News and press releases

The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 20 December 2015 parliamentary elections in Spain notes that the legal framework provides a basis for the conduct of genuinely democratic elections. It recommends, however, that the legal framework be amended to ensure the full enjoyment of the rights of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and to uphold the principle of equality of the vote.

The SMM observed a higher number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk than the previous day, and mostly training-related ones in Luhansk region. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The Mission facilitated and monitored repair works on both sides of the contact line. The SMM encountered freedom-of-movement restrictions, all in Donetsk region.* The SMM noted long queues at crossing points on the contact line. It monitored public gatherings in Kyiv and Odessa...

KYZYLORDA, Kazakhstan, 25 February 2016 – A workshop on water quality assurance of the Aral-Syrdarya Water Basin took place today in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan, bringing together some 40 representatives of regional authorities, civil society, academia and the Aral-Syrdarya Water Basin Council...

A new publication examining the progress made in achieving gender equality in politics was presented by the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Micheal Georg Link on 25 February 2016 in Vienna, at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Winter Session.

The SMM observed a lower number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk than the previous day, and four training-related violations in Luhansk. It continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The Mission facilitated and monitored repair works on both sides of the contact line. The SMM encountered freedom-of-movement restrictions, the majority south of Donetsk city. The SMM noted long queues along the line of contact. It observed public gatherings in Kyiv and Chernivtsi...

ERGNETI, 24 February 2016- The 63rd meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place today in Ergneti, co-facilitated by Kęstutis Jankauskas, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Guenther Baechler, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus...

NEW YORK, 24 February 2016 – Delivering the Annual Harriman Lecture at Columbia University, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović emphasized the importance of OSCE’s comprehensive and multi-dimensional concept of security. Mijatović said freedom of expression and free media constitute two imperative tools in fostering a meaningful debate on security issues and effectively addressing new security challenges...