News and press releases

From 13 to 17 October, the OSCE Secretariat organized the second Central Asian Youth Dialogue Forum on Youth Crime Prevention in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan. The event brought together around 20 young leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to develop policy recommendations and strengthen youth-led resilience and prevention initiatives across the region.

From 21 to 24 October, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, with the support of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, organized a study visit for five digital forensic specialists from Uzbekistan to Moldova. The purpose of the visit was to discuss experiences and lessons learned from setting up digital forensic laboratories and obtaining an international accreditation.

Romania’s May repeat presidential election was efficiently managed, and recent efforts by the authorities to improve electoral integrity were notable. However, the repeat presidential election was marked by insufficient oversight of key aspects of the campaign and concerns over the widespread use of inauthentic behaviour by candidates online. The fundamental freedoms of association and assembly were respected, and voters had a genuine choice of political alternatives. At the same time, the use of eligibility requirements based on court rulings rather than clear legal provisions undermined the inclusivity of candidate registration. Oversight of the online space remained fragmented, and the lack of transparency in the handling of reported violations discouraged public engagement and resulted in self-censorship.

Building resilience through strengthened partnerships to address the security implications of climate change was the focus of the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group meeting held on 24 October 2025 in Vienna.

Saara-Sofia Sirén, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender, expresses deep concern over the Latvian Parliament’s decision to advance an initiative to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention.

BANJA LUKA, 28 October 2025 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an observation mission for the 23 November early election of the president of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, following an invitation from the national authorities.

A five-day national simulation-based training on combating trafficking in persons kicked off on 27 October 2025 in Safed-Dara, Tajikistan. The event is co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under its EU funded PROTECT initiative within the framework of GLO.ACT programme, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Tajikistan under the project “Improved Prosecution of Trafficking in Persons and Victim Support Phase II.”