News and press releases

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of shelling in Pikuzy. The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and faced restrictions of its freedom of movement in all three areas.* The SMM monitored the withdrawal of weapons. It observed long queues at entry-exit checkpoints on both sides of the contact line. The SMM heard small-arms fire in the area where it was flying an unmanned aerial vehicle in Vyskryva. In Kyiv, the Mission continued to monitor a peaceful public gathering outside the National Bank of Ukraine...

BERLIN, 18 November 2016- When it comes to peace and security in the world, what role should and must women play? This and other questions were discussed today at a conference held under Germany’s OSCE Chairmanship in the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. The event under the title "A Case for Inclusive Peace and Security: How to Accelerate the Implementation of UNSCR 1325?" was co-organized by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the German Foreign Office...

As part of its multi-year project to establish women-to-women mentor networks in the OSCE region, the OSCE Secretariat’s Gender Section organized a training course on 16 and 17 November 2016 in Kyiv for fifteen women activists from the Roma community in Ukraine...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period, most of them concentrated in the Avdiivka-Yasynuvata-Donetsk airport area. In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of shelling and damage to houses. The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and faced restrictions of its freedom of movement in all three areas.* The SMM monitored the withdrawal of weapons. It observed long queues at entry-exit checkpoints near Stanytsia Luhanska during the morning hours. It monitored repairs to essential infrastructure in Krasnyi Lyman. In Kyiv, the Mission observed four peaceful public gatherings outside the National Bank of Ukraine, the Parliament and the Constitutional Court...

Education professionals joined up with representatives of government and civil society to  explore policies and tools to address anti-Semitism within educational systems, as well as how to address needs and gaps in existing policies and resources, at a workshop and meetings organized in Belgrade

The Albanian public broadcaster held on 18 November 2016 a consultation meeting on the new draft statute with the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Media, the Audio-Visual Media Authority, media organizations and academia. A final draft of the first ever editorial guidelines for the Albanian public broadcaster was also presented at the meeting, before undergoing a final vote by the Albanian Radio Television’s Steering Board...

Around 100 policy- and lawmakers, academics, justice professionals and civil society representatives from Central Asia and other parts of the OSCE region discussed current challenges and good practices in criminal justice reform at a forum organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions