News and press releases

Environmental crime is a growing challenge that requires joint action, improved co-ordination amongst state institutions and NGOs, and full awareness among private sector, the media and citizens. The OSCE Mission to Montenegro will support national stakeholders to jointly address this issue, as formation of joint working groups for environmental crime investigations has been agreed. These were conclusions from a roundtable organized by the Mission on 5 June to coincide with World Environment Day.

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 5 June 2024 – The OSCE Mission launched the report “From Paper to Practice- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Judicial Response to serious Organized Crime and Corruption in the Western Balkans”- an analysis of the justice system in Kosovo, as part of a wider regional OSCE project carried out with EU financial support.

The presentation aimed to create a platform for discussion, identify and exchange good practices developed in specific regional contexts, and develop targeted bilateral approaches for more strategic engagement of all stakeholders, including civil society organizations and international bodies.

The Western Balkans Trial Monitoring report “From Paper to Practice”, developed within the regional project implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, was published today with recommendations on how judicial response to organized crime and corruption cases in these five jurisdictions can be improved.

In a significant step towards gender equality and the elimination of violence against women, Presidents of Women’s Forums and representatives from 10 political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have reached a consensus on the Principles for Political Engagement. The OSCE Mission to BiH facilitated this crucial meeting in Sarajevo, where the finalized text of these principles was agreed upon.

As part of the continuous efforts to strengthen the media self-regulatory bodies in Montenegro, the OSCE Mission organized a study visit to Netherlands for the representatives of the Technical Working Group on Self-Regulation on 30 and 31 May.

The OSCE Asian Partners for Co-Operation Group and OSCE participating States met in Vienna on 3 June to discuss the pressing issue of Afghan women’s rights, emphasizing the broader implications for regional and global stability. This event focused on exploring actionable strategies for empowering Afghan women and mitigating the challenges they face. The meeting brought together high-level representatives and experts to address the significant challenges faced by Afghan women and the global implications of their plight. This special meeting was organized by North Macedonia as Chair of the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group.