News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Ertugrul Apakan: Meaningful Change for Progress- Statement by Chief Monitor of OSCE SMM on International Women’s Day
Publishing date: 8 March 2019
“Today, 8 March 2019, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) joins people around the world in celebrating International Women’s Day. We take this opportunity to honour the achievements of women and to highlight this year’s theme urging all of us to ‘think equal, build smart and innovate for change’...
While Armenia’s parliamentary elections enjoyed broad public trust, further efforts needed to preserve integrity of electoral process, says OSCE/ODIHR final report
Publishing date: 7 March 2019
While noting that Armenia’s 9 December 2018 early parliamentary elections enjoyed broad public trust and were held with respect for fundamental freedoms, the final report issued by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recommends that the authorities, political
OSCE supports Istanbul Process Regional Infrastructure working groups meeting hosted by Turkmenistan
Publishing date: 6 March 2019
ASHGABAT, 6 March 2019 –The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Turkmenistan, supported by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, hosted today in Ashgabat a meeting of the technical working groups on the Regional infrastructures Confidence Building Measures (RI-CBM) within the framework of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan...
New OSCE-led survey reveals violence against women in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe
Publishing date: 6 March 2019
BRUSSELS, 6 March 2019 – OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger launched today in Brussels a report that gives a detailed picture of the physical, sexual and psychological violence many women and girls have had to endure in South-Eastern and Eastern Europe in the last decades.
OSCE helps to promote gender equality in the security sector of Kyrgyzstan
Publishing date: 6 March 2019
Women from across the security and law enforcement sectors in Kyrgyzstan met at a national forum in Bishkek on 4 March to discuss ways of promoting gender equality in their fields of work.
OSCE Media Freedom Representative and UN Special Rapporteur welcome EU initiative to protect whistleblowers, but raise some concerns about draft directive
Publishing date: 5 March 2019
VIENNA, 5 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, together with the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection for the right to freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, today welcomed in a letter sent to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union the initiative of a new directive on protection of whistleblowers, but also expressed a number of potential concerns about the current draft text.
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office stresses importance of co-operation and dialogue during visit to Azerbaijan
Publishing date: 5 March 2019
BAKU, 5 March 2019 – Concluding his visit to Azerbaijan today, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovakia’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Miroslav Lajčák, welcomed the decrease in violence on the Line of Contact and on the international border, and discussed further perspectives for progress towards a comprehensive peace agreement for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as co-operation between the OSCE and Azerbaijan.