News and press releases

ROME/VIENNA- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Italy’s Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger welcomed the announcement of an agreement between Athens and Skopje on resolving the name issue, which they hailed as a major step towards advancing regional stability...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of civilian casualties in Holubivske. The SMM observed damage caused by shelling at a civilian residence in Dokuchaievsk. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations nearby and observed military equipment and new positions of the armed formations inside the Zolote disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three areas and it was also prevented from following up on civilian casualties at a hospital in an area outside of government control. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in Zolote (outside the disengagement area) and Khlibodarivka. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station through monitoring the security situation around the station. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema and water repairs near Holmivskyi...

VIENNA, 13 June 2018 – Ways to enhance women’s participation in the armed forces were a key area of focus at this year’s Annual Discussion on the Implementation of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, held today in Vienna. Representatives of the OSCE participating States shared their experiences on implementing the Code, a unique and fundamental document which aims to regulate the role of armed forces in democratic societies...

Participants from eight OSCE field operations and 16 non-governmental organizations from across the OSCE region shared experiences and exchanged good practices at the 16th annual trial monitoring meeting. The event was organized in Kyiv by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine from 12 to 14 June 2018.

An OSCE Programme Office in Astana-supported seminar, co-organized with NGO Legal Media Centre, on the protection of freedom of expression and policies to counter hate speech on the Internet took place on 12 June 2018 in Kostanay, Kazakhstan...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. The Mission observed damage caused by shelling in and near residential areas of Donetskyi as well as nearby positions. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The SMM observed a newly extended trench north of the Petrivske disengagement area and again observed military-type hardware and positions inside the disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted near Izvaryne and Sievernyi at the border with the Russian Federation, as well as in Krasnolutskyi. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to facilitate the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station and to monitor the security situation around the station. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema...

TASHKENT, 12 June, 2018- Raising awareness and formulating policy recommendations on the need to engage and empower youth in preventing violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT) was the focus of a two-day international conference that ended today. The event, organized by the OSCE in co-operation with the upper house of the parliament, the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the United Nations, was held in Tashkent and Samarkand, respectively.

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs)...

BELGRADE, 12 June 2018 – Improvements in the accommodation of migrants and refugees in Serbia have been welcomed by a delegation led by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Nahima Lanjri (MP, Belgium), with parliamentarians noting that other OSCE countries can learn from these positive developments. They pointed out however that Serbia’s capacity needs to be expanded and adapted to fully meet the needs of unaccompanied minors...

SKOPJE, 12 June 2018 – Improving the safety of journalists during critical events was the focus of an OSCE-supported workshop today in Skopje, which brought together some 20 journalists and police officers...

Ukraine’s challenges in modernizing its chemical regulatory system to meet international standard were discussed at an OSCE Project Co-ordinator-hosted workshop on 12 and 13 June in Kyiv...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) launched a new publication to help train police and prosecutors to address hate crimes in Bulgaria at a workshop organized in partnership with the Prosecutor’s Office and the National Institute of Justice on 12 June 2018 in Sofia.

An exhibition of images and biographies of distinguished women of Georgia – painters, artists, writers and public figures – who redefined women’s roles in the 19th and 20th-century Georgian society opened at the headquarters of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in

The OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) concluded its 21st Border Management Staff Course for Women Leaders on 8 June in Dushanbe.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region between the evenings of 8 and 9 June, compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 9 and 10 June, the SMM 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 Vasylivka and Horlivka. The Mission continued to follow up on damage from shelling to civilian properties in Sakhanka. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three areas and was also restricted at a heavy weapons holding area in a non-government-controlled part of Donetsk region, in Sakhanka and in Siedove near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas, including a surface-to-air missile system spotted by an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle which recorded a missile contrail and the launching of a second missile in the direction of the UAV near Ukrainske. The Mission continued to monitor the security situation around the Donetsk Filtration Station and facilitated repairs to an electricity line, the access of Voda Donbassa employees to and from the station and the resumption of operations of the Donetsk Filtration Station...

On 7 and 8 June 2018, the Programme Office in Dushanbe hosted a delegation from the Japanese Permanent Mission to the OSCE in Vienna. The main purpose of the visit was to assess the effectiveness of projects funded by Japan and implemented by the Office in the past several years.

The OSCE and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) have published a study on 8 June 2018 analysing asset recovery mechanisms in Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova and Romania...

MINSK, 11 June 2018- Highly toxic rocket fuel components completely removed in Belarus on 11 June 2018. The representatives of the OSCE, Belarus Defence Ministry, the Contractor, international experts and donors signed the final certificates of the joint project closure today in Minsk...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. In Sakhanka, the SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty and observed fresh damage to civilian infrastructure. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area and near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted at a checkpoint in Maiorsk and in Naberezhne. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas. The Mission continued to monitor the security situation around the Donetsk Filtration Station. It also continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema. The SMM followed up on reports of an incident at a Roma community camp in Kyiv.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission followed up on reports of a boy injured while handling unexploded ordnance and civilians injured in Holubivske; it observed damage to civilian infrastructure in Dokuchaievsk and Pivdenne. In Pivdenne, the SMM observed the presence of Ukrainian Armed Forces in residential areas and heard about the lack of basic services in the area. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted in Voznesenivka near the border with the Russian Federation and in Pivdenne, where the SMM heard warning shots nearby. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Holmivskyi and Sofiivka. The Mission continued to monitor the security situation around the Donetsk Filtration Station and facilitated the departure of workers from the station. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema. The SMM visited two railyards in areas not under government control.

CHISINAU, 8 June 2018 – The Personal Representative of the Italian OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism, Rabbi Andrew Baker, concluded his three-day trip to Moldova today, which is a follow-up to his first visit to the country last year. Over the course of his visit, Rabbi Baker met with representatives from the government, the parliament, and the Jewish community to discuss the progress of the implementation of the Action Plan for 2017-2019 in the field of Holocaust education and remembrance. The Action Plan was adopted by the Moldovan government on 22 May 2017.

VIENNA, 8 June 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today sent a letter to the United States authorities to express concern about the seizure of a journalist’s records as part of an ongoing investigation into the leaking of classified information and to enquire whether the seizure respected national and international standards on the protection of journalistic sources...

Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 8 June 2018 – The fourth Youth and Security summer school, held from 4 to 8 June in Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Konjic concluded today...

VIENNA, 8 June 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today expressed his concern about the seizure of a Dutch journalist’s records as part of an ongoing investigation into the leaking of classified information...

Representatives of national human rights institutions (NHRIs) from the OSCE region developed their knowledge and skills in promoting and protecting human rights during the fifth NHRI Academy organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the European Network

Disaster risk reduction in areas with transboundary water flows was the focus of a study tour to Switzerland and Italy for ten disaster risk management experts from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan organized jointly by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek from 7 to 9 June 2018...

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo continues its campaign to raise public awareness about the safety of journalists, with billboards and murals featuring prominent journalists placed throughout Kosovo...

At 11:03 on 7 June, an SMM patrol consisting of 15 members and four armoured vehicles was positioned in Chyhari, an area on the south-eastern edge of Pivdenne (government-controlled, 40km north-east of Donetsk). Two SMM patrol members, led (at a distance of 7m) by the representative of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC), four officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and three Ukrainian Armed Forces sappers, were walking east on Poltavska Street to check that the area was safe for the patrol to proceed. The other 13 SMM patrol members were waiting about 50m west.

SKOPJE, 8 June 2018 – Government officials and civil society representatives gathered today in Skopje at an OSCE-organized event to discuss the findings of an UNHCR-supported analysis of the existing legal framework for registration of unregistered persons...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Directorate for Youth within the Ministry of Sport organized a regional conference entitled “The European perspective of the Western Balkan within the Berlin process” on 8 June 2018 in Budva.

An OSCE Programme Office in Astana-supported workshop on investigating financial crime and recovering stolen assets concluded on 8 June 2018 in Astana...

The OSCE Mission to Serbia organized a conference on alternative criminal measures and sanctions on 8 June 2018, in Belgrade....

ERGNETI, 7 June 2018- The 87th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) meeting in Ergneti was conducted in a constructive atmosphere...

VIENNA, 7 June 2018 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his concern today over the dismissal of the General Director of the RTCG, Andrijana Kadija, and its consequences for the independence of the broadcaster...

SARAJEVO, 7 June 2018 – Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Countering Terrorism (CCT) today concluded a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), where they learned more about local and regional challenges in countering terrorism and violent extremism. In Sarajevo on Wednesday, members met with colleagues from the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE Mission to BiH, civil society, government ministries, and law enforcement officers to exchange best practices and promote the role of parliamentarians in the field of counter-terrorism...

A high-level meeting to discuss key findings of an OSCE-conducted needs assessment on combating illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition and explosive (WAE) in and across Ukraine’s borders and determine potential areas for subsequent project co-operation took place on 7 June in Kyiv.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission heard small arms fired near its position, assessed as directed at its SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flying near Novoselivka Druha. An SMM long-range UAV was jammed near Debaltseve and Sofiivka. The SMM 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 and was also restricted near Izvaryne at the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The Mission continued to monitor the security situation around the Donetsk Filtration Station and again heard ceasefire violations in the area, despite security guarantees. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station near Artema...

Strengthening co-operation in the field of environmental and sustainable development in Central Asia was the focus of the 2018 OSCE International Business Forum on Green Technologies, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan in co-operation with the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Ecology and Environmental Protection and ITECA Exhibitions, on 5 and 6 June in Tashkent.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) facilitated the signing of an inter-agency protocol on addressing hate crime at an event on 6 June 2018 in Athens. It was organized in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice, Transparency and Human Rights of Greece. The

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. Small arms were fired in the direction of an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Zaitseve and an SMM long-range UAV was jammed near Horlivka. The SMM followed up on reports of two civilian casualties, in Vozdvyzhenka and in an area close to the contact line. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near all three disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted near Siedove, an area in Donetsk region near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM monitored the security situation and successfully facilitated the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), as well as of repair works to the DFS and demining activities around the station. Due to ceasefire violations registered in the area and the presence of explosive devices near the DFS, the Mission decided to suspend and review its facilitation of the physical access of DFS employees through enhanced SMM presence. It continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station in Artema.

VIENNA, 6 June 2018- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, today condemned the killing of journalist and videographer (or vlogger) Zachary Stoner, who was fatally shot on 30 May in Chicago, United States. Stoner published videos on his YouTube page called “zacktv1”, which has 170,000 videos and more than 180,000 subscribers. Stoner’s videos focused on the realities of life in his community and hip hop artists in Chicago.

KYIV, 6 June 2018 – Ceasefire violations continue around the Donetsk Filtration Station in eastern Ukraine, says the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan...

OSCE participating States should step up their efforts to ensure the effective and meaningful participation of Roma and Sinti in public and political life, said participants at the consultation workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 5

A new OSCE-supported online tool, a handbook designed to help drug enforcement officials to increase the number of arrests of drug smugglers, was launched at the premises of the Council of Europe on 6 June 2018 in Strasbourg, France...

While finding that the 4 March 2018 parliamentary elections in Italy were conducted in a professional manner and characterized by a high level of public confidence in the election administration, the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recommends

On 6 June 2018, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) published the final report  on the 18 March 2018 presidential election in the Russian Federation.  The report recommends that, in order to improve the electoral process, national legislation

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed fresh impact sites in Shyrokyne. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Zolote and Petrivske disengagement areas. The Mission’s access remained restricted in all three disengagement areas and was also restricted near Izvaryne, an area in Luhansk region near the border with the Russian Federation. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line near Vodiane, Bohoiavlenka, Sentianivka and in Luhansk city. The SMM’s monitoring and facilitation of the access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), as well as demining activities near the DFS, was interrupted after the SMM heard ceasefire violations in nearby areas. The Mission continued to monitor and facilitate repairs to the Petrivske pumping station in Artema.

ISTANBUL, 5 June 2018 – Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), the Special Co-ordinator of the short-term OSCE observer mission to the early parliamentary and presidential elections taking place in Turkey later this month, today wrapped up a visit to Istanbul where he has met with representatives of political parties, NGOs, analysts, and journalists.

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 decreased at both BCPs.

Some 20 representatives of law enforcement agencies from Belarus and the Russian Federation began an OSCE Secretariat-organized five-day training course, from 4 to 9 June 2018 in Minsk, on developing co-operation among law enforcement agencies in digital forensics and network investigations in combating drug-related and other crimes...