News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE Asian Partners meeting discusses women’s empowerment in disaster risk reduction and emergency responses, with a particular focus on the consequences of the ongoing war against Ukraine
Publishing date: 29 April 2022
Participants at today’s OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group discussion shared experiences and best practices in addressing the specific needs of women, girls and vulnerable groups during natural and man-made disasters, including those resulting from armed conflict.
OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Secretary General announce upcoming closure of Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
Publishing date: 28 April 2022
WARSAW/VIENNA, 28 April 2022 –OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Poland Zbigniew Rau and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid have today announced that the OSCE would take immediate steps to implement the closure of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.
OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Secretary General call for immediate release of detained OSCE officials in areas of Donetsk and Luhansk
Publishing date: 24 April 2022
WARSAW/VIENNA, 24 April 2022- OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau, and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid call for the release of four national members of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine detained in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Countering risks of human trafficking amid refugee flow focus of visit to Moldova by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President and Special Representative
Publishing date: 22 April 2022
CHISINAU, 23 April 2022 – Countering the risks of human trafficking amid the humanitarian crisis caused by attack on Ukraine was at the centre of a two-day visit to Moldova by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden), and the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Valiant Richey.
OSCE distributes awareness-raising materials to help Ukrainian civilians mitigate increased chemical security risks
Publishing date: 20 April 2022
The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine has published a collection of leaflets and publications on chemical security risks to help civilians take care of their safety in the conditions of ongoing hostilities.
OSCE Media Freedom Representative denounces latest arrests of media workers, calls on authorities to repeal restrictive laws
Publishing date: 14 April 2022
VIENNA, 14 April 2022 – Following the arrests of Mikhail Afanasyev, an award-winning editor-in-chief of the Abakan based Novyi Focus online magazine, and Sergei Mikhailov, founder of the Gorno-Altaysk based Listock newspaper, the OSCE Representative on Media Freedom, Teresa Ribeiro, today made the following statement:
Russia must stop aggression and destruction of religious sites and places of worship – joint statement by Special Representatives of OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Council of Europe
Publishing date: 13 April 2022
– As the Russian military attack against Ukraine continues, we mourn the victims of war and lament the millions forced to leave their homes and their country behind, seeking shelter and safety within Ukraine, in Europe and beyond. Children, women and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Many victims of the war suffer from profound psychological trauma.