News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Developing situation in Crimea alarming, says OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities
Publishing date: 6 March 2014
KYIV, 6 March 2014 – OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors is alarmed about the situation in Crimea...
OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities on urgent mission to Ukraine
Publishing date: 3 March 2014
Astrid Thors, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, arrived in Ukraine on Sunday, 2 March 2014, to assess first-hand the situation on the ground, especially regarding the Crimean peninsula...
Restraint, responsibility and dialogue needed in Ukraine, including Crimea, says OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities
Publishing date: 24 February 2014
THE HAGUE, 24 February 2014 – OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors today expressed her satisfaction that solutions to end the violence and loss of life in Ukraine are emerging. However, she cautioned that the situation remains very fragile. She called on all actors to refrain from taking actions that could lead to increased tensions...
OSCE launches call for nominations: Max van der Stoel Award 2014
Publishing date: 14 February 2014
THE HAGUE, 14 February 2014 – OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Astrid Thors today launched a call for nominations for the Max van der Stoel Award, a 50,000 EUR prize recognizing extraordinary and outstanding achievements in improving the position of national minorities in OSCE participating States…
OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities visits Serbia, expresses support for multi-ethnic education in south
Publishing date: 5 February 2014
OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors expressed her ongoing support for multi-ethnic higher education in southern Serbia during a visit to the country from 28 to 31 January 2014...
OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, in Kyrgyzstan, discusses language and education policies
Publishing date: 28 November 2013
OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Astrid Thors made her first visit to Kyrgyzstan from 20 to 22 November 2013 to familiarize herself with the political situation and interethnic relations in the country and discuss language and education issues...
EU, UNHCR and OSCE help tackle the long-term problem of undocumented persons in South-Eastern Europe
Publishing date: 22 November 2013
BRUSSELS, THE HAGUE, 22 November 2013 – The European Commission, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) today publish the conclusions of the Regional Conference on Access to Civil Registration and Documentation in South-Eastern Europe, held on 25 October 2013 in Podgorica, Montenegro.