News and press releases

BELGRADE, 21 September 2018 – Beginning his second visit to the region since his appointment in July, the OSCE PA’s Special Representative on South East Europe, Mark Pritchard (United Kingdom), has met in Belgrade the past two days with a range of governmental and parliamentary leaders, as well as representatives of the international community and civil society...

Representatives of twenty municipal councils were introduced to an the OSCE training programme designed to promote democratic governance through improved work of local elected officials during the promotional events that took place in Ohrid and Skopje on 19, 20 and 21 September.

COPENHAGEN, 21 September 2018 – Several leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly have actively participated over the past two weeks in the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Italian OSCE Chairmanship, speaking at working sessions on democracy, fundamental freedoms, rights of migrants, human trafficking, and freedom of the media...

VIENNA, 21 September 2018 – In a letter to the authorities of the Russian Federation the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern regarding the proposed amendments to the country’s Code of Administrative Offences and the Criminal Code, which were adopted yesterday in the final reading by the lower house of parliament, the State Duma. The amendments, among other things, strengthen the penalties for the dissemination of ‘false’ information related to defamation and information that affects privacy protection...

A five-day training course on emergency first aid concluded on 21 September 2018 at the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe...

ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan, 20 September 2018- The Aarhus Centres and Public Environmental Information Centres from 15 countries concluded today in Issyk-Kul a two-day meeting on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its goals...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed damage as a result of gunfire in a residential area of Dokuchaievsk. The SMM saw two new military positions inside the Zolote disengagement area, as well as military and military-type presence inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as again near Bezimenne and Zaichenko.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of the respective withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs and maintenance works to critical water infrastructure in Luhansk region, as well as repairs to houses in Avdiivka and demining in Pishchane. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored two public gatherings related to customs clearance, road maintenance and the use of biometric passports...