Resolution adopted by the General Assembly  [without reference to a Main Committee (A/56/L.66 and Add.1 and A/56/L.67)]     56/216. Cooperation between the United Nations and the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe        The General Assembly,    Recalling the framework for cooperation and coordination between the United  Nations and the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which was  signed on 26 May 1993,1 as well as its resolutions on cooperation between the two  organizations,    Recalling also the principles embodied in the Helsinki Final Act and in the  declaration at the 1992 Helsinki Summit by the heads of State or Government of the  participating States of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe of  their understanding that the Conference is a regional arrangement in the sense of  Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations and as such provides an important  link between European and global security,2    Acknowledging the increasing contribution of the Organization for Security  and Cooperation in Europe to the establishment and maintenance of international  peace and security in its region through activities in early warning and preventive  diplomacy, including through the activities of the High Commissioner on National  Minorities, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, as well as arms  control and disarmament,    Recalling the Charter for European Security adopted at the Summit in Istanbul,  Turkey, in November 1999, which reaffirms the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe as a primary organization for the peaceful settlement of  disputes within its region and as a key instrument for early warning, conflict  prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation,    Recalling also the special ties between the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe and the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation, as well as  between that organization and the Asian Partners for Cooperation, Japan, the  Republic of Korea and Thailand, which have been enhanced further in 2001,  _______________  1 A/48/185, annex II, appendix.  2 See A/47/361-S/24370, annex.   A/RES/56/216    2    Underlining the continued importance of enhanced cooperation and  coordination between the United Nations and the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe,    1.  Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General;3    2.  Notes with appreciation the further improvement of cooperation and  coordination between the United Nations and its agencies and the Organization for  Security and Cooperation in Europe, including at the level of activities in the field;    3.  Welcomes, in this context, the meetings of the Secretary-General of the  United Nations with the Chairman-in-Office and the Secretary-General of the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the participation of the  Chairman-in-Office at a meeting of the Security Council in January 2001, the  participation of the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva in a  meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation  in Europe, which was held in Bucharest on 3 and 4 December 2001, and the  participation of high-level United Nations representatives in meetings of the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe;    4.  Encourages further efforts of the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe to foster security and stability in its region through early  warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation, as  well as through continued promotion of democracy, the rule of law, human rights  and fundamental freedoms;    5.  Welcomes the documents of the meeting of the Ministerial Council in  Bucharest confirming the determination of the participating States of the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to strengthen and deepen their  cooperation with a view to protecting their citizens from new challenges to their  security while safeguarding the rule of law, individual liberties and the right to equal  justice under the law;    6.  Commends the adoption of the decision and Action Plan on Terrorism,  whereby participating States pledged to reinforce and develop bilateral and  multilateral cooperation among themselves, with the United Nations and with other  international and regional organizations in order to combat terrorism in all its forms  and manifestations, wherever and by whomever committed, to contribute to the  fulfilment of international obligations as enshrined, inter alia, in Security Council  resolution 1373 (2001) of 28 September 2001, to act in conformity with the  purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and to become parties  to all twelve United Nations conventions and protocols related to terrorism as soon  as possible;    7.  Notes the review of the structures of the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe, undertaken at the initiative of the Romanian Chairmanship,  with the goal of strengthening its efficiency, and the adoption of decisions to foster  its role as a forum for political dialogue on issues of security and cooperation in  Europe which promotes a more effective use of the means and mechanisms of the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to counter threats and  challenges to security and stability in its region;  _______________  3 A/56/125.   A/RES/56/216    3    8.  Welcomes the decisions to strengthen cooperation in the economic and  environmental sphere and to enhance the role of the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe in police-related activities;    9.  Also welcomes the documents of the Ministerial Council meeting in  Bucharest on enhancing the effectiveness of the human dimension meetings of the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, promoting tolerance and non- discrimination, combating trafficking in human beings, improving the situation of  Roma and Sinti, and on promoting equal opportunities for women and men and the  continued close cooperation between the Organization for Security and Cooperation  in Europe, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and  the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights;    10. Notes with appreciation the active involvement of the Organization for  Security and Cooperation in Europe in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,  the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia  and its commitment to continue to contribute substantially to conflict prevention,  crisis management, and post-conflict stabilization in the region, thereby fostering  peace and stability in the area;    11.  Welcomes the establishment and the work of the Mission of the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to the Federal Republic of  Yugoslavia to assist further progress in the consolidation of democracy, the  strengthening of the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental  freedoms, including the rights of persons belonging to national minorities;    12. Expresses its appreciation for the contribution by the Organization for  Security and Cooperation in Europe to implementing Security Council resolution  1244 (1999) of 10 June 1999, in particular for its substantial role in the preparation  and organization of the Kosovo-wide election on 17 November 2001, in view of the  consolidation of stability and prosperity in Kosovo, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,  on the basis of substantial autonomy, respecting the sovereignty and territorial  integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, pending a final settlement, in  accordance with resolution 1244 (1999);    13. Salutes the commitment of participating States of the Organization for  Security and Cooperation in Europe to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and  unitary character of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and their offer to  assist and support strongly the full and timely implementation of the Framework  Agreement concluded on 13 August 2001, including the programmes on police  training and reform, media and inter-ethnic relations;    14. Supports the priorities of the work of the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe for the continuous development of civil society and for  increasing local ownership of the reform process in Bosnia and Herzegovina;    15. Commends the efforts to improve the coordination and efficiency of  international engagement in the field of civilian implementation of the Dayton/Paris  peace accords,4 as well as a timely decision on the best options for the succession of  the United Nations International Police Task Force to allow for a smooth and  comprehensive transition;  _______________  4 General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the annexes thereto, initialled  in Dayton, United States of America, on 21 November 1995 and signed in Paris on 14 December 1995  (A/50/790-S/1995/999).   A/RES/56/216    4    16. Underlines the importance of regional cooperation as a means of  fostering good-neighbourly relations, stability and economic development,  welcomes the implementation of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe under  the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as an  important long-term and comprehensive initiative to promote good-neighbourly  relations, stability and economic development, and also welcomes the commitment  of participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to  contribute further to the goals of the Stability Pact;    17. Notes the efforts undertaken in 2001 by the Republic of Moldova and the  mediators of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Russian  Federation and Ukraine towards negotiation for a comprehensive political settlement  of the Transdniestrian issue, based on full respect of the sovereignty and territorial  integrity of the Republic of Moldova, welcomes the fulfilment by the Russian  Federation, ahead of the agreed time, of the commitments undertaken at the summit  of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe held in Istanbul, Turkey,  in 1999 on the withdrawal and disposal of the equipment limited by the Treaty on  Conventional Armed Forces in Europe5 located in the Transdniestrian region of the  Republic of Moldova by the end of 2001, and encourages the timely fulfilment of  other commitments concerning the Republic of Moldova undertaken by the  participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in  Istanbul in 1999;    18. Welcomes the developments in the peace process in the Tshkhinvali  region/South Ossetia, Georgia, and the steps to reduce the quantities of small arms  and light weapons in that region, as well as the progress made in 2001 towards  meeting the commitments made in Istanbul on the future of Russian forces in  Georgia, including the closure of the Russian base at Vaziani and the withdrawal of  the equipment from the Russian base at Gudauta, encourages the implementation of  the other Istanbul commitments, and with regard to Abkhazia, Georgia, calls for the  resumption of a constructive dialogue aimed at achieving a comprehensive  settlement, including a definition of the political status of Abkhazia as a sovereign  entity within the State of Georgia;    19. Acknowledges the significant contribution to stability and confidence in  the region made by the border monitoring operation of the Organization for Security  and Cooperation in Europe along the border between Georgia and the Chechen  Republic of the Russian Federation;    20. Notes with satisfaction the engagement of the Organization for Security  and Cooperation in Europe towards cooperation with the five participating States of  Central Asia, which has continued to grow in all dimensions, thus contributing to  stability and prosperity in the region, as well as the commitment of the Organization  for Security and Cooperation in Europe to assist in addressing specific threats to  stability and security for the Central Asian participating States, and appreciates the  valuable contribution of the Bishkek International Conference on enhancing security  and stability in Central Asia, held on 13 and 14 December 2001, to addressing those  problems, which are shared concerns among the participating States of the  Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe;    21. Fully supports the activities of the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict in and around  _______________  5 CD/1064.   A/RES/56/216    5  the Nagorny-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and welcomes  cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for Security and  Cooperation in Europe in this regard;    22. Expresses deep concern at the failure to achieve a settlement of the  Nagorny-Karabakh conflict despite the intensified dialogue between the parties and  the active support of the Co-Chairmen of the Minsk Group of the Organization for  Security and Cooperation in Europe, reaffirms that the prompt resolution of that  protracted conflict will contribute to lasting peace, security, stability and  cooperation in the South Caucasus region, reiterates the importance of continuing  the peace dialogue, calls upon the sides to continue their efforts to achieve an early  resolution of the conflict based on the norms and principles of international law,  encourages the parties to explore further measures that would enhance mutual  confidence and trust, including the release of prisoners of war, welcomes the  commitment of the parties to the ceasefire and to achieving a peaceful and  comprehensive settlement, and encourages the parties to continue their efforts, with  the active support of the Co-Chairmen, to reach a just and enduring settlement;    23. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-seventh session  the item entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization for  Security and Cooperation in Europe”, and requests the Secretary-General to submit  to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session a report on cooperation between  the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in  implementation of the present resolution.