News and press releases

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities jointly with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) hosted the first OSCE conference aimed at commemorating International Anti-Corruption Day, marked annually on 9 December. The conference brought together representatives of academia, civil society, international partners and governments from across the OSCE region, and sought to create a forum of dialogue among these stakeholders on their distinct yet complementary roles in the fight against corruption.

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 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 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).

Twelve officials from the National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine attended a basic training on investigations involving crypto-assets from 20 to 22 November. The three-day online training session provided an opportunity for participants to improve their knowledge about crypto-asset investigations. Organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), the training introduced participants to essential concepts of blockchain technology alongside practical tools and strategies for investigating criminal activities involving crypto-assets.

As new techniques for obfuscating virtual assets transactions emerge, staying up-to-date in investigative capabilities to counter these threats effectively becomes all the more important. To strengthen Moldova’s ability to combat crypto-related crime, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), organized a specialized training session on “Investigation of Blockchain Obfuscation Techniques” in Chisinau from 13 to 15 November.