News and press releases

On 29 and 30 September, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) conducted a specialized training course on gender-based violence (GBV) for 30 police and judicial professionals in Podgorica, Montenegro.

On 15 and16 October, the OSCE Secretariat’s Gender Issues Programme organized a two-day training session for 21 mentors of the first Mentoring programme for women police officers within the National Police of Ukraine.

On 13 and14 October 2025, 25 women leaders from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) took part in the final module of the leadership workshop ‘’Leading Smarter- Not Harder’’ organized by the OSCE Gender Issues Programme through the WIN Project.

Poland’s presidential election in May was competitive and efficiently managed but it took place in a highly polarized political environment, which deepened existing divides and impacted the functioning of some key electoral oversight institutions. Fundamental freedoms were respected throughout the vibrant campaign, although the authorities needed to deploy various countermeasures due to challenges from disinformation and foreign interference.

A study visit to Berlin, held from 8 to 10 October, brought together Montenegrin Members of Parliament (MPs), organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) Local Branch Office (LBO) and the Parliament of Montenegro. Discussions focused on advancing meaningful youth participation in decision-making and peacebuilding processes, strengthening the position of youth in society, and deepening regional co-operation.

Cybersecurity experts and policymakers from Moldova and Ukraine worked to strengthen co-operation and implementation of cyber/ICT security confidence-building measures at a workshop organized by the OSCE in Chisinau on 16 and 17 October. The aim was to enhance national preparedness, bolster crisis management and co-ordination mechanisms, as well as promote regional co-operation on cybersecurity.

SKOPJE, 20 October 2025 – The campaign was competitive in North Macedonia’s local elections and voters had a wide range of political alternatives to choose from, but they were negatively affected by systemic legal gaps and shortcomings in the oversight of campaign finances as well as political polarization and deep public disenchantment with politics, international observers said in a statement today.