News and press releases

Mongolia’s 2024 parliamentary elections were well run, although their competitiveness was undermined by an uneven playing field caused by campaign restrictions and biased media coverage favouring the ruling party. The short campaign period, combined with government-promoted salary and benefit increases, provided the ruling party with an undue advantage, blurring the line between party and state. Allegations of pressure on civil servants further raised concerns about the freedom of voters to make their own choices. Despite these challenges, the election administration operated professionally and implemented a comprehensive voter information programme.

From 9 to 12 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Police Academy in Banja Luka conducted four one-day basic training courses for police cadets on gender-based violence (GBV) in Banja Luka. The training sessions were delivered by national police officers, a prosecutor, a judge, a psychologist and other local experts.

Migration is becoming an increasingly important area of diplomatic relations. Recently, the adoption of bilateral and multilateral agreements of migration governance has intensified globally, and references to migration diplomacy have recurred systematically in political and public debates.

From 11 to 13 December, the OSCE brought together 27 members of the OSCE Pool of Young Experts (18 women and 9 men) in Vienna for an in-person training course focusing on professional competences in the field of peace and security.

On 11 December, over 100 representatives of Ukrainian authorities, international organizations, diplomatic missions and civil society participated in the Second National Conference on Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking of Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives (WAE) in Kyiv.

WARSAW, 13 December 2024 – The human rights situation in Ukraine has continued to worsen amid increased aerial attacks that include systematic strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure, as well as intensified hostilities on the front line, leading to a surge in civilian casualties.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized an exchange visit for five leading specialists from the Headquarters of the Main Directorate of Border Troops of the State Committee of National Security of the Republic of Tajikistan. This visit took place from 9 to 13 December 2024 in Minsk and Brest, Belarus.