News and press releases

VIENNA, 7 July 2016 – Addressing the Permanent Council of the OSCE today in Vienna, the President of the German Supreme Audit Institution (Bundesrechnungshof) Kay Scheller, concluded his three-year term as the OSCE External Auditor, during which the OSCE received unqualified ("clean") audit opinions...

VIENNA, 7 July March 2016 – The OSCE Permanent Council extended today the mandate of the OSCE Observer Mission at the Russian border checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk. The mandate has been extended until 31 October 2016...

Reforming political party legislation in Ukraine was the focus of an expert workshop in Kyiv on 6 and 7 July 2016, jointly organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Ukrainian civil society organizations Agency for Legislative Initiatives (ALI) and the Civil Network “OPORA”. The event was hosted by the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

TBILISI, 7 July 2016 – Multi-faceted challenges to free media and the freedom of expression were the focus of a two-day discussion at the 13th OSCE South Caucasus Media Conference, organized by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media that concluded today in Tbilisi, Georgia...

A record number of 1,150 local inspectors in Serbia have successfully completed a three-month OSCE-supported online course on implementing the new Law on Inspection Surveillance. Of this number, 280 inspectors from the capital and its municipalities were publically recognized on 7 July 2016 at the premises of the Assembly of the City of Belgrade...

VIENNA, 7 July 2016 – Against the backdrop of the continuing conflict in and around Ukraine, the United Nations’ Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Šimonović addressed the Permanent Council in Vienna today on the co-operation and assistance of the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) to Ukraine in this field...

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations compared to the previous reporting period. Most of the fighting was recorded in the areas around Yasynuvata, Shyrokyne and Donetsk city. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded a number of ceasefire violations, most of which were assessed as live-fire exercises. The Mission confirmed reports of three children killed by a grenade explosion in Yenakiieve. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and conducted crater analysis in Kominternove, Horlivka and Myronivka. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and observed the presence of armoured combat vehicles in the security zone. The Mission continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints along the contact line. The SMM observed the situation at the administrative boundary line between Kherson and Crimea...