News and press releases

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties as a result of a mine explosion near Zalizne. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Novoazovsk, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to power lines near Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, as well as to enable demining in Zolote-2/Karbonit and Novotroitske. The Mission observed a convoy of trucks marked, “Humanitarian Aid from the Russian Federation”, in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region.

MALAGA, Spain, 26 October 2018- Growing economic and human interconnectedness have triggered developments that Europe and the Mediterranean region can only successfully govern if countries join forces in action-oriented dialogue and co-operation, say participants at 2018 OSCE Mediterranean Conference closing today in Malaga...

A dedicated team of first responders in Catania, Italy, shared their practices in tackling trafficking of migrants through a multi-agency approach that combines effective investigative measures with victims’ protection, at an OSCE workshop held in this Sicilian port town on 11 October.

The critical role of the security sector in countering trafficking in human beings and strengthening the rule of law was the focus of the first of four two-day workshops organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Montenegrin National Coordinator’s Office in Berane on 23 and 24 October.

LVIV, Ukraine, 23 October 2018- A regional workshop to foster dialogue and encourage international co-ordination and co-operation in combating illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition and explosives among border security and management agencies and international stakeholders was organized in Lviv, Ukraine, from 23 to 25 November 2018...

On 25 October at 07:02 (Moscow time), the eightieth Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 25 vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 25 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 15:27 on 25 October...

One hundred women leaders gathered to explore challenges and ways forward towards women’s empowerment and leadership at the second International Forum of Women Leaders in Minsk on 25 and 26 October 2018. The event to help advance gender equality in the OSCE region was co-organized by the OSCE

MALAGA, Spain, 25 October 2018 – Energy is the fuel that powers economic growth, and as such plays a vital role in the national security of each OSCE participating State and Mediterranean Partner for Co-operation, said participants at today’s opening of the OSCE Mediterranean Conference in Malaga, Spain...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. It followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Marinka. An explosion occurred 100m from an SMM patrol, assessed as inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission also recorded ceasefire violations near the Petrivske disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko, Bezimenne, Kozatske and Novolaspa.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to critical civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as to enable demining in Zolote-2/Karbonit and Nyzhnoteple. In Kyiv and Dnipro, the SMM monitored public gatherings against rising gas costs...

Delegations from Tajikistan and Afghanistan led, respectively, by the Commander of the Border Troops of Tajikistan, Colonel-General Rajabali Rahmonali, and the Head of the Afghan Border Police of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Brigadier General Abdullah Stanakzai, paid a visit to Tokyo, Japan, from 22 to 30 September 2018. The visit was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.

VIENNA, 25 October 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir today expressed his alarm and strong condemnation after an explosive device was sent to CNN’s offices in New York, in the United States of America...

YEREVAN, 25 October 2018 – Concluding a two-day visit to Yerevan yesterday, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, welcomed the commitment of the Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to strengthen freedom of the media, and encouraged the authorities to undertake additional initiatives...

A series of workshops on project management aimed at improving the access of the non-governmental sector to state and local government funding concluded on 24 October 2018. Three hundred and fifty government officials and 250 representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) took part in the two-day workshops held across Ukraine. They were organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) in partnership with the country’s Presidential Administration and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

A two-day national workshop organized by the OSCE on transit procedures with a view to furthering implementation of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement was held for more than 30 representatives of the public authorities of Kazakhstan and the country’s business associations on 23 and 24 October 2018 in Astana...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM facilitated and monitored the recovery of the bodies of a man and a woman from a location near the neighbourhood of Vilnyi, between Zolote-4/Rodina and Zolote-5/Mykhailivka in Luhansk region. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as again near Zaichenko, Novoazovsk, Lebedynske and Alchevsk.* The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Miusynsk. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to critical civilian infrastructure on both sides of the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as to enable demining in Zolote-2/Karbonit and Nyzhnoteple. The SMM followed up on reports of a fire at a café in Odessa.

There is still no effective system of judicial protection for those who face discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the country’s Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination is inconsistently applied, concludes an analysis presented by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on 24 October 2018 at the Annual Conference of Civil Law Judges in Jahorina...

VIENNA, 24 October 2018 – How the rights and duties of military, paramilitary and security forces’ personnel, including their human rights and fundamental freedoms, are reflected in policy development, training and education programmes, was explored at today’s meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation in Vienna, held under the Forum’s Swedish Chairmanship...

COPENHAGEN, 24 October 2018 – The multi-pronged and multi-level responses to migration challenges in Denmark and Sweden have been in focus during a two-day field visit by members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, led by Chair Nahima Lanjri (MP, Belgium)...

Kyrgyzstan’ Prime Minister Muhammedkaliy Abylgaziev presented a two-year national action plan (NAP) that aims to increase the accountability of the Government’s work in Bishkek on 23 October 2018. The NAP was developed jointly by the Government and civil society within the framework of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. It recorded ceasefire violations assessed as inside the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko, Bezimenne, Novoazovsk, Lebedynske, Alchevsk and Bohdanivka.* The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to the Petrivske and Aidar water pumping stations, a gas pipeline near Yasynuvata and the Krasnohorivka gas distribution station, as well as to enable demining in Zolote-2/Karbonit and Nyzhnoteple.

The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons slightly decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

The last in a series of three OSCE-supported roundtable discussions on the prospects of agricultural development in Kazakhstan with a focus on recently adopted national standards of organic production and certification concluded on 23 October 2018 in Astana.

A delegation of members of Albania’s Parliamentary Committee on Productive Activities, Trade and Environment, consisting of representatives of both the ruling majority and opposition parties, participated in a study visit to Lake Constance from 19 to 23 October 2018 to learn about cross-border co-operation with regards to managing the lake. The visit was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania as part of a custom-tailored programme highlighting multilateral co-operation between parliaments and parliamentary oversight mechanisms...

ROME, 23 October 2018 – Government officials and representatives of civil society and religious communities discussed good practices for addressing racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination, including on the basis of gender, and for countering anti-Semitism and intolerance against Muslims, Christians and members of other religions at an OSCE conference in Rome yesterday...

The OSCE-supported Women’s Resource Centres (WRCs) in Tajikistan together with local authorities celebrated the International Day of the Girl under the theme “Empowering Girls” in rural regions of Tajikistan on 11 October 2018. The campaign was organized around various thematic activities, which included painting contests, fashion design competitions, conferences and sessions bringing together different rural communities. It aimed at raising awareness of girls’ and boys’ equal rights to opportunities in society.

Women’s engagement in conflict prevention and resolution, negotiating and maintaining peace, and addressing humanitarian challenges was the focus of a train-the-trainer course organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on 19 October 2018 in Dushanbe. The event marked the 18th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions between the evenings of 19 and 20 October, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 20 and 21 October, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on reports of civilian casualties in a location between Zolote-4/Rodina and Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. It observed damage to civilian infrastructure in Novoluhanske and to a tent caused by bullets near the entry-exit checkpoint in Maiorsk. It recorded ceasefire violations assessed as inside the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Zaichenko, Novoazovsk, Lebedynske and Yuzhna-Lomuvatka as well as Izvaryne, near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to the Petrivske pumping station and to a water pipeline between Zolote and Popasna. In Lviv, it monitored a peaceful gathering in front of the Prosecutor’s office.юю

The fourth OSCE Dialogue Academy for Young Women, which brought together 24 participants from Belgrade and Prishtinë/Priština, concluded on 21 October 2018 in Stadtschlaining, Austria...

COPENHAGEN, 22 October 2018 – Leading members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s election observation mission to the 28 October presidential election in Georgia are arriving this week in Tbilisi for final preparations of the mission...

The likely challenges that the law enforcement agencies will face in the years to come and strategies for future policing were the focus of the OSCE’s 2018 Annual Police Experts Meeting, held in Vienna on 22 and 23 October 2018...

Women’s engagement in prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peacekeeping and humanitarian response was the focus of a train-the-trainer course organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on 19 October 2018 in Dushanbe. The event marked the 18th anniversary since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.

A five-day training course aimed at further strengthening the capacity of Kazakhstan to counter terrorist financing was organized in Burabay, Kazakhstan from 16 to 20 October 2018. The training seminar was delivered to Kazakh participants from the capital and from the country’s Akmola, Aktobe and Karagandy regions.

Life values, growth opportunities and essential needs of young people in the modern society were the focus of the annual three-day Zhas (Youth) Camp that concluded on 21 October 2018 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas and observed enhanced military and military-type presence inside the Petrivske disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as in Staromykhailivka and near Bezimenne.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of agreed withdrawal lines near Pyshchevyk. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station; it also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to critical civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on a civilian car carrying a family that was struck by a ricocheted bullet at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Petrivske disengagement areas and observed military presence in the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Kovske.* The SMM observed weapons in violation of agreed withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station; it also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to critical civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The SMM observed public gatherings marking the European Union’s Anti-Trafficking Day in Kyiv, Sievierodonetsk, Mariupol, Lviv and Chernivtsi.

VIENNA, 19 October 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today deplored the intimidation and death threats directed at journalists with the well-known Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta. He urged the authorities to swiftly and fully investigate these incidents and ensure journalists’ safety.

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 19 October 2018 – Over 40 representatives of law enforcement agencies in Kosovo concluded today an advanced anti-corruption training programme, organized by the 2018 OSCE Italian Chairmanship, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the Italian Embassy in Prishtinë/Priština...

An OSCE-supported five-day training seminar on risk profiling at border checkpoints concluded in Zharkent, Kazakhstan on 19 October 2018.

The implementation and monitoring of Georgia’s Justice for Children System Reform Strategy and National Action Plan were the focus of an OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe-supported study visit by members of the Tajik Inter-Agency Working Group for Juvenile Justice Reform to Tbilisi from 8 to 12 October 2018...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near Zolote-5/Mykhailivka. The Mission recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM observed weapons in violation of the agreed withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Verkhnoshyrokivske and Valianivske.* An SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle again spotted vehicles in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region moving on a dirt road in the middle of the night away from and towards the border with the Russian Federation where there are no border crossing facilities. The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station; it also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to critical civilian infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering in relation to public service and economy and observed it disperse peacefully...

Civil society has a critical role to play in preventing violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT) and more can be done to strengthen partnerships between government and civil society in order to address this security challenge, said speakers at a two-day regional meeting in Tirana on 17 and 18 October 2018. A new OSCE guidebook that focuses on the role of civil society in addressing VERLT in the context of South-East Europe was also launched at the event...

Strengthening protection and preparedness against terrorist attacks aimed at critical energy infrastructure was the focus of a risk-assessment and crisis management exercise held in Turkmenistan’s capital on 17 and 18 October 2018, organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

VIENNA, 18 October 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed concern about the announcement of a new registration system for 44 websites in Albania and their potential closure...

A roundtable discussion of Tajikistan’s legislation on the country’s transition to digital broadcasting was jointly organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the Parliament of Tajikistan on 18 October in Dushanbe. The discussion focused on a legal analysis of the existing relevant Tajik law conducted by legal experts of the OSCE in the summer of 2018.

On 15 October over 2,000 participants from 21 countries gathered at the fourth annual International Entrepreneurship Forum in Dushanbe. High-level government officials, financial institutions, businesses, diplomats and representatives of international organizations discussed the development of entrepreneurship and investment, as well as contemporary economic trends.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. Small arms were again fired near an SMM patrol and towards an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle near Mykolaivka Druha. The Mission observed weapons in violation of the agreed withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas. The SMM’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas as well as near Yuzhna-Lomuvatka, Novoazovsk, Zaichenko and Siedove, near the border with the Russian Federation.* The Mission continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also facilitated and monitored adherence to the ceasefire to enable repairs to and maintenance of critical infrastructure in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, repairs to the phenol sludge reservoir near Zalizne, as well as demining in the area of Zolote-2/Karbonit. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored a gathering in relation to electoral legislation...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe contributed to the development of regional economic connectivity by supporting the annual International Economic Forum “Sughd-2018” which took place on 11 October 2018 in Khujand, northern Tajikistan. This year, the forum was dedicated to the achievements and tenth anniversary of the Free Economic Zones (FEZs) in Tajikistan.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, in co-operation with the Regional Association of Women Entrepreneurs, organized a one-day Women’s Entrepreneurship Fair on 17 October 2018 in Sarajevo...

VIENNA, 17 October 2018 – Greater international co-operation can counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, said speakers at today’s meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), which focused on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 within the OSCE region...

Enhancing the political and electoral participation of persons with disabilities was at the centre of discussions during a conference co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Balkans Independent Disability Framework on 16 and 17 October 2018 in Belgrade.