive Master in Intl. Relations and Global Politics’. Lecture series will host current and former heads of states or government and other influencers in the world of politics, economy, security and energy.
About the author:
Inna Turchenko, the ‘Executive Master in International Relations and Global Politics’ candidate.
She is specialized in risk-management, compliance and transformation of processes in Governmental authorities, European commercial banks and the National Bank of Ukraine.
