News and press releases

DUSHANBE, 13 May 2019 – Ambassador Valeriu Chiveri of the Republic of Moldova assumed his duties today as the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission saw fresh damage from gunfire to a functioning school in non-government-controlled Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission saw the body of a deceased man at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to critical civilian infrastructure as well as to enable demining in Luhansk region. The SMM observed events commemorating Victory Day in Odessa, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Uzhhorod. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The SMM’s freedom of movement was also restricted in non-government-controlled areas at checkpoints near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Shevchenko, as well as at a checkpoint near Siedove, close to the border with the Russian Federation.

CHISINAU, 11 May 2019 – Concluding his meetings today, the OSCE Special Representative for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Franco Frattini, urged the Sides to step up efforts to maintain the positive dynamic in the settlement process for the benefit of people on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. It recorded ceasefire violations and military presence inside the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line, including some used as part of military-style parades in Donetsk and Luhansk cities. It observed fresh damage from gunfire to a functioning school in Troitske and residential property in Zolote-4/Rodina. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to civilian infrastructure. It also continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station and monitor the security situation around the pumping station near Vasylivka, in the area of which it recorded about 125 explosions. The Mission observed events in several regions of Ukraine commemorating Victory Day and Remembrance and Reconciliation Day. It observed military-style parades in non-government-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk cities. Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. The SMM was also restricted in non-government-controlled areas at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske and a border crossing point near Dovzhanske.

A four-day specialized training course on appropriate and effective responses to gender-based violence for criminal justice practitioners from Hungary was held from 6 to 10 May 2019, at the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) headquarters in Budapest, Hungary...

A training course jointly organized by the OSCE and UNODA on arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation was held for 50 young female professionals from the OSCE’s participating States and Partners for Co-operation from 6 to 10 May 2019 in Vienna. The course was held as part of the OSCE Scholarship for Peace and Security...

SARAJEVO, 10 May 2019- Women’s participation and leadership is not just good for women; it can benefit whole societies. This was the message delivered by Ambassador Melanne Verveer, the Special Representative of the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship on Gender, during a three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).