News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE Chairperson meets international human rights NGOs, encourages open dialogue
Publishing date: 19 January 2011
VILNIUS, 19 January 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, met representatives from international non-governmental organizations in Vilnius today and invited them to take part in an open dialogue with Lithuania’s 2011 OSCE Chairmanship...
ODIHR Director addresses elections conference in St. Petersburg
Publishing date: 18 January 2011
Ambassador Janez Lenarčič took part in a conference in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 18 January that focused on the relationship between international election standards and national election systems. The conference was organized by the Inter-parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
OSCE media freedom representative welcomes adoption of access-to-information law in Ukraine, urges further reform
Publishing date: 16 January 2011
VIENNA, 17 January 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, commended today the recent adoption of a comprehensive access-to-information law by the Ukrainian parliament, calling it “a considerable step towards government transparency”...
Judges from former Yugoslavia and ICTY share experiences on handling of war crime cases under OSCE/ODIHR-led project
Publishing date: 16 January 2011
ZAGREB, 17 January 2011 – Judges from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and their peers from the region met in Zagreb today to share experiences in adjudicating war crimes cases...
ODIHR needs assessment mission to visit Albania
Publishing date: 14 January 2011
Following an invitation to observe local government elections in Albania scheduled for 8 May 2011, ODIHR will send a needs assessment mission to the country from 17 to 21 January.
New OSCE Chairperson emphasizes human rights during meetings with heads of OSCE institutions, field operations
Publishing date: 14 January 2011
VIENNA, 14 January 2011 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, stressed Lithuanian Chairmanship’s commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms in meetings with heads of OSCE institutions and field missions during a visit to Vienna which concluded today...
OSCE human rights chief voices concern about possible referendum on extension of Kazakh president’s term of office
Publishing date: 13 January 2011
WARSAW, 14 January 2011 – The director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, today expressed concern about reports indicating that Kazakhstan’s parliament decided to open the way for holding a referendum on the extension of the term of office of President Nursultan Nazarbayev...