News and press releases

VIENNA, 7 November 2014 – Cyber-security experts and representatives of the private sector, think-tanks and academia are meeting in Vienna today to discuss the implementation so far of a ground-breaking set of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) agreed by OSCE participating States last year on reducing the risk of conflict stemming from the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), while exploring how the development of additional CBMs could be boosted.

On 5 November, at 18:02hrs, a Ukrainian military representative from the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) in Debaltseve informed the SMM about shelling and fatalities on Stepanenko Street, three kilometres north-west of the city centre of Donetsk. On 6 and 7 November the SMM visited the site of the reported incident, where it identified ten craters. Nearby shelling forced the SMM to leave the area.

Six students representing the Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) concluded on 7 November 2014 their three-day study visit to Vienna, Austria, to familiarize themselves with the work of OSCE and its institutions and the organization’s comprehensive approach to security. The trip was organized by the Centre in Astana with financial and logistical support from other OSCE field operations in Central Asia, the United States Mission to the OSCE and the Conflict Prevention Centre...

The 10th comprehensive course on the security policy of Bosnia and Herzegovina was completed on 6 November 2014, organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Security Ministry and the Council of Ministers Inter-ministerial Working Group for BiH Security Policy...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku supported a five-day visit of 12 representatives from Azerbaijani state agencies and civil society organizations to Austria to look at best practices on running shelters and providing services to victims of domestic violence. The visit, which took place from 3 to 7 November 2014, was a part of the project aimed at supporting the effective implementation of the law on the prevention of domestic violence in Azerbaijan...

The provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum, and in particular the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), remained the focus of the SMM’s monitoring activities. There was intense shelling in Donetsk city, whilst Mariupol and its surroundings remained calm...

VIENNA, 6 November 2014 – When addressing the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today, the co-chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) stressed that the Geneva process is the only platform bringing together all stakeholders to discuss security-related issues and to work on the humanitarian needs of the conflict-affected population. The co-chairs urged participants in the GID to work constructively in order to achieve progress in addressing the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia...