News and press releases

VIENNA, 22 August 2023- On this International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, we express our concern at the alarming number of violent incidents and hate-motivated attacks based on religion or belief that occur throughout the OSCE region. Antisemitic conspiracy theories, hate speech directed at Muslims, racist discourse, and incitement targeting Christians and members of other religions or belief are rife on and off social media.

WARSAW, 22 August 2023 – Interfaith and interreligious dialogue is vital to promote the right to freedom of religion or belief and combat religious intolerance and violence, not just against people but also against homes, property, schools, religious sites, or places of worship, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said on the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion.

From 19 to 22 August 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office), jointly with Tajikistan’s Committee for Environmental Protection, organized the Youth Eco – School. The four-day event was attended by 25 young people, of which 14 were female participants.

As part of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro assistance to the State Election Commission, to strengthen its administrative capacity to ensure that people with disabilities can vote independently and in secret, the Mission facilitated a study mission between 16 and 18 August to London.

On 21 August 2023, The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) in co-operation with Tajikistan’s Border Troops launched a one month training course. Twenty-five officers from the Special Units of Tajikistan’s Border Troops are taking part in the course on “Sustaining Field Operational Capacities” held in the Border Troops Regional Training Facility in Khorog. The course is conducted by a national expert and supported by assistant instructors from the Tajik Border Troops, leveraging local expertise while fostering sustainable internal training capacities.

On 21 August 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office) in partnership with the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan organized a disaster related awareness session for the 20 community members of Marghak village in Muminabad district. The village is located in a disaster prone area.

On 17 and 18 August 2023, the Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) organized a two-day training for social workers and psychologists in Dushanbe. The training aimed to teach techniques for rehabilitating juvenile offenders and preparing them for reintegration into society after serving their sentences.