UAVs for the Benefit of People: The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Within the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission

This article explores the adoption of drones by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE’s) Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, a first time for the organization, to overcome the impediments imposed by the sides to its monitoring of the security situation in Eastern Ukraine. This article begins by tracing back the origin of the SMM drone program and the challenges posed by jamming, shooting, and the presence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) belonging to conflicting parties. This article then highlights the contributions made in direct benefit to the residents of the conflict-affected regions, mainly providing critical information for the repair works conducted along the line of contact and by increasing awareness of the security risks nearby entry-exit checkpoints and civilian buildings. The article concludes that a more systematic and coordinated sharing of drones’ images with specific international partners, complements the work of SMM monitors and allows the humanitarian responders to perform a more effective needs assessment and advocacy work.