The FINANCIAL -- The Lithuanian OSCE Chairmanship and the Irish Chairmanship of the Advisory Committee on Management and Finance welcomed today’s decision by all 56 OSCE participating States to approve the Unified Budget for 2012, amounting to 148,055,400 euros.

The 2011 budget is 150,764,700 euros. Norkus also congratulated his Irish counterparts on achieving budget approval before the end of 2011.He stressed that today’s agreement would also ensure timely funding of OSCE activities in 2012. In the context of the significant budget cuts O’Leary emphasized the importance of allocating enough resources to the OSCE to carry on with its mission.

Ireland has held the Chairmanship of the Advisory Committee on Management and Finance since 1 October and will take over the OSCE Chairmanship from Lithuania on 1 January 2012.

The unified budget includes funds for the OSCE Secretariat and Institutions, as well as the OSCE field operations and activities, with the latter accounting for almost two-thirds of the total budget.

The Permanent Council is an OSCE decision-making body, chaired by the country holding the OSCE's annually rotating Chairmanship.

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