News and press releases

A workshop organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo for around 20 Roma and Ashkali grassroots activists and civil society organizations from the Gjilan/Gnjilane and Ferizaj/Uroševac municipalities on how to shape better local policies for the benefit of communities concluded on 3 May 2017...

ATHENS, 5 May 2017- The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, on Friday concluded a visit to Athens, Lesvos and Thessaloniki to discuss how best to support first responders in identifying potential victims of trafficking among large flows of migrants and refugees...

An OSCE-supported textbook for secondary school students on environmental awareness was launched at a roundtable discussion on improving secondary education on 5 May 2017 in Astana...

COPENHAGEN, 4 May 2017 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) and Special Representative on the South Caucasus Kristian Vigenin (MP, Bulgaria) expressed regret about today’s announcement that it has not been possible to reach agreement to extend the mandate of the OSCE’s Office in Yerevan. The Office is expected to close in the coming months...

ATHENS, 4 May 2017 – Greece has taken important steps towards improving conditions in migrant and refugee camps, but the disproportionate responsibility it is assuming underlines the urgent need for a cohesive, balanced and co-ordinated response to migration, said members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration today...

DUSHANBE, 4 May 2017- The fourth Cross-Border Research Conference on “the Dilemma of Migration” concluded today at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe, Tajikistan...

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 Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region – including, however, fewer explosions – compared with the previous reporting period. It followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Marinka, Dokuchaievsk and Horlivka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to a gas pipeline in Zhovte. The SMM monitored a border area currently not under government control. In Kharkiv, the Mission monitored the situation of internally displaced persons. In Odessa it continued to monitor the commemoration of events that took place on 2 May 2014 in the city...