News and press releases

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.

WARSAW, 15 July 2025 – Intensified attacks on Ukrainian cities by the Russian Federation continue to result in a sharp increase in civilian casualties, while the systematic torture of Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war persists and a growing number of Ukrainians are being prosecuted by Russian authorities on fabricated charges, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today in a new report.

The OSCE organised a two-day inception workshop between 14 and 15 July in Chisinau, Moldova to officially launch the regional project “Advancing Transboundary Co-operation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Dniester River Basin through Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme

OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu has concluded his first official visit to Rome, where he participated in the Ukraine Recovery Conference and held a series of high-level bilateral meetings. These included discussions with Antonio Tajani, Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, as well as Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See.