News and press releases

Enhancing the political and electoral participation of persons with disabilities was at the centre of discussions during a conference co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Balkans Independent Disability Framework on 16 and 17 October 2018 in Belgrade.

MINSK, 17 October 2018 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups in Minsk on 16 October 2018:...

VIENNA, 17 October 2018 – Security threats, migration, conflict prevention and regional engagement were the focus of the League of Arab States- OSCE high-level workshop held today in Vienna...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. In Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, the SMM continued to follow up on two fatalities caused by shelling. The Mission observed damage caused by shelling in a residential area of Zolote-4/Rodina. The SMM heard and saw explosions and heard small-arms fire near the SMM inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and saw newly dug trenches in the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko, Verkhnoshyrokivske, Bezimenne, Volnovakha and at a railway station in Voznesenivka, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable demining in Zolote 2/Karbonit. The Mission monitored events related to the Defender of Ukraine Day in Dnipro. In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on reports that a large number of people had been detained near the Pecherska Lavra...

The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

BRUSSELS / VIENNA, 16 October 2018- The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) agreed to deepen their co-operation in addressing emerging and evolving security threats under a Working Arrangement document signed today by the Organizations’ Secretaries General Kunio Mikuriya and Thomas Greminger, respectively...

Best practices in dealing with violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT), particularly the challenge of returning foreign fighters, is the focus of a three-day international conference that opened in Ohrid on 16 October 2018...