The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document PC.DEL/968/26 and circulates it without altering its content. The distribution by OSCE 9 October 2026 Conference Services of this document is without prejudice to OSCE decisions, as set out in documents agreed by OSCE participating States. ENGLISH only
United States Mission to the OSCE
Statement on Scales of Contribution As prepared for delivery by Chargé d’Affaires Kate Rebholz to the Permanent Council, Vienna October 8, 2026
The United States welcomes the opportunity to update the Council on our shared work to reform the OSCE's Scales of Contribution. We thank all participating States who have engaged constructively on this issue in recent months. As we have said before: negotiating the scales is not a mathematical problem. The scales represent the shared political and financial commitment, among the 57 of us, to sustain and support this Organization's work. That commitment is unevenly shared, and it is time we correct that.
The current distribution of the Unified Budget is not sustainable. Five participating States - France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States - together pay more than half of the Unified Budget. The United States alone remains the single largest contributor. An organization of 57 participating States should not depend so heavily on so few. The United States will continue to work towards a lower, equal maximum level of contribution, one that reflects a fairer distribution of responsibility across the membership.
The minimum level of contribution no longer reflects a meaningful commitment to this organization. Nine participating States currently contribute just over 42,000 euros annually - less than one-tenth of one percent of the Unified Budget. This does not even cover the costs of a single staff member in the organization. This does not reflect the shared ownership this organization requires of all who benefit from it. The United States believes the minimum contribution should be raised to a level that reflects genuine participation. This is not a punitive measure aimed at any participating State. It is a matter of shared responsibility.
We urge all participating States to remain engaged, in good faith, as discussions on the scales of contribution continue in the months ahead. Reform is long overdue - the current scales have not been substantively revised in over two decades. While these changes do not need to be immediate, any phase in for the scales should be expeditious and timebound. We cannot allow inertia or narrow self-interest to delay a solution that serves the collective good of this organization.
The adoption of the 2026 budget demonstrated that we can overcome political differences when we choose. We ask the Chair to maintain momentum on this issue, and we call on all delegations to come to the table prepared to discuss real, substantive changes - not simply to preserve the status quo.
The United States remains fully committed to engaging robustly in this process, and we look forward to working with all participating States toward a more equitable, sustainable system of burden sharing.
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