News and press releases

Strong and independent national human rights institutions (NHRIs) act as a cornerstone of national human rights protection systems and as a bridge between the government and civil society, and they play a vital role in times when human rights and fundamental freedoms are under threat, a statement issued on 19 December 2016 by five global and regional bodies engaged in the protection of human rights said.

The Mediation Support Team of the Conflict Prevention Centre’s Operations Service and the German Chairmanship launched a study on the OSCE’s support to insider mediation on Friday 16 December in Vienna. Conducted by the German Berghof Foundation, the study examines past, present and possible activities with insider mediators for the OSCE, in particular looking at cases from Ukraine, Kosovo and Kyrgyzstan. It provides recommendations for the OSCE and its field operations on how to make use of insider capacities in conflict prevention and resolution.

OSCE participating States should protect and facilitate peaceful assemblies, therefore they are responsible to put in place mechanisms and procedures that ensure that this freedom is enjoyed in practice and is not subject to undue restrictions, says a report  released by the OSCE Office for

Elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) met with electoral stakeholders in Ulaanbaatar on 13 and 14 December 2016 to present recommendations from the final report  on the 29 June parliamentary elections in Mongolia. The report’s findings and

Some 350 newly-elected councillors from local self-government units received certificates marking their successful completion of an online course on the system of local self-governments and good governance, at a ceremony held on 14 December 2016 in Belgrade. The course, supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia, is designed for councillors who took up seats in local assemblies for the first time after the April elections...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the Ministry of Interior and Union of Municipalities awarded local municipalities on 12 December 2016 for their work in various areas, recognizing the quality of their work and innovation in providing services to citizens...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the Union of Municipalities presented on 13 December, 2016 in Podgorica a Model of Decision-making, which would support local governing units in legalizing informal building structures, and therefore support the municipalities in implementing the forthcoming Law on regulating informal building structures...