News and press releases

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) brought 19 young innovators and start-uppers from the Western Balkans to Graz, Austria from November 27 to 29 to participate in the European Young Innovator’s (EYI) festival.

In November 2024, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial Monitoring Agency of Kazakhstan hosted two specialized training sessions on the criminal use of virtual assets and blockchain technology. Organized by the OSCE in collaboration with national agencies, these workshops underscored the importance of mitigating money laundering risks and enhancing investigative capacities in the digital financial realm.

From 25 to 28 November, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the Border Troops and Customs Committee of Uzbekistan held a national training course for border and customs officers to identify suspected foreign terrorist fighters and other criminals at border crossings.

From 3 to 5 December, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, organized a targeted training session to support the launch and implementation of a pilot youth crime prevention programme in the Kamza municipality, Albania.

On 6 and 7 November 2024, more than 50 regional stakeholders gathered in Peshkopi to discuss joint approaches to reducing illegal logging in the four protected areas of Korab-Koritnik, Mavrovo, Shar Mountain and Sharri/Šara. The meeting was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania and the think tank adelphi.

On 27 and 28 November 2024, 22 officials from various government institutions in Turkmenistan, including the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the Financial Monitoring Agency, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, participated in a specialized workshop on preventing and investigating the criminal use of virtual assets and blockchain-based finance. The event took place in Ashgabat and was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA).

On 26 and 27 November, the OSCE trained 14 staff from the Moldovan People’s Advocate Office (Ombuds institution) on the effective handling of human rights cases and inquiries into the security sector during a workshop held in Chisinau. The participants explored good practices in processing complaints related to the security sector, conducting investigations and producing reports.