News and press releases

From 18 to 21 July 2023, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), in close collaboration with the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – Regional Office for Central Asia (UN OHCHR ROCA) held a specialized training course titled “Professional Development of State Agencies for the Preparation of the Sixth Periodic Report Of Uzbekistan on the Implementation of the [United Nations] Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” in the Tashkent region.

VIENNA, 18 July 2023 – Participants at the ongoing OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group Conference have discussed synergies and opportunities for co-operation with a particular focus on enhancing dialogue between the OSCE and Asia on efforts to reduce the risks of conflict stemming from the use of information and communication technologies, promoting effective co-operation in addressing the challenges caused by climate change, and the role of civil society in the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

On 11-13 July 2023, the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the support of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, conducted a training-of-trainers course to further the skills of local financial investigators, judiciary and prosecution officials to apply analytical techniques in financial investigations as part of wider counter-terrorism efforts.

WARSAW, 17 July 2023 – Allegations of arbitrary imprisonment and enforced disappearances of civilians living in areas under occupation are occurring with alarming frequency, with widespread reports of the use of torture and ill-treatment, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today in a new report summarising its ongoing monitoring of violations of international law following Russia’s military attack in Ukraine. According to the many credible testimonies, torture and ill-treatment have been widespread in detention in all Russian-occupied areas.

From 12 to 14 July, staff members from the Statistics Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan benefited from a three-day study visit to Washington D.C., United States, which included a specialized training on data openness and quality, metadata and data dissemination, as well as meetings with relevant stakeholders such as the World Bank, the Global Data Barometer and the Center for Open Data Enterprise. The training was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) and delivered by Open Data Watch (ODW), an international non-profit organization working at the intersection of open data and official statistics.

Kazakhstan’s 20 November 2022 early presidential and 19 March 2023 early parliamentary elections took place in the context of reforms aimed at bringing the country’s elections closer in line with international standards and OSCE commitments, but further changes to the legal framework are needed for

OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid recognized the outstanding achievements of OSCE staff in advancing gender equality and empowering women in the OSCE at the fourth award ceremony that took place at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today.