News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and OSCE Secretary General pay tribute to former UN Chief Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Publishing date: 16 February 2016
Berlin/Vienna, 16 February 2016 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today expressed deep sadness as news of former United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's passing was announced.
Civilians equally suffer on both sides of the contact line, OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor says
Publishing date: 16 February 2016
People all along the contact line wish the same – for the shooting to stop and peace to come, Principal Deputy Chief of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Alexander Hug, stated during his visit to eastern Ukraine on 16 February 2016...
Swiss elections advanced development of Internet voting, additional measures needed to enhance transparency and accountability of process
Publishing date: 16 February 2016
The establishment of independent certification of authorized Internet voting systems and the use of existing open standards are among the recommendations contained in a final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 18 October 2015 federal assembly elections in Switzerland.
Work of the Panel of Eminent Persons discussed at the 52nd Munich Security Conference
Publishing date: 16 February 2016
The final recommendations of the Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project were discussed on 14 February 2016 on the margins of the 52nd Munich Security Conference, with Panel members joined by over 60 journalists and Conference participants to discuss perspectives for reconsolidating European security...
OSCE opens Public Council office for police reforms in Tajikistan’s second-biggest city
Publishing date: 16 February 2016
The OSCE Office in Tajikistan, the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry on 13 February 2016 opened a Public Council office in Khujand, the second-biggest city in Tajikistan, with the aim of contributing to the implementation of police reforms in the country...
Participants of OSCE-supported ‘Follow Us’ Initiative agree on 2016 action plan
Publishing date: 15 February 2016
The first meeting of the ‘Follow Us’ Initiative for 2016, facilitated by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the OSCE Mission to Serbia, took place in Skopje from 12 to 14 February 2016. The meeting brought together 18 prominent women working in politics, media, academia and civil society from Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade, to take stock of achievements and plan future activities...
OSCE/ODIHR trains Ukrainian lawyers on litigation related to freedom of religion or belief
Publishing date: 12 February 2016
The right to freedom of religion or belief in the case law and practice of the European Court of Human Rights was the focus of training organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 11 and 12 February 2016 in Kyiv.