On 9 May 1948, on the margins of the Congress of Europe in The Hague, Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister, takes part in a European rally on Dam Square, Amsterdam, which is attended by some 40 000 people. From left to right: Pieter A. Kerstens, Winston Churchill and Arnold Jan d’Ailly, Mayor of Amsterdam.

On 21 November 2007, the new headquarters of the OSCE Secretariat and Representative for the Freedom of the Media are inaugurated in Vienna in the historic Palais Palffy-Erdödy, renovated to meet the needs of the organisation.

View of the inner courtyard of the Palais Palffy-Erdödy, headquarters of the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna since 21 November 2007.

On 21 November 2007, the new headquarters of the OSCE Secretariat and Representative for the Freedom of the Media are inaugurated in Vienna in the historic Palais Palffy-Erdödy (on the left), renovated to meet the needs of the organisation. The new building is located in Wallnerstrasse, in the historical centre of the Austrian capital.

From 1998 to 2006, the Kärntnerringhof, a building located on Vienna’s Ringstrasse, is home to the offices of the OSCE Secretariat.

The Charter of Paris for a New Europe, a new political commitment based on the consensus of the participating states, is signed in Paris on 21 November 1990 at the second CSCE Summit.

On 13 and 14 July 2006, the OSCE holds a conference in Vienna on the protection of journalists and access to information. The photo shows Patrick Chappatte, cartoonist for the International Herald Tribune, giving his views on freedom of opinion and expression.

On 19 October 2006, the Ambassadors of the five OSCE Asian Partners pose in front of the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. From left to right: Kim Sung-hwan (South Korea), Zia Uddin Nezam (Afghanistan), Itaru Umezu (Japan), Luvsandagva Enkhtaivan (Mongolia) and Adisak Panupong (Thailand).

Knut Vollebaek, the Norwegian High Commissioner on National Minorities of the OSCE since 4 July 2007.

In May 1948, under the Honorary Chairmanship of Winston Churchill, the Hague Congress calls for the convening of a European Assembly, the drafting of a Charter for Human Rights and the establishment of a Court of Justice responsible for ensuring its proper implementation.