Explaining the monitors’ mission

Building the channels while the mission grew

When the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine was established, colleagues from the Secretariat shifted their attention to supporting it while mission posts were being filled. I created the logo, website and social profiles, and helped colleagues work out how best to use them.

The level of media interest was intense. Alongside publishing, I facilitated remote interviews for the Secretary General and other senior officials. The work needed careful clearance without losing the ability to explain developments quickly.

Short films with a specific job to do

I scripted and edited the four films below, linked to their players and the OSCE mission archive, with Russian and Ukrainian versions produced under my supervision. They were intended to explain the mission through concrete examples of what monitors encountered and what they were there to do.

That is different from claiming to have filmed every sequence. The work drew on OSCE material and other colleagues’ photography, with the original credits belonging to those contributors.

Making the operation sustainable

As the mission’s own capacity grew, I gradually handed over responsibility to mission colleagues. Establishing the channels was only part of the work; people also needed the advice and support to keep using them.

Precision in a contested information environment.

These contemporary corrections from OSCE’s public channels show the importance of distinguishing verified observations, attribution and the mission’s role.

Institutional communications examples from the period, published by OSCE and OSCE SMM.