News and press releases

The OSCE Mission to Moldova brought together representatives of law faculties, state authorities and relevant NGOs in Chisinau on 18 May 2017 to discuss new possibilities to strengthen the provision of much-needed primary legal aid in Moldova...

Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 19 May 2017

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro participated on 18 May 2017 in the foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of 51 apartments in Konik Camp, Podgorica, financed under the Regional Housing Programme (RHP)...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued to follow up on reports of shelling in Maiorsk. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; the Mission’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. It observed demining activity and mine hazard signs. The Mission visited a border area currently not under government control. The SMM monitored peaceful gatherings in Kyiv and Kherson...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine began training psychologists and social service providers in the psychological rehabilitation of conflict-affected populations on 17 and 18 May in Mariupol, Donetsk Region. This is the first in a series of events piloting the training course and manual developed in 2016 by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine at the request of Ukraine’s Ministry of Social Policy...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, 19 May 2017 – A two-day OSCE workshop on prevention of human trafficking for labour exploitation in global supply chains co-hosted by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) concluded today. The workshop provided more than 40 experts and policymakers from 15 OSCE participating States with the opportunity to discuss how governments in the OSCE region can address this problem more effectively, share promising practices and lessons learned and explore opportunities for further co-operation.

A group of 20 legal professionals – prosecutors, judges and justices of the peace – and academics discussed the important role of the criminal justice system in addressing hate crimes at a workshop co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 19 May 2017