News and press releases

A three-day summer school for young politicians was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek together with the International Republican Institute in Kyrgyzstan, and the Legal Prosperity Foundation from 26 to 29 June 2018 in Bishkek. The school aims to strengthen the capacity of young leaders in Kyrgyzstan and promote their engagement in decision-making processes. The agenda included a panel discussion on the issues of youth employment, as well as problems with accessing higher education for people with special needs...

The Coalition against Torture in partnership with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, the National Centre for the Prevention of Torture, the Voice of Freedom Foundation and the Office of the Ombudsman held an informative workshop dedicated to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 25 June 2018 in Bishkek...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. Small arms were fired in the direction of an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Sabivka. The SMM observed a fresh shelling impact in a residential area of Dokuchaievsk. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance works to other essential civilian infrastructure...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on a civilian casualty in a residential area of Pivdenne. The Mission observed fresh damage caused from gunfire in a residential area of Zolote-5 (Mykhailivka). The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded a ceasefire violation inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as in Molodizhne and Zaichenko. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station, including through monitoring the security situation around the station, as well as repairs and maintenance to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and a water pipeline in Obozne...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in partnership with the Office of the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights, surveyed people of African descent and Muslims in Warsaw, and Ukrainians in Krakow in a study designed to provide a better understanding of the scale of

SARAJEVO, 29 June 2018 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) concluded today in Zenica the last in a series of workshops on the professional reporting and protection mechanisms for journalists and media professionals. The workshops, held in Mostar, Banja Luka, Brcko, Bihac and Zenica, gathered around 100 journalists, students of journalism, photojournalists and cameramen. They were designed to familiarize journalists with the legal framework and professional standards governing their rights and obligations in order for them to be able to perform their duties and tasks in a professional manner...

Good practices related to the secondment and deployment of election observers was the focus of a meeting with national focal points for election observation held by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 28 and 29 June 2018. The meeting – the first of its