Dodis, in cooperation with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), is organising the 18th International Conference of Editors of Diplomatic Documents (ICEDD), to be held in Bern on 3–4 September 2026. As part of Switzerland’s 2026 OSCE Chairpersonship, the Swiss Federal Council has included the conference in the series of official Swiss OSCE Chairpersonship conferences.
The public afternoon programme on Thursday, 3 September 2026, will explore the early phase of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) from a historical perspective and examine its relevance for the present day. The event will take place in the Aula of the Main Building of the University of Bern (Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012 Bern). The conference language is English.
Programme
13:15
Registration and arrival
From Geneva to Helsinki: The Making of the CSCE
14:00
Chair: Madeleine Herren (President Dodis-Commission)
Opening Addresses:
- Sacha Zala (Director Dodis)
- Muriel Peneveyre (Ambassador, Head of Switzerland’s OSCE Chairmanship Task Force at FDFA)
Historical Inputs:
- Nicolas Badalassi: «France and the CSCE»
- Antonio Varsori: «Italy’s Policy Towards the Helsinki Negotiations and the CSCE»
- Michael Kennedy: «Ireland’s Evolving Attitude to the CSCE 1969 to 1975»
- Thomas Bürgisser: «Switzerland and the Geneva Laboratory of the CSCE 1973–1975»
Coffee break
From History to the Present Day
17:00
Opening Adresses:
- Virginia Richter (Rector of the University of Bern)
- Pierre-André Page, (President of the National Council)
Historical Keynote:
Sacha Zala: «The Origins of the OSCE: New Insights from the Joint Documentary Edition»
Interlude: Excerpt from the Documentary Film on the Origins of the CSCE/OSCE
Panel: «From Past to Present: Witnesses in Conversation with the OSCE Secretary General»
- Umberto Vattani (Ambassador, Former Secretary General of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- Feridun Sinirlioğlu (OSCE Secretary General)
- Panel moderator: Daniel Möckli (CSS-ETHZ)
Ignazio Cassis (OSCE 2026 Chairman-in-Office, Federal Councillor): «Conclusion – OSCE, Quo Vadis?»
End of public programme (approx. 18.30)
If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact dodis@dodis.ch.
Find the full scientific program here.
Registration: Link
The number of places is limited. Registration will be confirmed by email.