News and press releases

On 2 November, OSCE concluded the series of national workshops in Montenegro on social re-use of confiscated illicit assets. The event highlighted the key role civil society organizations play in the fight against organized crime and corruption. It also raised the awareness on the possibility to assign assets confiscated from criminal groups to civil society, contributing thus to social, cultural and socio-entrepreneurial activities and reintegrating confiscated illicit assets into communities and the legal economy.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited the Republic of Serbia from 24 to 29 October 2022. In Belgrade, he met with the President of the National Assembly Vladimir Orlić, President of the Government Ana Brnabić, Minister of Education Branko Ružić, Commissioner for

As part of the Cybersecurity Awareness Month, from 19 October to 2 November 2022, the OSCE Presence in Albania reached out to children, parents, teachers, school psychologists and social workers to increase community awareness on cyber threats. The information sessions, which took place in Korça,

On 2 November, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in close co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, organized a second webinar for cadets and lecturers from the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Tashkent. The purpose of this initiative is to raise awareness about key trends and developments in contemporary policing among students and staff of the Academy.

Eleven journalists covering parliamentary affairs from different media outlets in Albania and staff of the Communication Service of the Assembly of Albania traveled to Ljubljana, from 27 to 29 October, to share experiences with their Slovenian counterparts and learn from their best practices. The

Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), visited Foča today. The visit served as an opportunity for Ambassador Aggeler to meet key local counterparts. On this occasion, he met with Miralem Hodžić, the Main Imam of Foča, to discuss opportunities for fostering inter-religious dialogue while also visiting the historic Aladža mosque complex. Ambassador Aggeler also met with Milan Vukadinoviċ, Mayor of Foča, Srđan Draškoviċ, Municipal Assembly Speaker and Izet Spahić, Municipal Assembly Councilor to discuss topics that impact all citizens of Foča. “I am glad to be here today and to have an opportunity to discuss local developments with a focus on human rights and trust-building. On the topic of trust-building: the Upper Drina Initiative is a brilliant step towards sustainable cross-entity co-operation. We expect to see more positive developments in the future that will be in the best interest of all citizens of Foča. Indeed, the Mission will continue to support the efforts of the authorities in Foča in achieving that,” said Ambassador Aggeler. Ambassador Aggeler concluded his first official visit to Foča by meeting Jelena Vilotić, President of NGO “Tračak nade.” “I am impressed with the work of this service center and with the passion and dedication of people working here. Their tireless efforts to improve living conditions for the most vulnerable in society bring hope in a better future,” concluded Aggeler.

Almost thirty representatives of the Moldovan ombudsperson’s (People’s Advocate) institution participated in a two-day human rights webinar, organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova on 25 and 26 October 2022. The participants discussed the institution’s possibilities to increase efficiency of their