News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
To combat religious hatred, we must recognize its link to other human rights abuses, OSCE human rights head says
Publishing date: 21 August 2019
WARSAW, 22 August 2019 – Amid increasingly violent outbreaks of religious intolerance, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) welcomes the first-ever United Nations International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion today, and calls on governments to promote the interfaith dialogue and education needed to combat hatred and violence.
Effective multilateralism key means of addressing today’s challenges, say participants of OSCE meeting
Publishing date: 15 July 2019
VIENNA, 15 July 2019 – Multilateralism and co-operation lie at the core of the OSCE’ comprehensive concept of security, participants said today at the opening of a two-day OSCE meeting in Vienna...
Anniversary of Srebrenica genocide a chilling reminder of the need to address hate crime as indicator of mass atrocities, OSCE human rights head says
Publishing date: 10 July 2019
WARSAW, 10 July 2019 – In honoring the victims of the Srebrenica genocide in 1995, we must ensure that such acts are never repeated by addressing early indicators of mass atrocities, such as hate crimes, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Director Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir said today, ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary of the beginning of the massacre...
Assistance to refugees in danger is an obligation, not a crime, OSCE human rights head says
Publishing date: 20 June 2019
WARSAW, 20 June 2019- On World Refugee Day and amid ever more restrictive interpretations of international legal standards to protect people in search of international protection, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) calls on governments to do more to ensure the primacy of human rights for all those seeking safety in our countries, so far away from home...
National human rights institutions vital to better promotion and protection of economic and social rights, say NHRI Academy participants
Publishing date: 7 June 2019
National human rights institutions (NHRIs) are uniquely placed to monitor the economic and social rights policies of their states and evaluate the allocation of resources to ensure effective protection of these rights, said participants in the annual NHRI Academy, which took place in Venice from 3 to 7 June 2019.
Effective multilateralism crucial to fight torture and impunity, say participants at OSCE event in Vienna
Publishing date: 5 June 2019
Taking stock and identifying ways to make multilateral cooperation in the fight against torture more effective were the focus of the conference ‘Effective multilateralism in the fight against torture: Trends in the OSCE region and the way forward’ that took place on 5 June 2019 in Vienna.
Tech tools crucial to improving proactive identification of trafficking victims, say participants at OSCE/ODIHR event in Vienna
Publishing date: 9 April 2019
Opportunities and benefits technology provides to governmental institutions, law enforcement agencies, corporations and civil society in identifying victims of human trafficking were the focus of discussion at an event on 9 April 2019 during the 19th Alliance against Trafficking in Persons Conference in Vienna. The panel discussion was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Strategic Police Matters Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department.