News and press releases

A roundtable discussion on forced begging and labor exploitation in the Central Asian context concluded on 28 January 2022. The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan organized the online event in partnership with the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) concluded its 30th Staff Course, held in a blended format, on 10 December 2021 with the physical presence of the majority of participants in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

VIENNA / LONDON / NEW YORK, 2 December 2021 – Valiant Richey, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Dame Sara Thornton, United Kingdom Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner (IASC) and Daniel Thelesklaf, Project Director of Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST) Initiative at United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, issued the following statement after the conclusion of a roundtable on the critical role of the financial sector in combating trafficking in human beings and modern-day slavery:

Discussions on a victim-centred approach and multi-agency co-operation in combating trafficking in human beings were held during an OSCE-organized online seminar on 22 and 23 November 2021.

STRASBOURG, 16 November 2021- The largest annual gathering of National Anti-trafficking Co-ordinators and Rapporteurs took place this week in Strasbourg. Representatives from 60 countries across the OSCE region discussed how to address current human trafficking-related challenges and implement international commitments, policies and standards set forth by the OSCE and the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

SARAJEVO, 11 November 2021 – Kathleen Kavalec, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and Selmo Cikotić, BiH Minister of Security, signed today an agreement to implement a small arms and light weapons (SALW) control project over the next three years.

Impunity of human traffickers remains a crucial and persisting challenge in the OSCE area. The Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings hosted a roundtable discussion, on 8 and 9 November 2021, on effective prosecution strategies, in line with the recommendation stemming from the 20th Alliance Conference.