News and press releases

The Central Asian Forum of Women Farmers, held on 8 October 2024 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, emphasized the significant achievements of women in local agribusiness. At the same time, it highlighted the challenges they encounter in this key sector of the nation’s economy. The Forum brought together

On 8 October 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD), in co-operation with Tajikistan’s Border Troops, concluded a one-month training course titled "Sustaining Field Operational Capacities" (SFOC) in the Border Troops Detachment in Shurobod, Khatlon Region.

SARAJEVO – Yesterday’s local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina were competitive and efficiently prepared with fundamental freedoms respected, following extensive changes to election legislation imposed by the High Representative to increase the integrity of the election process, despite insufficient efforts to promote public engagement, international observers said in a statement today.

From 8 to 13 September 2024, the Autumn Camp on financial security was organized by the State Financial Intelligence Service (SFIS) and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, in the Issyk-Kul region. This five-day camp aimed to prepare the Kyrgyz Youth National Team for the IV International Olympiad on Financial Security, which concluded on 4 October 2024.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) marked two decades of providing legislative assistance to nearly 40 states with an event to discuss the importance of human rights-compliant legislation and good lawmaking for strong democracies and ODIHR’s role in this process, which took place during the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

The human rights monitoring carried out in Ukraine by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) since Russia’s military attack on 24 February 2022 was the topic of discussion at an event held during the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference on 4 October 2024.

On 2 and 3 October 2024, the OSCE and the European Union Advisory Mission to Ukraine (EUAM) organized a seminar in support of Ukraine’s National Co-ordination Centre on combating the illicit trafficking of firearms, their components and ammunition. The seminar, held in Kyiv, brought together 20 representatives from across Ukrainian law enforcement agencies who are members of the Co-ordination Centre, established in June 2024, or will support its work.

The Pool of Young Experts initiative seeks to enhance the engagement of young women and men in peace and security discussions within the OSCE region.

Workshop series on Water-Energy-Food Nexus continue to engage young people across Central Asia

From 1 to 3 October, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities organized a multi-stakeholder workshop in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, aimed at enhancing inter-agency collaboration on youth crime prevention.

The OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, jointly with the OSCE Secretariat's Action Against Terrorism Unit and in cooperation with the Center for In-service Training of Journalists, is currently organizing a seminar-training on the topic "Preventing Youth Radicalization: Media

The Faculty of Law of the University of Mostar organized jointly with the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH (HJPC BiH), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the OSCE Mission to BiH (Mission) the Third State University Moot Court Competition in Mostar.

The Kosovo Academy for Public Safety (KAPS) and the United States North Carolina Justice Academy (NCJA) signed a landmark co-operation agreement today. The agreement is the result of the OSCE Mission’s programmatic work aimed at further developing KAPS's capacities to train new professional

On 4 October 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe donated a set of IT and office equipment to the Public Order Department and the Gender Sensitive Police Units under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan.

The OSCE provided specialized vehicles and equipment to the General Inspectorate of Border Police during a ceremony held on 3 October 2024 in Chisinau, Moldova. This was done in support of Moldova’s efforts in preventing and addressing transnational organized crime.

Between 11 September and 4 October 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe conducted a series of five training courses in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), Sughd, Khatlon regions, and the Districts of Republican Subordination. The training sessions aimed to enhance the capacity of 104 participants (63 men, 41 women) representing government institutions and members of the Inter-ministerial Commission on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings.

Over 40 experts and stakeholders from across Central Asia gathered for a regional workshop focused on addressing the rising concerns of drug and new psychoactive substances (NPS) use among young people. The workshop, held on 2 and 3 October, was organized by the OSCE Secretariat, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD), and the European Action Against Drugs and Organized Crime (EU-ACT 2). The event brought together law enforcement professionals, policymakers, and representatives from international organizations.

Co-operation with relevant regional and international organizations, as well as with the police services and forensic centres of neighbouring countries, is of great importance in the investigation and prosecution of transnational organized crime. This is the message that came from the 9th Annual Regional Forensic Conference, organized with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on 3 and 4 October in Budva.

From 24 to 29 September 2024, the "OSCE for the People" photo exhibition was held at the National Historical Museum of Kyrgyzstan. The event marked a significant milestone—the 25th anniversary of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, which first opened its doors in 1999.

Best practices of the OSCE participating States in implementing the requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards for targeted financial sanctions (TFS)for financing of terrorism and proliferation (FT/PF) were shared during an OSCE-organized seminar that took place on 2 and 3

A roundtable on school dropouts and early marriages was held in Mostar with the aim of enhancing the Roma inclusion in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.

Including trafficking survivors' experiences is crucial to fight against human trafficking effectively, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said at the launch of its new guidance on establishing National Survivor of Trafficking Advisory Councils (NSTACs) during the 2024 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

With Ukrainian legislation not fully adapted to allow effective prosecution and adjudication of international crimes following the Russian Federation’s military attack in 2022, domestic courts are struggling to process the more than 130,000 suspected incidents of war crimes in Ukraine. Tools and training offered by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) are becoming all the more important, participants agreed at an event during the 2024 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

Twenty-five government officials deepened their knowledge of crypto-asset investigations during a three-day training session held in Chisinau, Moldova, from 30 September to 2 October. Organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), the event gathered experts from the Border Police, the Criminal Assets Recovery Agency, the National Anti-Corruption Center, the National Integrity Authority, and the Office for Prevention and Combating of Money Laundering of Moldova to introduce essential concepts of blockchain technology alongside practical tools and strategies for investigating criminal activities involving crypto-assets.

From 30 September to 2 October, 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (hereinafter, the Office) organized a study visit for a delegation from Kazakhstan to Helsinki, Finland. The visit was part of the extrabudgetary project “Supporting the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Development of Effective Policies to Counter Cybercrimes (Phase I)”, implemented by the Office in co-operation with the Ministry of Interior of Kazakhstan, and with the support of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan.

WASHINGTON D.C., 1 October 2024- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 5 November general elections in the United States, following an invitation from the national authorities.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are becoming ever more important to the election process, which brings both challenges and opportunities, experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in presenting a new edition of the Handbook for Observation of ICT in Elections at an event during the 2024 Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

On 30 September, 38 students from the OSCE Academy in Bishkek participated in a guest lecture dedicated to preventing youth from engaging in criminal and corrupt activities. The event was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and was facilitated by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe supported the Second International Youth Forum of the Syrdarya River Basin on 30 September 2024.

Against the backdrop of persistent security challenges in South-Eastern Europe, a milestone in the fight against transnational threats and organized crime has been achieved. Today, the OSCE Mission to Skopje opened the new state-of-the-art Regional K9 Training and Certification Centre in Gjorche

On 26 September, the OSCE Secretariat Transnational Threats Department, in partnership with the UK Surrey Police Dog Training Center concluded a one-month training course for the National Canine (K9) Training Center under the Customs Committee of Uzbekistan. The course is aimed at strengthening the capacity of Uzbek K9 instructors to effectively use dogs in countering transnational threats through better detection of drugs, cash, and firearms at border check points.

WARSAW, 30 September 2024 – Strengthening our commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law through dialogue will allow us to overcome current challenges to the rights and freedoms at the heart of the principles on which the OSCE was founded, speakers and participants stressed as governments, international organizations, and civil society came together for a 10-day conference to take stock of the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the 57 participating States of the OSCE region.

Between 16 and 28 September 2024, the OSCE Mission to BiH (Mission) has successfully concluded a series of pre-election debates, an essential component of the democratic process, aimed at ensuring citizens are well-informed about the candidates and their platforms. These debates took place in the

On 18 September 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana held the third and final meeting of the Interagency Steering Committee on the development of Kazakhstan’s first Comprehensive Action Plan to Counter Cybercrimes and Crimes using Information and Communication Technologies for 2025-2029 (hereinafter, Action Plan).

On 27-28 September 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD) conducted a two-day training session for 30 members, comprising 4 men and 23 women, of the Steering Committee of the Syrdarya Women Basin Forum in Tajikistan.

NEW YORK CITY, 27 September 2024 – In numerous meetings on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, Chair-in-Office of the OSCE, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Malta, Ian Borg engaged in discussions focused on ensuring the functionality and resilience of the OSCE in the face of regional and global challenges.

With a focus on further enhancing co-operation between the public sector and financial institutions to counter the financing of terrorism (CFT), the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department with the support of the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a training course on 24-26 September 2024 in Durres, Albania.

A two-day conference, hosted by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and organized as part of the OSCE’s Western Balkans Trial Monitoring Project, brought together leading judicial representatives and legal experts from across the South-Eastern Europe. Convening judicial actors from all six jurisdictions in the region, the event aimed to address the prosecution and adjudication of organized crime and corruption (OCC) cases in the region.

From 23 to 27 September 2024, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a customized training for Albanian police officers and investigators to enhance their knowledge and expertise in conducting financial analysis and financial profiling in proactive financial investigations. Participants were staff

27 September 2024, NEUM – By helping to ensure the consistent application of intelligence-led policing (ILP), the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) is advancing the country's ability to tackle serious crime and threats to security. To that end, the Mission organized a workshop

From 24 to 27 September, the OSCE held a series of meetings with representatives of Moldovan law enforcement agencies to enhance their capacities to detect and investigate illicit trafficking, particularly focusing on the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons (SALW).

JAHORINA, 27 September 2024- Effective justice is essential to ensure security and combat terrorism. In collaboration with the Atlantic Initiative and the FBiH Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Centre, and with support of the US Department of Justice OPDAT, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and

Strengthening the rule of law and ensuring that Western Balkan judiciaries are both independent and effective is central to fostering public trust, advancing democratic institutions, and ultimately securing long-term peace and stability in the region. This was heard at the regional conference...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD) supported an international workshop on Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards, which took place from 24 to 27 September 2024 in Dushanbe.

From 23 to 27 September 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD) and the Republic of Türkiye Gendarmerie Forensic Department collaborated to conduct a one-week practical Training for Trainers on "Authenticity Verification of Security Documents." The training took place in Istanbul, Türkiye and aimed to enhance the skills of five trainers from the Tajik Border Troops.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD) provided support to the Republican Training and Methodological Centre (RTMC) of the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence in conducting a training course in Bokhtar from 24 to 26 September 2024.

From September 25 to 27, fifteen participants from various OSCE participating States met in in Gdansk, Poland, for training session on adult education techniques. The objective was to equip participants with the necessary skills to educate others in their countries and across the OSCE region on topics such as virtual asset regulation, compliance, co-operation, and investigations. The event, organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), brought together participants from diverse backgrounds to build their capacity as future trainers. It was hosted by University of Gdansk, and facilitated by General Inspector of Financial Information of Poland.

Strengthening the capacity of local self-government officials to develop youth action plans that support youth participation in local communities is the focus of a training session organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Ministry of Sports and Youth in Kolašin from 25 to 27 September.

On 25 September 2024, the OSCE Presence in Albania started a two-day training for the Albanian State Police on environmental enforcement and investigation techniques. The training brought together 17 police officers from all 12 regional directorate of police across Albania which cover criminal

From 18 to 24 September, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department held a training course on gender-responsive policing of violence against women and girls in Idrizovo, North Macedonia.