News and press releases

Increasing the participation of women, national minorities and persons with disabilities at all stages of the electoral process is the focus of a conference taking place in Tirana on 21 and 22 January 2020. Key topics addressed are challenges and obstacles to the inclusion of these groups in

KYIV, 21 January 2020 – The OSCE today expanded its support to Ukraine in strengthening its response to the illicit trafficking of weapons, ammunition and explosives, with the launch of another two extra-budgetary projects. Some 50 representatives of Ukrainian governmental agencies and the donor community participated in the projects’ first Programme Governance Board meeting today in Kyiv, which marked the beginning of the OSCE’s multi-year assistance to the Ukrainian authorities in this area...

OSLO, 15 January 2020 – Honoring the victims of the 22 July 2011 terrorist attacks in Utøya and Oslo requires working to ensure that this sort of horrific attack is never repeated, said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President George Tsereteli, Secretary General Roberto Montella and members of the OSCE PA’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism (CCT) today wrapping up a visit to Norway...

VIENNA, 9 January 2020 – Under the motto ‘Implementing our commitments together’, Albania’s OSCE Chairmanship 2020 will work towards making a difference on the ground, leveraging the Organization’s acquis, and enhancing dialogue, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Albania’s Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Edi Rama, in his address to the Permanent Council in Vienna today...

WARSAW, 9 January 2020 – While legal reforms regulating the appointment of Supreme Court judges in Georgia are an important step toward improving the independence of the judiciary, they fail to ensure an impartial process based on clearly defined and objective criteria without the influence of partisan politics, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in its second monitoring report, published today.

Vienna/Tirana, 1 January 2020 – “Taking over the OSCE Chair is a truly historic moment for Albania: from a country under a cruel communist regime that opposed the Helsinki spirit, we have become one honored to lead this organization. Chairing the OSCE marks the highlight of our significant transformation,” said Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Edi Rama today as he assumed the post of Chairperson-in-Office of the regional security organization.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro has supported the Forensic Centre of the Police Directorate in Danilovgrad since its inception in 2008, to receive accreditation as a fully-fledged member of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutions. In 2017, the European Commission upgraded the forensic standard for criminal investigations, which requires re-training the forensic centre to meet the new standard in 2020.