Helsinki Document:
The Challenges of Change
(Summit of Heads of State or Government)
Helsinki 1992
Helsinki Summit Declaration
Promises and Problems of Change
(…)
6. We welcome the commitment of all participating States to our shared values. Respect for
human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, democracy, the rule of law, economic liberty, social justice and environmental responsibility are our common aims. They are immutable. Adherence to our commitments
provides the basis for participation and co-operation in the CSCE and a cornerstone for further development of our societies.
7. We reaffirm the validity of the guiding principles and common values of the Helsinki Final
Act and the Charter of Paris, embodying responsibilities of States towards each other and
of governments towards their people. These are the collective conscience of our community. We recognize our accountability to each other for complying with them. We underline the
democratic rights of citizens to demand from their governments respect for these values and
standards.
8. We emphasize that the commitments undertaken in the field of the human dimension of
the CSCE are matters of direct and legitimate concern to all participating States and do not
belong exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned. The protection and promotion
of the human rights and fundamental freedoms and the strengthening of democratic institutions continue to be a vital basis for our comprehensive security.
(…)
12. This is a time of promise but also a time of instability and insecurity. Economic decline,
social tension, aggressive nationalism, intolerance, xenophobia and ethnic conflicts threaten stability in the CSCE area. Gross violations of CSCE commitments in the field of human
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