News and press releases

SARAJEVO, 22 March 2016- A conference on consequence management in response to an act of terrorism, organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Ministry of Security of BiH, gathered today over sixty participants from the security and judicial sectors. The conference aimed to strengthen capacities in managing terrorist related incidents and furthering inter-agency co-operation and co-ordination...

WARSAW, 22 March 2016 Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), expressed concerns today over the conviction by a Russian court of Nadiya Savchenko, a Ukrainian air-force pilot, for complicity in the killing of two Russian journalists in June 2014...

BERLIN/VIENNA, 22 March 2016- OSCE Chairperson in Office, Federal Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier condemned today’s terrorist attacks in Brussels in strongest terms and offered their heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the Belgian people and Government, and wished a speedy recovery to the many injured. They stressed the solidarity and the determination of the OSCE to contribute to the fight against terrorism...

COPENHAGEN, 22 March 2016 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) issued the following statement on today's terrorist attacks in Brussels...

Water is a strategic resource and an essential element of prosperity, security and stability. Committed water professionals contribute to sustainable water management and peaceful societies, said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, on the occasion of 22 March, World Water Day, devoted to ‘Water and Jobs’...

The SMM observed a decrease in the number of ceasefire violations on both 19 and 20 March compared with 18 March, and notably registered no violations overnight from 19-20 March in Donetsk region. The situation remained stable in Luhansk. The SMM followed up on allegations of shelling and conducted crater analysis. It facilitated the repair of essential infrastructure. The Mission monitored border areas not controlled by the Government and observed a calm situation. The SMM was restricted in its freedom of movement mainly in areas not controlled by the Government, including in border areas.* The Mission observed the Festival of Equality and violent counter-demonstrations in Lviv.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the heads of Europe’s main intergovernmental human rights institutions call for a strong response to xenophobic attacks against migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and call on governments and state authorities to uphold their international obligations in this regard...