News and press releases

VIENNA/SARJEVO, 24 November 2021 – Following meetings with the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid made the following statement:

Between 09:45 and 10:00 on 23 November, an SMM patrol consisting of two vehicles and five people arrived from government-controlled areas at about 350m north of the southern edge of the disengagement area near Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) to travel to non-government-controlled areas. Two members of the armed formations (wearing armbands with “JCCC” written on them) denied the Mission passage, citing “orders from their superiors”. At 10:05, the patrol left the area and proceeded towards Popasna (government-controlled, 69km west of Luhansk)...

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 163 ceasefire violations, including 39 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 122 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 36 ceasefire violations, including 14 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it

Twenty-six officers and managers of various border security and law enforcement agencies from fourteen countries across the OSCE region graduated from the fourth one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Border Security and Management for Senior Leadership Course on 19 November 2021.

Discussions on a victim-centred approach and multi-agency co-operation in combating trafficking in human beings were held during an OSCE-organized online seminar on 22 and 23 November 2021.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a three-day online workshop for officers of Tajikistan’s Drugs Control Agency (DCA) on countering trafficking in illicit drugs via the internet and specifics of initial investigations. The event took place in Dushanbe from 15 to 17 November. Fifteen officers from operational and investigation departments of DCA attended the workshop. Participants improved their knowledge on the basics and initial actions in the fight against drug trafficking on the internet.

Identifying best practices in providing support to the victims of hate crimes in South-East Europe was at the centre of a regional conference held on 23 November, organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). This event was dedicated to developing tangible domestic initiatives, and