ROME - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe re-elected Montella as Secretary General at their 2019 Annual Session in Luxembourg. He began his second term on the Jan. 1, 2021, having first taken over in 2016.

  The OSCE is the largest regional security organisation in the world, with 57 member nations, including many not in Europe, representing over a billion people. It deals with global crisis management, the promotion of human rights and fair elections and the prevention of conflict. The Organisation was begun during the Cold War as an attempt to create unity between the East and West.

  The Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE is made up of the parliamentary representatives from each of the member states and is concerned with facilitating dialogue between the nations. It gives a voice to those nations not represented within the Ministerial Council or the Permanent Council.

  Montella has previously served as Director of Presidential Administration in the International Secretariat, Head of the OSCE South Serbia Regional Office and Head of the European Centre for Minority Issues in Kosovo. 

  Montella wrote in his end of year letter to the Parliamentary Assembly, “Since 2016, our region – the whole northern hemisphere from Vancouver to Vladivostok – witnessed a number of important developments which directly affected the work of the OSCE and our Parliamentary Assembly” - mentioning crises in Ukraine and South Caucasus, the refugee crisis and a decreased trust in democratic systems.

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