News and press releases

On 26 and 27 January, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in co-operation with the Federal Agency for the Management of Seized Property and the Centre for Judicial and Prosecutorial Training of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized a training course on asset recovery for 30 judges from cantonal and municipal courts, for departments for fighting organized crime. Representatives of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina also participated in the training course.

On 24 January 2022, the Gender Equality Committee of Montenegrin Parliament unanimously adopted the new Action Plan for a Gender-responsive Parliament 2022–2024. The document was developed with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, as part of a long-standing co-operation with the Committee in promoting gender equality principles.

Siv-Katrine Leirtroe, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, welcomed the commitment by the State Election Commission (SEC) to amend internal rules and procedures to ensure its meetings are public. This has been a long-standing recommendation by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). “This decision will result in greater openness and accountability of the SEC, which is a necessary step in ensuring a transparent election management body,” said Leirtroe, adding that the Mission will be working with the SEC in the coming months to ensure all meetings can be livestreamed. According to the Survey on Public Perceptions and Confidence in Election Management Bodies in Montenegro, commissioned by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and published in November 2021, there was a need to further strengthen the transparency and professionalism of election management bodies. As many as 87.3% of citizens believed that opening sessions to the public would contribute to greater public confidence in the work of the SEC and the election process as a whole.

OSCE, jointly with the Council of Europe, organized a training course on financial investigations, cryptocurrencies and the use of the darknet for police officers, prosecutors, and representatives of the National Security Service, Investigative Committee, and the Central Bank of Armenia. Over 20 participants attended the training course held from 19 to 21 January in Yerevan.

The European Union will fund a 24-month project on building effective and accountable institutions in Armenia, based on the principles of good governance and respect for the rule of law. The project will be jointly implemented by the OSCE, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

On 24 and 25 January, the Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, in co-operation with the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, jointly hosted a two-day workshop on youth crime and drug use prevention in Bishkek.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov expressed his support for North Macedonia’s ongoing efforts towards developing its strategy of One Society for All as an effective framework to help improve social cohesion. During his three-day visit to the country, the High