The 24th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly brought together nearly 300 parliamentarians in the Finnish capital's Finlandia Hall on 5-9 July 2015. The theme for the Session was "Recalling the Spirit of Helsinki," a reference to the OSCE's founding document, the Helsinki Final Act, which was signed in Finlandia Hall in 1975. 

The situation in and around Ukraine, the crisis concerning migrants and refugees, arms control, climate change and minority rights were among a diverse array of critical security issues on the agenda. The Session also featured a special commemoration of the Helsinki Final Act's 40th anniversary and a presentation of the results of the PA's Helsinki +40 Project on Organizational reform.

Keynote speakers included Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and others.

The Session culminated in the adoption of the 2015 Helsinki Declaration, containing the Assembly's wide-ranging policy recommendations for the OSCE and its participating States in the fields of political affairs, economics, the environment and human rights.

Resolutions from each of the Assembly’s three General Committees were debated, amended and approved through majority voting before they were combined into the Declaration. Approved Supplementary Resolutions were included in annex to the Declaration before the final document was sent to the foreign ministries of OSCE participating States and made available for presentation in national parliaments.