News and press releases

VIENNA, 1 April 2019 – Ahead of the first OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting under the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship, which will focus on tolerance and non-discrimination in Vienna, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Slovak Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Miroslav Lajčák called for more dialogue, respect and closer co-operation in combating intolerance, discrimination and hate crimes...

Promoting rural entrepreneurship for women was the focus of a two-day training seminar and roundtable discussion co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office that concluded on 29 March 2019 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The SMM followed up on reports of a woman and a boy injured due to shelling in Sentianivka. The Mission recorded a ceasefire violation inside the disengagement area near Zolote. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM saw anti-tank mines for the first time near Vodiane and Pikuzy. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. In addition, it was restricted at a checkpoint near Novolaspa and at a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region, as well as near Zaichenko, Izvaryne and Sievernyi close to the border with the Russian Federation.*

Progress on implementing the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) Law on Youth in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton was the main topic of a co-ordination meeting organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina on 29 March 2019 in Mostar.

KYIV, 30 March 2019 – The Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan, expressed his gratitude to all 57 OSCE participating States for their support for the Mission, following a consensus decision yesterday to extend the SMM’s Mandate for another year.

VIENNA, 30 March 2019 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, Miroslav Lajčák, welcomed yesterday's OSCE Permanent Council decision to renew the mandate of the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) by another year, and called for continued support for the international monitors and national staff on the ground.

VIENNA, 29 March 2019- The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan met today in Vienna for the first time under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America). The meeting was also attended by Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov. Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, also participated in the meeting.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and Luhansk region. The SMM saw fresh damage to a residential building in Chermalyk, as well as fresh craters close to residential buildings in Sentianivka. The Mission saw military presence inside the Petrivske disengagement area. Small-arms were fired in the direction of an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle near Lozove. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. In addition, it was restricted at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske and near Dovzhanske close to the border with the Russian Federation.*

The participation of a representative of the Tashkent city administration (Khokimiyat) and a representative of Uzbekistan’s cycling federation at the Fourth International Cycling Congress in St. Petersburg from 28 to 30 March 2019 was supported by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan. During the congress, they learnt about effective and sustainable mobility policies as well as international experiences in enhancing urban mobility...

A technical workshop on corruption prevention tools and integrity planning for public officials of central level institutions was held on 28 and 29 March 2019 in Tirana...

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo has started a set of three-month Albanian and Serbian language classes for youth belonging to Kosovo Albanian, Kosovo Serb, Kosovo Bosniak, and Kosovo Roma communities residing in the municipality of Obiliq/Obilić. The courses will run from March to June 2019...

VIENNA, 29 March 2019- OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today publicly denounced threats against journalists of the N1 news channel in Serbia. In a letter sent on 27 March to the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, the Representative expressed his concern about the threats and pressure against the N1 news channel...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Nevelske. Near the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, the SMM saw the body of man. The SMM observed ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas. The Mission observed mines near checkpoints on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. In addition, it was denied access at a checkpoint near Zaichenko...

Good practices for strengthening inter-agency co-operation to effectively address hate crimes were the focus of a training session organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights of Greece on 27 and 28 March 2019 in Athens.

THE HAGUE, 28 March 2019 – OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) was in The Hague yesterday for meetings aimed at reinforcing bilateral co-operation with the Dutch parliament and joint work between the Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM)...

SKOPJE, 28 March 2019 – Some 60 judges from North Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia, gathered in Skopje today to discuss preconditions and challenges the Western Balkan countries face on the path towards the application of European judicial standards in their countries...

MINSK, 27 March 2019 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its Working Groups in Minsk on 27 March 2019...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw fresh craters in Sentianivka and damage to a house in Marinka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations, including explosions, inside the Zolote disengagement area. Inside the same area, it also observed military presence and hardware, as well as anti-tank mines across road T-1316. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas. In addition, it was restricted at a checkpoint near Verkhnoshyrokivske, in a non-government-controlled area of southern Donetsk region...

The importance of gender–sensitive legislation was the topic of a meeting with Belarusian women parliamentarians organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in collaboration with the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, on 27 March 2019 in Minsk.

VIENNA, 26 March 2019 – Economic connectivity in the OSCE region, trade facilitation, co-operation between state bodies and the private sector were the focus of a workshop hosted by the Office of the Co ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) today in Vienna...

LUXEMBOURG CITY, 26 March 2019 – OSCE PA President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia) and Secretary General Roberto Montella are visiting the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to finalize with the Chamber of Deputies the agreement to hold the Parliamentary Assembly’s 28th Annual Session in Luxembourg City.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro participated in a ceremony to hand over keys of 94 newly built housing units to families in the Municipality of Berane on 26 March 2019. The construction, worth 3.9 million euro, is part of the Regional Housing Programme (RHP).

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.

Heavy machine-gun fired in the direction of an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle flying near non-government-controlled Dovhe. The UAV was not damaged. Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM saw fresh damage to a residential house due to shelling in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. It observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure and an assessment of residential houses damaged by shelling in Luhansk region. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at checkpoints near Zaichenko and in Horlivka...

23 border and customs officers from Montenegro’s Podgorica and Tivat airports, the Civil Aviation Agency and the Intelligence Agency of Montenegro attended a national training course on risk analysis and management, from 19 to 21 March 2019 in Podgorica.

Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 22 and 23 March, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Compared with the previous 24 hours, between the evenings of 23 and 24 March, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM saw fresh damage to residential houses due to shelling in Pikuzy. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM followed up on the announcement by the Ukrainian authorities that they would open the entry-exit checkpoint near Zolote for civilian passage on 24 March. It saw that vegetation surrounding the checkpoint had been burned and mine hazard signs removed at the checkpoint of the armed formations on the southern edge of the disengagement area. The SMM did not see any civilians crossing the checkpoint. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line.

BRATISLAVA, 25 March 2019 – The recurring message at today’s opening of the annual OSCE-wide Counter-Terrorism Conference in Bratislava was clear: Strengthening co-operation among states and fostering partnerships between governments and civil society are key to countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism...

VIENNA, 25 March 2019- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, published today a legal review of proposed amendments to the “Law on Free Access to Information of Public Character” in North Macedonia. The review was previously officially sent to the Minister of Justice, Renata Deskoska.

VIENNA, 25 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today published the legal review of the draft amendments on the right of reply to the Statute on Periodic Press and News Agencies of Slovakia, which was sent to the Slovak authorities on 5 March.

VIENNA, 25 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today reiterated his call for Ukrainian authorities to allow foreign journalists to pursue their professional activities unimpeded. His call followed a denial of entry to Marc Innaro, the Moscow correspondent of the Italian Public Service Broadcaster (RAI), and his colleague, who is a camera operator.

Challenges and positive practices that could facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in political parties were the focus of a meeting in Tbilisi on 25 March 2019. The event was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with

Elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) met with electoral stakeholders in Tbilisi on 21 and 22 March 2019 to present the ODIHR final report on last year’s presidential election in Georgia. The report’s findings and recommendations were presented

Representatives of the security sector of Kyrgyzstan concluded a five-day training course on “Violent Extremism and Radicalization leading to Terrorism as a Threat to National Security” on 22 March 2019, in Bishkek...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM observed damage to functioning schools in Holmivskyi and Donetsk city. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission observed long queues of people, up to 1,500, at the entry-exit checkpoint north of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas and elsewhere, including near non-government-controlled Zaichenko.

Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations and saw military hardware, fresh craters, unmanned aerial vehicles and mines seen for the first time inside the Zolote disengagement area; it also saw military hardware inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas, in Voznesenivka, close to the border with the Russian Federation, and elsewhere near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske and Staropetrivske.

ERGNETI, 22 March 2019- On 22 March 2019, the 92nd meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti. The gathering was conducted in an open and constructive atmosphere.

The Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department held meetings with North Macedonia’s Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski and his Task Force on the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Public Key Directory (ICAO PKD), from 21 to 22 March 2019 in Skopje...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region. The SMM observed military presence in the Petrivske disengagement area and again saw anti-tank mines and military presence in the Zolote disengagement area. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to essential civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions including repairs to the wooden ramps in the broken section of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. The Mission facilitated and monitored a transfer of persons convicted before the conflict from non-government- to government-controlled areas in Luhansk region. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and at a checkpoint of the armed formations near Zaichenko, Donetsk region...

International rule of law standards for the individualization of criminal responsibility were the topic of a seminar organized on 21 March 2019 in Minsk for participants from across Belarus.

Innovative methods for researching unreported hate crimes and hate incidents were the focus of a training session for criminal justice and human rights professionals organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 20 and 21 March 2019 in Warsaw.

SARAJEVO, 21 March 2019 – An assessment of the work of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) institutions in combating discrimination, prepared by the OSCE Mission to BiH, was presented today in Sarajevo, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination...

VIENNA/STRASBOURG/WARSAW, 21 March 2019 – Too many people with an ethnic or migrant background are still being held back in the job market. This is despite laws against racial discrimination and for equal opportunities in employment that have been in place for decades, the heads of three European human rights institutions said in a joint statement on today’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination...

Compared with the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Mission followed up on the explosion of a device in Luhansk city. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM spotted for the first time anti-tank mines near government-controlled Novoselivka. The Mission continued to observe hardship faced by civilians at checkpoints along the contact line. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including at a permanent storage site and a heavy weapons holding area in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region and near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske. In Kyiv, the SMM followed up on reports of arson at two stores.

VIENNA, 20 March 2019 – Best practice examples of and perspectives on Security sector governance and reform (SSG/R)- a priority theme for both Slovakia’s 2019 OSCE Chairmanship and the Swiss Chairmanship of the FSC – was discussed at today’s joint meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) and the Permanent Council in Vienna...

MINSK, 20 March 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today concluded a three-day official visit to Minsk. In his discussions with the Belarusian authorities, he called on the government to undertake the reforms necessary for developing a more favourable and pluralistic media environment...

Promoting gender-sensitive legislation in Albania was the focus of discussion at a workshop in Tirana on 20 March 2019. The event was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania and the parliament of Albania.

“Today’s verdict in the case of Radovan Karadzic is another crucial step toward holding accountable those individuals most responsible for genocide and other atrocities committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina...

Digitalization and simplification of import, export and transit procedures was the focus of a workshop organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) together with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and with the support of the World Customs Organization and the National Centre for Marketing and Price Study of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus from 19 to 21 March in Minsk, Belarus...

KYIV, 20 March 2019 – The “Puzzle Connection” exhibition, with artworks by young people from across Ukraine, including young artists who had to leave their homes because of hostilities in the eastern part of the country, opens to the public at the Kyiv History Museum from 22 March to 7 April 2019...

Compared with the previous 24 hours, the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Peredove. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and observed military hardware inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It observed electronic jamming systems in Yuzhna-Lomuvatka. The SMM saw for the first time mines and unexploded ordnance near government-controlled Marinka and Krymske and near non-government-controlled Kruta Balka, Ilovaisk, Hirne and Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district. Restrictions of the SMM’s access continued in all three disengagement areas and elsewhere, including in non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske and Zaichenko and government-controlled Peredove, as well as near Izvaryne and Sievernyi, areas close to the border with the Russian Federation...