News and press releases

SARAJEVO, 21 May 2025 – In a decisive step toward strengthening protections for survivors of domestic violence and violence against women, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) convened a meeting today in Sarajevo to advance the implementation of the new legal framework in the Federation of BiH (FBiH).

On 19 and 20 May 2025, the Albanian School of Magistrates in close co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania held a specialized capacity-building training aimed at strengthening the skills of judges and prosecutors in investigating and adjudicating complex money laundering cases. About 70 judges and prosecutors participated at the training, including 13 judges and prosecutors from the Academy of Justice of Pristina.

On 20 May 2025, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe facilitated a coordination meeting between the newly elected members of the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians — comprising 23 women — and representatives from government institutions and development agencies.

On 20 May 2025, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe hosted the second quarterly meeting of the Working Group on Macro, Private and Financial Sector Development and Regional Trade Facilitation. The Working Group is part of the Development Co-ordination Council, the main co-ordination body streamlining the work of the international community in Tajikistan.

The online component of the 2025 OSCE Scholarship for Peace and Security concluded on 16 May.

Seventeen representatives from Ukraine’s demining agencies underwent a two-and-a-half month training to obtain an international qualification in explosive ordnance disposal. Organized by the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine with support from the European Union, the training programme concluded on 18 May and included a combination of theoretical and practical exercises in line with the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).

WARSAW, 19 May 2025 – The first round of Poland’s presidential election offered voters a genuine choice between political options, but it took place against a background of deep political polarization that also impacted some key state institutions involved in the electoral process, international observers said in a statement today.