News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE Media Freedom Representative concludes official visit to the United States of America
Publishing date: 27 October 2021
OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFOM) Teresa Ribeiro concluded a five-day official visit to the United States of America on 22 October 2021. She met with representatives of the US Department of State, members of the Helsinki Commission, and media freedom organizations to discuss media freedom and freedom of expression in the United States and across the OSCE region.
Bulgaria — 4 April parliamentary elections and 11 July early parliamentary elections 2021: ODIHR observation final reports
Publishing date: 25 October 2021
Following this year’s elections in Bulgaria, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published reports on the 4 April parliamentary elections and 11 July early parliamentary elections. In the April parliamentary elections fundamental freedoms were respected. The
OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid concludes visit to North Macedonia
Publishing date: 23 October 2021
SKOPJE, 23 October 2021 — OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid concluded her two-day visit to North Macedonia today. She congratulated the country on its 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship and offered full support in preparing for and exercising this important responsibility.
OSCE organizes training seminar for lawyers and legal advisers
Publishing date: 22 October 2021
The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan organized an online two-day training seminar on enhancing capacities of professional societies for lawyers on 21 and 22 October 2021.
Accountability and transparency needed to build the OSCE’s human dimension, participants say at Parliamentary Assembly event
Publishing date: 21 October 2021
COPENHAGEN, 20 October 2021 – Today’s Call for Action – Helsinki +50 meeting hosted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly focused on challenges in the human dimension of security, with participants offering ideas for ways forward to build accountability among OSCE countries and renew governments’ human rights commitments.
“Politicians and public officials must create an enabling environment for freedom of expression, not diminish it”- 2021 Joint Declaration of International Rapporteurs
Publishing date: 21 October 2021
Washington DC/Geneva/Vienna/Banjul (20 October 2021)- The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Protection and Promotion of Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, the Organization of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information today issued their 2021 Joint Declaration.
Migrants and locals are victims as human rights challenged in Belarus-Poland border area, say OSCE parliamentary leaders
Publishing date: 18 October 2021
COPENHAGEN, 18 October 2021 – The governments of Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland must work together to ensure that persons trapped in the border area between their countries have access to food, water, adequate health care and temporary shelter, the leadership of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration and the Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions said today.