[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1439 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1439

   Recognizing Robert ``Bob'' A. Hand for 40 years of service to the 
           Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 18, 2022

  Mr. Cohen (for himself, Mr. Hudson, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Wilson of 
South Carolina, Mr. Aderholt, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Cleaver, and 
Mr. Smith of New Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing Robert ``Bob'' A. Hand for 40 years of service to the 
           Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Whereas Robert (Bob) Hand has given 40 years of faithful service to the 
        Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, making him the longest 
        serving staff of the United States Helsinki Commission to date;
Whereas he is a highly respected expert on the Western Balkans with his work 
        being invaluable during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, 
        he was focused on holding accountable those responsible for atrocities 
        such as the Srebrenica genocide in 1995 and the murder of the Albanian-
        American Bytyqi brothers in Serbia in 2001, and he kept Commissioners up 
        to date on developments in the region, including in Albania, where he is 
        also known for his expert analysis;
Whereas having served on numerous United States delegations to Organization for 
        Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meetings, observed dozens of 
        elections, and served as a mission member on one of the OSCE's first 
        field missions, the OSCE Missions of Long Duration in Kosovo, Sandjak, 
        and Vojvodina while stationed in Novi Pazar in 1993, Bob's institutional 
        expertise and memory on the OSCE has been vital to both the Helsinki 
        Commission and the Department of State;
Whereas in his role as the Secretary of the United States delegation to the OSCE 
        Parliamentary Assembly (PA), Bob deftly and tirelessly guaranteed that 
        the delegation was always well-prepared to engage with our counterparts 
        from other countries and that our proposals and resolutions had the best 
        possible chance for adoption;
Whereas his deep expertise on procedural matters and election monitoring, among 
        other processes, made him an extraordinarily effective advocate and 
        negotiator for United States interests and for human rights and 
        democracy throughout his time as Secretary of the United States 
        delegation;
Whereas no major meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly could be considered 
        ``typical'', with an enormous variety of subjects discussed, new 
        procedures created, and different Members of Congress participating on 
        the United States delegation from meeting to meeting, Bob rose to a huge 
        diversity of challenges as Secretary of the United States delegation, 
        and he ensured that Members could meaningfully participate and 
        contribute, and that the United States presence was impactful in every 
        meeting he coordinated;
Whereas during annual sessions in particular, Bob's calm demeanor and deep 
        knowledge of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly processes helped all members of 
        the delegation, whether Commissioners or not, whether it was their 1st 
        or 15th time at an OSCE PA meeting, to know where they were supposed to 
        be, when they were voting, what issues were at stake, and when they were 
        scheduled to speak;
Whereas ahead of OSCE's yearly gatherings, Bob skillfully collected signatures 
        from other delegations for United States initiatives in the 
        Parliamentary Assembly as well as secured support from Members for 
        important supplementary items and amendments fielded by other 
        delegations;
Whereas at the 2022 OSCE PA Annual Session in Birmingham, Bob worked diligently 
        with several other delegations to ensure that a critical resolution 
        condemning Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine was adopted with the 
        strongest possible language;
Whereas the United States delegation had a 100-percent success rate at the 2022 
        OSCE PA Annual Session with the joint Ukraine resolution submitted by 
        the United States, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian delegations, and all United 
        States amendments to committee resolutions and supplementary items 
        adopted;
Whereas over the years, Bob guided the United States delegation through 
        elections for OSCE PA leadership and helped secure positions for United 
        States Members as OSCE PA President, Vice Presidents, and committee 
        Chairs to make up the OSCE PA Bureau as well as positions on ad hoc 
        committees and appointments as Special Representatives on Anti-Semitism, 
        Racism and Intolerance, Human Trafficking Issues, and on Political 
        Prisoners;
Whereas Bob was instrumental in ensuring that the COVID pandemic in no way 
        diminished the United States delegation's consistent and meaningful 
        impact, and that United States objectives were advanced at each and 
        every opportunity despite the unprecedented shift to online formats 
        spanning multiple time zones;
Whereas Bob was always guided by a clear sense that what the United States says 
        matters in a body such as the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, he 
        prioritized principles over dialogue for its own sake, and he served the 
        Commission's mandate faithfully and tirelessly; and
Whereas his longstanding relationships with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 
        leadership, staff, and other parliamentarians mean his departure will be 
        felt not only by the Commission but by many of our friends in the OSCE 
        region who have worked with him over the years: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes Robert A. Hand's 40 years of dedicated 
        service to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe 
        (United States Helsinki Commission);
            (2) appreciates his sound policy guidance on the Balkans 
        and other regions throughout his time with the Commission;
            (3) congratulates him on his successes as Secretary of the 
        United States delegation to the Organization for Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly; and
            (4) wishes him all the best in the next chapters of his 
        personal and professional endeavors.
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