News and press releases

VALLETTA/WARSAW/WASHINGTON, 27 January 2024 – On today’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the OSCE honours the victims of Nazi persecution, reflecting on the painful lessons from one of the darkest chapters of human history and seeking to learn from them, both for the present and future. The immense suffering and anguish endured by six million Jews, as well as millions of other innocent people, cannot be overstated or much worse forgotten.

To increase awareness and discuss regional co-operation on climate change and security, the OSCE gathered more than 40 representatives from its field operations to meet in Istanbul for a workshop on 13 and 14 December 2023. Emphasizing that the effects of climate change can exacerbate economic challenges and environmental degradation, which may negatively affect prosperity, stability and security in the OSCE area, the OSCE provides a platform for political dialogue on a wide range of issues associated with climate related security risks. These conversations form the basis for the implementation of activities on the ground.

On 26 January 2024, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, Mr. Yuri Fenopetov, met with the Chairman of the Asset Recovery Committee of the Prosecutor General's Office, Mr. Nurdaulet Suindikov, to discuss collaborative efforts in combatting illicit financial activities in Kazakhstan.

SARAJEVO, 24 January 2024- The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) commends the Una-Sana Cantonal (USC) Assembly for yesterday’s adoption of the Law on Peaceful Assembly. Following a legislative process initiated in 2022, this represents an important step forward in aligning USC freedom of assembly laws with international human rights standards. The Mission is committed to assisting all authorities across BiH in improving their legislative protections of fundamental rights, including freedom of assembly. The Mission further recognizes the dedicated efforts and collaboration of the USC Ministry of Interior in the development and adoption of this law and remains available to support all relevant authorities in the proper implementation of this legislation.

WARSAW, 23 January 2024 – The initiative of the Albanian authorities to resume the country’s electoral reform ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections is an important and positive development in a process that has already served as an example of good practice for the region and beyond, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today.

SARAJEVO, 23 January 2024- As yet unidentified parties have been conducting cyber-attacks against BUKA's website for the past two weeks, affecting everyday operations and their ability to provide timely information to the public. To safeguard media freedom, the OSCE Mission to BiH calls on authorities to respond swiftly, per their respective mandates, to counter these escalating threats.

In congratulating journalists in Montenegro, Dominique Waag, Head of OSCE Mission to Montenegro noted that 23 January reminds us of the vital part journalists play as fact-checkers and guardians of verified information in democratic societies.