OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen has appointed Wolfgang Palaver as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Discrimination.
Representative Wolfgang Palaver (Austria) will focus on combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, also focusing on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians and Members of Other Religions. In this role, he will follow Regina Polak, who stepped aside in February 2025. Wolfgang Palaver is a member of the scientific board of DIALOP.
Interview with the new Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Discrimination: Prof. Wolfgang Palaver
Did you expect this nomination to special representative of the OSCE against racism?
I did not expect this nomination. I was just asked by a colleague, Regina Polak, who had this position before, but was not able to fulfil it any longer for duties at the university. So, it was a surprise.
In which functional area does your appointment fall as special representative against racism?
I’ll be working close to two more colleague, who will be responsible for combating anti-Semitism and combating islamophobia. I’m more general responsible for combating racism and discrimination with a special focus on Christianity and other religions.
Which contributions can the OSCE bring in todays geopolitical insecurity?
The OSCE is an organisation with 57 member states and is one important tool for strengthening international relations and rule-based international order. Of course, you all know that this is under pressure today, but every attempt to strengthen this kind of international order is important.
What do you think OSCE can do to contain the rise of “democratic” imperialisms?
OSCE cannot do a lot to contain the rise of democratic imperialism, at least at first sight, because some of the states in which imperial developments developed recently are part of the OSCE, but of course as long as many countries emphasize the importance of democratic institutions and human rights, one hopes that we can move forward.
We hope you will remain acting in DIALOP. What do you see could be possible horizons in the civil society to foster dialogue at the international level?
I don’t want to leave DIALOP. DIALOP is also an important realm of dialogue between religious people and Marxist people, and I think that all types of encounter between different worldviews is an important contribution for our world today.