[1] It was during the so-called détente phase, on 3 July 1973, that the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) was opened in Helsinki, Finland.
[2] The CSCE was created as a multilateral forum for dialogue and negotiation motivated by the political will to improve relations between East and West and contribute to peace, security, justice and cooperation in Europe.
The CSCE gained permanent institutions and operational capabilities, and the name was changed to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as part of a decision by the Budapest Summit of Heads of State or Government in December 1994.
[3] The thirty-five participating States of the CSCE signed the Helsinki Final Act, which at that time, was the only international agreement linking peace and security with an obligation for the respect of human rights.
[6] On 9 November 1982, member groups from Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United States formed the International Helsinki Federation.
In fact, the first chairperson of the Czechoslovak Helsinki Committee was Jiří Hájek, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and one of the co-founders of Charter 77.