News and press releases

ALMATY, Kazakhstan 28 November 2016- The third annual OSCE-supported Water Forum took place today in Almaty, Kazakhstan...

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region as in the previous reporting period, with the majority concentrated in the Avdiivka-Yasynuvata-Donetsk airport area and areas north-east and east of Mariupol. In Luhansk region, the SMM did not record ceasefire violations. The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement areas in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and faced restrictions of its freedom of movement in all three areas, including jamming of its unmanned aerial vehicle.* The Mission monitored a border area in an area under government control in Luhansk region and one in Odessa. The SMM observed long queues at the entry-exit checkpoints near Stanytsia Luhanska during the morning hours.

BELGRADE, 25 November 2016 – The role of State Attorneys in the rule of law and the provision of legal services were discussed at the first regional meeting of State Attorneys which concluded today in Belgrade...

The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more ceasefire violations in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and faced restrictions of its freedom of movement in all three areas, as well as on eight other occasions.* The Mission monitored a border area currently not under government-control. The SMM facilitated and monitored repair work on both sides of the contact line. In Kyiv the Mission continued to monitor public gatherings around the National Bank of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers...

GENEVA, Switzerland, 25 November 2016 – Aiming to develop more effective responses to address trafficking on a national level, NGOs, think tanks, private businesses, leading international organizations and academics gathered in Geneva this week for consultations organized by the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, and supported by the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF)...

Thirty experts from Ukraine’s agencies responsible for border security refined their skills and knowledge of fighting terrorism by using risk and criminal analysis at a two-week course for trainers, organized in Khmelnytsky by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine from 14 to 25 November 2016...

Good practices for analysing laws, policies and budgets from a gender perspective were the focus of a study visit for Belarusian authorities organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Vienna from 22 to 25 November 2016. A high-level delegation from Belarus,