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News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Borg and Secretary General Schmid respond to recent political developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Publishing date: 19 April 2024
Content type: Press release
Where we are: OSCE Chairpersonship, OSCE Secretariat
VALLETTA/VIENNA, 19 April 2024 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid made the following statement regarding the actions taken by the Republika Srpska National Assembly to unilaterally transfer competences from the State to the entity level with the aim of creating a parallel electoral system within the entity.
OSCE Webinar Highlights Climate Science's Role in Enhancing Energy Resilience
Publishing date: 19 April 2024
Content type: News
What we do: Climate change, Environmental activities
Addressing the significant challenges climate change poses to energy resilience, the OSCE, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, hosted a webinar on 28 March focused on leveraging climate science for energy planning. The event, part of the " Mitigating Climate Change Threats to
OSCE-UNODC experts work to more effectively combat the illicit trafficking of opiates from Afghanistan
Publishing date: 18 April 2024
Content type: News
Where we are: Transnational Threats Department, OSCE Secretariat
What we do: Policing
More than 110 experts gathered on 17 April 2024 in an effort to strengthen regional initiatives for combatting illicit trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan at the Expert Working Group of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Paris Pact Initiative hosted by the OSCE. The Paris Pact initiative is an international coalition for combatting illicit trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan.
Spotting “red flag indicators” of virtual assets: OSCE builds capacity of the National Bank of Georgia
Publishing date: 18 April 2024
Content type: News
What we do: Economic activities
From 15 to 18 April, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) conducted a workshop aimed at increasing the capacity of the National Bank of Georgia to spot virtual assets “red flag indicators”. Held in Tbilisi and hosted by the National Bank of Georgia, the workshop aimed to enhance the National Bank of Georgia's ability to regulate VASP activity within the country.
OSCE Chair-in-Office and Secretary General demand urgent action to release the three OSCE officials held in Donetsk and Luhansk for 2 years
Publishing date: 18 April 2024
Content type: Press statement
Where we are: OSCE Chairpersonship, OSCE Secretary General, OSCE Secretariat
VALLETTA/VIENNA, 18 April – This week marks two years since three OSCE officials were unjustly detained in Luhansk and Donetsk. The OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, and OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid, reiterated the demand for their immediate release and urged all members of the international community to amplify this message.
OSCE leaders and anti-trafficking experts underscore need to rethink prevention methods to address evolving trafficking tactics
Publishing date: 16 April 2024
Content type: Press release
Where we are: Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, OSCE Secretariat
What we do: Combating trafficking in human beings
VIENNA, 16 April 2024 – At the 24th Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons, OSCE leaders and anti-trafficking experts called on the 57 OSCE participating States to move beyond awareness-raising campaigns, underscoring the urgent need to re-evaluate prevention efforts in the face of evolving trafficking tactics.
Empowering Central Asian Voices: OSCE and the EU launch Young Women for Peace Initiative for the region
Publishing date: 16 April 2024
Reiterating OSCE commitments to advance gender equality and promote the inclusion of youth in the peace and security agenda, the OSCE Gender Issues Programme with the financial support of the European Union and in close co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the OSCE Academy launched the Young Women for Peace Initiative for Central Asia.