News and press releases

A regional conference on “Effective strategies for recovering stolen assets; management and disposal of seized, confiscated and returned assets and current issues related to crypto assets in the context of asset recovery” took place in Tashkent on 20-21 May. The event convened delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the host country, Uzbekistan, and was co-hosted by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities Economic Governance Unit (OCEEA/EGU), the Transnational Threats Department Strategic Police Matters Unit (TNTD/SPMU) and the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia.

On 4 and 5 June 2024, the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), in co-operation with the National Centre for Human Rights of Uzbekistan and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), organized two expert roundtables in Tashkent and Samarkand to share practical

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, wrapped up an interactive training programme focusing on media and information literacy in the context of preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (P/CVERLT) in Tirana, Albania, on 5 and 6 June 2024.

Environmental crime is a growing challenge that requires joint action, improved co-ordination amongst state institutions and NGOs, and full awareness among private sector, the media and citizens. The OSCE Mission to Montenegro will support national stakeholders to jointly address this issue, as formation of joint working groups for environmental crime investigations has been agreed. These were conclusions from a roundtable organized by the Mission on 5 June to coincide with World Environment Day.

The presentation aimed to create a platform for discussion, identify and exchange good practices developed in specific regional contexts, and develop targeted bilateral approaches for more strategic engagement of all stakeholders, including civil society organizations and international bodies.

The Western Balkans Trial Monitoring report “From Paper to Practice”, developed within the regional project implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, was published today with recommendations on how judicial response to organized crime and corruption cases in these five jurisdictions can be improved.

In a significant step towards gender equality and the elimination of violence against women, Presidents of Women’s Forums and representatives from 10 political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have reached a consensus on the Principles for Political Engagement. The OSCE Mission to BiH facilitated this crucial meeting in Sarajevo, where the finalized text of these principles was agreed upon.