News and press releases

As the war displaced millions of Ukrainians or pushed them to the verge by destroying homes and businesses, the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, marked on 30 July each year, provided yet another occasion for the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU) to join efforts of state agencies, civil society and international organizations in campaigning to warn people about growing risks to fall victim of human trafficking.

WARSAW, 17 July 2023 – Allegations of arbitrary imprisonment and enforced disappearances of civilians living in areas under occupation are occurring with alarming frequency, with widespread reports of the use of torture and ill-treatment, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today in a new report summarising its ongoing monitoring of violations of international law following Russia’s military attack in Ukraine. According to the many credible testimonies, torture and ill-treatment have been widespread in detention in all Russian-occupied areas.

The joint session, organized under the Bulgarian FSC Chair and 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship of North Macedonia, provided a platform to explore the role the FSC can play in the environment-security nexus and how the OSCE can best address issues such as protection of the environment during armed conflicts. The discussion was designed to raise awareness and foster further co-operation on the subject.

A comprehensive online Training of Trainers (ToT) course on biosafety and biosecurity was held by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre on 27-30 June and 11 July.

Modern law enforcers need to be especially vigilant and know how to safely use IT technologies in order not to compromise people’s personal data, disrupt investigation or make their institutions vulnerable to attacks of criminals. Piloting of a new course on cyberhygiene developed by the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine’s future law enforcers and emergency response personnel started with the first three-days session organized in Kamianets-Podilsky, Khmelnytska Oblast on 6-9 July 2023.

Ukrainian and international legal professionals, civic activists, experts and youth join a series of events under the Constitution Week initiative to discuss how to better use constitutional justice for defending human rights in times of war.

Improvements in prevention, law enforcement, prosecution and judicial review of sexual violence cases in times of war were the focus of discussions among more than 150 legal professionals, officials and civil society organisations during the of the 4th Forum of Women Lawyers held on 16 June.