News and press releases

An OSCE pilot ‘train-the-trainers’ initiative is helping freshly trained Ukrainian border guards test their skills as trainers in document security at border crossing points.

Border guards from Ukraine built their skills for training border guards on document fraud detection during a ‘train-the-trainers’ course organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the Main Forensic Center of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, from 4 to 8 August in Lviv.

As part of its continued support to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to counter explosive threats, the OSCE organized a specialized training course on Zeus robots for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers of the National Police of Ukraine.

HELSINKI, 1 August 2025 – To mark the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, Finland organized a high-level conference at Finlandia Hall on 31 July 2025. The conference, hosted by the OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen, paid tribute to the legacy of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) held in Helsinki in 1975 and highlighted the role of civil society in advancing the OSCE’s principles and commitments. The Helsinki+50 Fund was launched as part of the Conference to support the OSCE’s operational capacity.

HELSINKI/VALLETTA/BERN, 1 August 2025 – Today, the OSCE Troika – Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Foreign Minister of Finland Elina Valtonen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta Ian Borg, and Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland Ignazio Cassis – made the following statement:

Facial comparison techniques at border crossings were the focus of a two-day online training course for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee — Identity Fraud and Documents Centre of Expertise (ECID) from 23 to 24 July.

On 23 July, Estonia chaired the closing session of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC). Since taking up the role in May, Ambassador Kaja Tael, Permanent Representative of Estonia to the OSCE, chaired the weekly plenary sessions in Vienna, in line with the FSC’s mandate to regularly consult and co-operate in the field of security and reduce the risk of conflict in the OSCE region.