The Vilnius Declaration was a declaration adopted by the

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...

(OSCE) during the 18th annual session of its parliamentary assembly, that took place in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

from 29 June to 3 July 2009. The declaration contained 28 resolutions that addressed a number of issues, including "...strengthening of the OSCE, election observation, the

food security Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy Human food, food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Simila ...

in the OSCE area, the world financial crisis and the social consequences of that crisis, Iran, Afghanistan, human rights and civil liberties, arms control and disarmament in Europe, labour migration in Central Asia,

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption (as opposed to household energy insecurity). Access to cheaper energy has become essential to the functioning of modern ...

, climate change,

water management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificia ...

, freedom of expression on the Internet, and a moratorium on the death penalty." Its condemnation of

totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public s ...

and support for the

European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism The Black Ribbon Day, officially known in the European Union as the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism and also referred to as the Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian ...

provoked protests by

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and international media attention.Resolution on Stalin riles Russia

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. 3 July 2009

Condemnation of totalitarianism

Its resolution on "Europe Reunited: Promoting Human Rights and Civil Liberties in the OSCE Region in the 21st Century" is notable for its condemnation of

. The resolution states that "in the twentieth century European countries experienced two major totalitarian regimes, Nazi and Stalinist, which brought about genocide, violations of human rights and freedoms, war crimes and crimes against humanity," urges all OSCE members to take a "united stand against all totalitarian rule from whatever ideological background," condemns "the glorification of the totalitarian regimes, including the holding of public demonstrations glorifying the Nazi or Stalinist past," and expresses support for the

, which was proclaimed by the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

in 2008. The resolution was criticized by

, as Joseph Stalin "continues to be a hero to many Russians". The Russian delegation tried but failed to have the resolution withdrawn. Of 213 present delegates from 50 countries, 201 supported the resolution, 8 voted against and 4 abstained.The Kremlin rises to Stalin’s defense again
Kyiv Post

References

{{Prague Process Human rights instruments Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 2009 in Europe History of Vilnius Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism