Congressman Cohen Re-Appointed to the Helsinki Commission

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), who has served on the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, since March of 2011, was formally re-appointed as a member on Thursday and will again be House Ranking Member, the top House Democrat, on the Commission as he was in the 118^th Congress. He was Co-Chair of the Commission in the 117^th Congress when the Democrats were last in the majority in the House.  

Congressman Cohen also serves as a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly and as the Assembly’s Special Representative on Political Prisoners.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“Serving on the Helsinki Commission in these perilous times is a great honor and profound responsibility. With war in Ukraine and threats to freedom and democracy in many parts of Europe, the United States must be vigilant in demanding accountability and consequences for bad actors, first among them Vladimir Putin. It is a privilege to serve and I look forward to continuing my role in advising the foreign policy establishment on these critical issues. The Commission has a long and distinguished history in international affairs, human rights and promoting democracy. It is an honor to be part of that work.”

The Commission is an independent U.S. government agency created in 1976 to monitor and encourage compliance with the Helsinki Final Act and other Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe commitments. 

The Commission consists of nine members from the United States Senate, nine members from the U.S. House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce. The positions of Chair and Co-Chair are shared by the House and Senate and rotate every two years, when a new Congress convenes. A professional staff assists the Commissioners in its work.

The Commission convenes public hearings and briefings with expert witnesses on OSCE-related issues; issues public reports concerning implementation of OSCE commitments in participating States; and organizes official delegations to participating States and OSCE meetings to address and assess democratic, economic, security and human rights developments firsthand. 

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