News and press releases

VIENNA/PRAGUE, 15 September 2023 – Promoting security and stability across the OSCE region through sustainable development and inclusive economic growth were in focus at the 2023 Forum on the Economic and Environmental Dimension of the OSCE, which took place in Prague from 14 to 15 September.

VIENNA, 13 September – Today, Canada assumed the Chairpersonship of the OSCE’s Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) until December 2023. During the opening session, Canada’s Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Bill Blair, underlined the importance Canada attaches to the role of the FSC and to dialogue on security across the OSCE region.

SKOPJE/VIENNA, 12 September 2023 – The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, and Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid reinforced their repeated calls for the immediate release of three Ukrainian OSCE officials that have been in detention in Donetsk and Luhansk for more than 500 days.

SKOPJE/WARSAW/COPENHAGEN, 7 September 2023- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma and the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Matteo Mecacci, condemn the Russian Federation’s holding of so-called “elections” in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

More than 90 young legal professionals, students of law and post-graduates, including 53 women and 40 men, had a chance to upgrade their professional knowledge during a series of four summer schools, organized in August by the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (the SPU).

As the ongoing war against Ukraine causes damage to industrial facilities across the country, it heightens the risks of release of toxic chemicals, posing a serious danger for people and environment. To help diminish threats to health and lives of people, the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (the SPU) produced and delivered to the country’s State Emergency Service (the SESU) the awareness-raising materials, designed to inform the public about safety rules for chemical emergencies.

The OSCE trained Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) instructors to support Ukraine’s capacity in the detection and disposal of explosives through a three-week training course. The training of EOD instructors from the National Police of Ukraine (NPU) was held at the training site near Bristol, the United Kingdom, from 24 July to 11 August.