News and press releases

VILNIUS, 4 July 2017 – Journalists and human rights defenders, academics and civil society representatives gathered in Vilnius on Monday to discuss with state officials and decision-makers how to guarantee the safety of journalists. The conference, The Safety of Journalists – New Challenges and Responses, was opened by Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius...

A series of OSCE-supported professional managerial training courses for women organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) were launched on 3 July 2017 in an opening ceremony at the Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT)...

MINSK, 3 July 2017 – Held under the theme “Enhancing mutual trust and co-operation for peace and prosperity in the OSCE region,” the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2017 Annual Session will begin Wednesday with keynote speeches by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Andreichenko, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen, and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz...

Between the evenings of 30 June and 1 July the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 1 and 2 July the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of a fatality from Staromykhailivka, a civilian causality from Dokuchaievsk and observed impact sites in Marinka, Sakhanka and Uzhivka. The Mission continued monitoring the three disengagement areas; it recorded a ceasefire violation in Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted in all three areas and elsewhere, including a border area not controlled by the Government in Novoazovsk, as well as in Pokrovske, Oleksandrivka, Staromykhailivka and Kadiivka.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of respective withdrawal lines. The SMM monitored repairs to the power lines in Mykhailivka-Almazna and Vasylivka. Security arrangements were re-established around the SMM’s office in Donetsk city in the morning of 2 July; the Mission had asked the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination to ensure presence at the SMM’s office until further notice. The Mission visited four border areas not under government control in Izvaryne, Marynivka, Uspenka and Voznesenivka...

VIENNA, 3 July 2017 – The OSCE today launched a guidebook on intelligence-led policing, an innovative approach to law enforcement that strengthens pro-active planning and decision-making. The guidebook is a practical tool for policymakers, law enforcement decision-makers and criminal analysts...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova gathered 18 civil society representatives from Transdniestria on 29 June 2017 for the second in a series of Civil Society Club meetings organized this year. The event, held in Parcani, focused on improving NGOs’ public outreach and ability to better meet local needs...

Senior officials from the OSCE Secretariat and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) signed a document on 3 July 2017 in Vienna to strengthen mutual co-operation with the aim of enhancing the capacities of law enforcement in the fight against transnational threats, including serious and organized crime...