News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Gender equality is a cornerstone of media freedom and democratic society, OSCE leaders say
Publishing date: 9 March 2021
VIENNA, 9 March 2021 – Ensuring both equal opportunities and equal safeguards for women and men is key to an independent and diverse media landscape, which is vital for open societies based on the principles at the heart of OSCE commitments to human rights and democracy, participants said at a two-day OSCE meeting that ended today.
On International Women’s Day, OSCE leaders call for strengthening women’s leadership to achieve peace and security for all
Publishing date: 8 March 2021
STOCKHOLM/VIENNA/WARSAW, 8 March 2021 – The role of women as leaders, particularly in peace building and conflict prevention, is essential to achieve prosperous and peaceful societies, and to guarantee the strength of our democracies, say OSCE officials on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM) on Media Freedom and Gender Equality
Publishing date: 8 March 2021
The first Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting of 2021 will provide a platform for an exchange of views among OSCE participating States, OSCE institutions and other executive structures, and a variety of international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders on the implementation of commitments related to the promotion of media freedom and gender equality...
Georgia parliamentary elections 2020: OSCE/ODIHR Limited election observation mission final report
Publishing date: 5 March 2021
The parliamentary elections in Georgia were competitive and administered efficiently despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, widespread allegations of pressure on voters and the blurring of the line between state and ruling party reduced public confidence in some areas of
OSCE Mission to Skopje and Council of Media Ethics launch first-ever ethical guidelines for online media in North Macedonia
Publishing date: 5 March 2021
SKOPJE, 5 March 2021- With an aim to enhance professional standards of online media, the OSCE Mission to Skopje supported the Council of Media Ethics (CMEM) in developing ethical guidelines for online media outlets, publicized in Skopje today...
ODIHR opens limited election observation mission in Bulgaria
Publishing date: 2 March 2021
SOFIA, 2 March 2021 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened a limited election observation mission (LEOM) for the 4 April parliamentary elections, following an invitation from the country’s authorities.
Impact of COVID on democracy and elections, economic and environmental security debated at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Winter Meeting
Publishing date: 26 February 2021
COPENHAGEN, 26 February 2021 – Meeting virtually today, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s committees on economic and environmental affairs and human rights and democracy discussed the impacts of COVID-19, as well as other pertinent issues. It was the first time that the two committees have met – albeit in an online format – since the coronavirus outbreak last year. The meetings featured speeches by committee leaders, presentations by high-level OSCE officials, and wide-ranging debates with the participation of dozens of parliamentarians from North America, Europe and Central Asia.