News and press releases

TASHKENT, 25 November 2019 –The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 22 December parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan. The deployment follows an invitation from the country’s authorities.

The Alternative Report to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee was presented at a round table that concluded on 21 November in Bishkek...

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2019, the Strategic Police Matters Unit of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (SPMU) is launching a regional awareness-raising campaign against gender-based violence in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania...

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan supported a workshop on the application of environmental legislation and compliance with the provisions of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) on 25 November 2019 in Semey, Eastern Kazakhstan...

CHISINAU, 25 November 2019- On the occasion of the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign, the OSCE will launch the campaign "End the Silence" in the Republic of Moldova and across South-Eastern and Eastern Europe. Its aim is to raise awareness about gender-based violence, in particular the issue of violence against women and girls. Gender-based violence concerns all of society, and governments have a responsibility to prevent and combat it.

The International Conference on Islam and Orthodox Christianity – religions of peace, supported by the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, took place on 21 November 2019 in Bishkek...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The SMM continued to monitor the situation in disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The Mission observed a weapon in violation

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and again no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the Mission observed workers from government-controlled areas installing metal

A three-day workshop organized by the OSCE aimed at strengthening the capacities of key officials from Belarus and Kazakhstan in identifying potential corruption risks in the law-making process concluded on 22 November 2019 in Vienna...

VIENNA, 22 November 2019 – How best to ensure the full enjoyment of the freedom of peaceful assembly by people in the OSCE area and beyond, including through participating States’ full implementation of existing OSCE commitments was the focus of the third Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting held under the auspices of Slovakia’s 2019 OSCE Chairmanship. The two-day meeting concluded today in Vienna...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized a training course for senior representatives from the State Election Commission and Municipal Election Commissions on how to train polling station staff on polling station procedures on 21 and 22 November 2019 in Podgorica...

The annual OSCE-supported International Youth Legal Forum, focusing on the link between human rights and transnational threats to security, concluded on 22 November 2019 in Nur-Sultan...

The creation of a mechanism for consultations with the representatives of the national minorities was the focus of an OSCE-organized study visit, from 18 to 21 November 2019, to Lithuania for representatives of the Ombudsperson’s office, the Ministry of Education, the Institute of State, Law and Democracy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan...

The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities organized a Regional School on Multilingual and Multicultural Education in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, from 18 to 22 November 2019, bringing together around 90 participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Tajikistan to share experiences

An OSCE-supported seminar on the presentation of manuals on how to work in the rehabilitation of returning foreign terrorist fighters and their families took place on 22 November 2019 in Nur-Sultan...

VIENNA, 21 November 2019 – Not only the physical safety but also the legal safety of journalists needs to be protected, said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir as he presented his biannual report to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The construction work at Stanytsia Luhanska Bridge was finalized; civilians started walking over the new section of the bridge while

Defence against violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism requires an integrated approach, and educators are at the forefront of the defence against violent extremism tendencies. This was concluded at the workshop “Prevention of Violent Extremism and Radicalization Leading to Terrorism for Primary and Secondary School Professors”, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, on 19 and 20 November 2019 in Bijelo Polje and Bar...

New trends in elections and international best practices for observing them were the topics of a high-level panel discussion during an annual meeting on the implementation of the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, which was hosted by the OSCE Office for Democratic

Good practices, challenges and lessons learned in law enforcement training and education, in particular with regard to the impact of modern technology and the role of women, is the focus of the second meeting of OSCE Police Academies Network (PAN), which brought together more than 40 participants to Vienna on 20 November 2019...

An OSCE-supported sub-regional workshop under the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) project on improving mining and tailings safety, with a special attention to transboundary implications, concluded on 21 November 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

On 21 November at 06:30 (Moscow time), the ninetieth Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of eight vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All eight vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 11:25 on 21 November...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM continued to monitor the situation at the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission observed ongoing dismantling of defensive positions and demining activities in

How to strengthen critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks is being explored at a three-day regional expert workshop for national representatives from eight OSCE participating States in South-Eastern Europe, which opened on 19 November 2019 in Skopje...

VIENNA, 20 November 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, reiterated his call today on the Russian parliament to withdraw the draft law which extends the status of a “media outlet- foreign agent” to individuals...

Following elections held in Ukraine in 2019, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published reports on the two-round presidential election and the early parliamentary elections.

The first penitentiary reform forum of Tajikistan, supported by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, was held on 20 November 2019 in Dushanbe and focused on the development of the prison system in Tajikistan...

WARSAW, 20 November 2019 – Thirty years after the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the head of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) calls on governments to take greater responsibility for the wellbeing of children living in their countries, wherever they come from and however long they will be there...

Summary Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM continued to monitor the situation at the Petrivske and Zolote disengagement areas. Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the Mission continued

TIRANA, 19 November 2019 – OSCE PA President George Tsereteli and Secretary General Roberto Montella have concluded an official visit to Albania, as it prepares to assume the OSCE Chairmanship in 2020...

KAMENSK-SHAKHTINSKIY, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week. The eighty-ninth Russian convoy crossed into Ukraine and returned through the Donetsk BCP...

In preparation for the fourth Regional Youth Co-operation Office (RYCO) Call for Proposals, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, together with the RYCO Local Branch Office, organized a training course for potential applicants from 15 to 18 November 2019 in Podgorica...

Representatives from Azerbaijan’s Government, the Council of Europe, Facebook, Microsoft, the Austrian Institute of Technology and Ordina Belgium, among others, participated in a workshop on how to enhance co-operation between the private and public sector to fight cybercrime on 19 November 2019 in Baku...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 15 and 16 November, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. Between the evenings of 16 and 17 November, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and

An OSCE train-the-trainers course on detecting forged travel documents and imposters concluded on 15 November 2019 in Skopje, North Macedonia...

VIENNA, 18 November 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, strongly condemned today the shooting of the journalist Mario De Michele, which took place on 14 November, in Italy...

A four-day training course on business skills for women from vulnerable categories, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, concluded on 14 November 2019 in Bar...

Fifteen representatives of civil society and OSCE field operations from across South-Eastern Europe participated in a regional train-the-trainer seminar for future facilitators of courses tailored for women leaders on preventing violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism. The seminar, held in Belgrade from 11 to 16 November 2019, was organized by the Action against Terrorism Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department...

From 12 to 15 November 2019, fifteen Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) alumni from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan took part in a seminar on constructive dialogue and regional co-operation in Kosh-kol, Kyrgyzstan...

A four-day in-house training course, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on converged newsroom for the Public Service Broadcaster (RTCG), concluded on 18 November 2019 in Podgorica...

MINSK, 18 November 2019 – Fundamental freedoms were disregarded and the integrity of the election process was not adequately safeguarded in the early parliamentary elections in Belarus even as the number of registered candidates increased, international observers concluded in a preliminary statement published today...

An OSCE-supported five-day training course on enhancing co-ordination among state authorities to counter corruption concluded on 15 November 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan...

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A man from non-government-controlled Donetsk city was injured by gunfire. The SMM continued to monitor the situation at the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission saw deminers from government-controlled areas close to the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission continued to observe demining activities inside the

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek supported a conference entitled Prospects to Develop the Green Economy through the Private Sector that took place on 14 November 2019. The event was organized during the annual Green Economy Week held from 11 to 17 November.

Representatives from the private sector, chambers of commerce, and business associations from South-East European countries stressed the importance of attracting foreign investment as a crucial factor for stability in low and middle-income economies as a two-day workshop, organized by the OSCE and the Southeast European Cooperation Initiative (SECI), concluded on 15 November 2019 in Vienna...

The new Bureau of the Court of Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE met in Vienna on 6 November 2019, for the handover of current affairs by the outgoing President, Christian Tomuschat to his successor, Emmanuel Decaux...

On 14 and 15 November 2019, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat provided a platform for regional dialogue on the best practices and standards in use of innovative water management technologies. Representatives of the State Committee of Water Economy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) and other Turkmenistan agencies were joined by their counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan...

The fourth National Forum of Defence Lawyers took place on 15 November 2019 in Nur-Sultan. The event was jointly organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, the NGO Legal Policy Research Centre, and the National Bar Association.

The results of the project on prevention of early marriages among vulnerable groups were presented at an event organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on 14 November 2019 in Podgorica.