News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Parliaments vital for strong democracies in times of crisis, OSCE human rights and parliamentary heads say
Publishing date: 21 April 2020
Warsaw/Copenhagen, 21 April 2020 – A strong role for parliaments is crucial to the transparency and accountability of government measures as the COVID-19 pandemic puts our democracies to the test, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) said in a statement today...
Newly declared states of emergency must include a time limit and parliamentary oversight, OSCE human rights head says
Publishing date: 30 March 2020
WARSAW, 30 March 2020 – Emergency legislation being adopted by governments across the OSCE region must include a time limit and guarantee parliamentary oversight, said the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) ahead of a vote in Hungary to extend emergency measures earlier adopted in the EU member state. ODIHR is systematically monitoring the content and consequences of the states of emergency being declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic...
ODIHR encourages Belarus to continue work on strengthened judicial independence, promotion of human rights and support for women leaders
Publishing date: 27 February 2020
Greater efforts and co-operation are needed to achieve a more independent justice system, educate citizens about human rights and strengthen women’s leadership in Belarus, said Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), addressing
It’s time for women to lead in politics, say participants in ODIHR Finland/Poland roundtable
Publishing date: 17 December 2019
Now is the time for women to boost their representation in political leadership positions, said politicians, government officials, diplomats, civil society representatives and activists from Poland and Finland, who gathered in Warsaw on 17 December 2019 to explore ways of increasing women’s
Women’s leadership at local level key to improving everyday lives, say participants of ODIHR forum in Belarus
Publishing date: 27 November 2019
Promoting women’s leadership and political participation at the local level was the focus of a Women’s Forum organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Grodno, Belarus, on 27 November 2019. The event brought together a wide range of women leaders to
Challenging anti-migration narratives focus of event in Brussels
Publishing date: 8 November 2019
Challenging intolerance and discrimination by raising awareness about the complexity of migrant integration and promoting a human rights-centred approach to migration were the topics of a workshop in Brussels on 7 and 8 November 2019. “Governments and politicians, through their policies and
Ways to engage young migrants in public and political life explored at Warsaw event
Publishing date: 19 September 2019
Engaging young people with a migrant background in political and public life was the focus of discussions at an event held in Warsaw on 19 September 2019, during the annual OSCE human rights conference, the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM). The event, organized jointly by the OSCE