News and press releases

ATHENS, 4 May 2017 – Greece has taken important steps towards improving conditions in migrant and refugee camps, but the disproportionate responsibility it is assuming underlines the urgent need for a cohesive, balanced and co-ordinated response to migration, said members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration today...

DUSHANBE, 4 May 2017- The fourth Cross-Border Research Conference on “the Dilemma of Migration” concluded today at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe, Tajikistan...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region – including, however, fewer explosions – compared with the previous reporting period. It followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Marinka, Dokuchaievsk and Horlivka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to a gas pipeline in Zhovte. The SMM monitored a border area currently not under government control. In Kharkiv, the Mission monitored the situation of internally displaced persons. In Odessa it continued to monitor the commemoration of events that took place on 2 May 2014 in the city...

The annual presentation of Kazakhstan’s National Human Rights Commissioner’s (Ombudsman) Report took place on 4 May 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan...

Austria’s 2017 OSCE Chairmanship is bringing together military as well as civilian experts on 4 and 5 May 2017 to discuss current and future challenges to security in Europe with a special focus on military aspects of security. The Intersessional OSCE Dialogue on Military Doctrines is hosted by Austria’s Federal Ministry of Defence at the National Defence Academy in Vienna...

Trends and new challenges for media were the focus of a conference to mark World Press Freedom Day organized by the Tajik Media Council and different media associations, with the support of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan and international media donors on 3 May 2017 in Dushanbe...

Some 30 officials representing financial institutions, relevant ministries, law enforcement and regulatory bodies of Turkmenistan participated in an OSCE-organized seminar on best practices in combating the financing of terrorism that concluded on 3 May 2017 in Ashgabat...