News and press releases

VIENNA, 8 May 2019 – Politico-military co-operation in Central Asia, how to increase women’s participation in decision-making processes in the security sector, and eliminating the threat posed by small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition are among the priorities of Tajikistan’s Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), which the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Zohir Saidzoda formally opened in Vienna today...

PODGORICA, 8 May 2019 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia’s Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, today in Podgorica, called Montenegro a success story for democratic transformation and Euro-Atlantic integration, and a role model for the region. “In the last two decades, Montenegro has made huge progress in consolidating peace and stability,” Lajčák said...

A three-day capacity-building course on preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism (VERLT) took place in the town of Guliston from 2 to 4 May 2019. The training course served as the final phase of equipping public council members with relevant knowledge and skills to address and integrate aspects of preventing and countering VERLT into community policing efforts.

NUR-SULTAN, 8 May 2019 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 9 June early presidential election in Kazakhstan. The mission’s deployment follows an invitation from the country’s authorities.

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. • A man died after a metal object exploded in Velyka Novosilka. • The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. • It continued to monitor the situation of civilians at entry-exit checkpoints. • The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to civilian infrastructure and damaged houses. It also continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station and monitor the security situation around the pumping station near Vasylivka. • Restrictions of the Mission’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere. The SMM was also restricted at a checkpoint of the armed formations near Kozatske.*

VIENNA, 7 May 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, called on the authorities to reinstate access to numerous web resources, including online media, social platforms and Google services, in Tajikistan...

VIENNA, 7 May 2019 – Participants in a two-day Vienna-based conference entitled Commitment – Data – Action! underlined the importance of comparable data for improving policies and measures to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG).