News and press releases

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited Belgrade from 17 to 19 June 2024 to continue his longstanding engagement with the authorities of Serbia on issues related to national minorities. Nearing the completion of his mandate, the High Commissioner thanked his

From June 18 to 20, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities organized a workshop titled "Navigating the Virtual Asset Landscape" in Warsaw, Poland. The workshop, which was hosted by the Ministry of Finance of Poland, targeted Ukrainian supervisory

WARSAW, 20 June 2024 – As the number of forcibly displaced people in the OSCE area reaches a record high, the proliferation of new border technologies is likely to have a profound impact on the human rights and fundamental freedoms of refugees across the region, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said on the occasion of World Refugee Day.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) welcomes the adoption of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) Strategy for the Fight against Corruption 2024-2028 and the accompanying Action Plan for Implementation by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 18 June, the OSCE Secretariat hosted a group of international students in Vienna, Austria, for a summer school visit on organized crime. The visit provided participants with hands-on experience of the Organization's programmatic activities, offering them a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the OSCE's comprehensive whole-of-society approach to the prevention of organized crime.

From 17 to 18 June 2024, a delegation, headed by the Director of the Anti-Corruption Agency of Uzbekistan, carried out a study visit to Georgia to learn from its experience in accession to and membership in the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

BÜRGENSTOCK, 16 June 2024 — “Since the beginning of the war, the OSCE has remained focused on addressing the situation in Ukraine," said OSCE Chair-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Malta Ian Borg at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine. 

On 13 June, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department organized a regional co-ordination meeting for 20 senior representatives of law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities and educational institutions from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in Vienna, Austria.

VIENNA, 13 June 2024 – “The failure to guarantee media freedom and healthy information spaces is increasingly disillusioning and disenfranchising people throughout the OSCE region,” stated OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro in her address to OSCE participating States. Presenting her seventh and final bi-annual report to the Permanent Council, she highlighted escalating repression against the media and its detrimental impact on democratic principles and security across the OSCE region and urged States to bolster efforts to safeguard media freedom for the benefit of peace and security.

Members of the Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN) and the French Agency for the Management and Recovery of Seized and Confiscated Asset met in Paris on 10 and 11 June 2024 to exchange experiences and good practices.

The OSCE Mission to BiH (the Mission) congratulates the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) on its adoption of the Strategy for Prevention and Fight against the Domestic Violence 2024-2027.

On 11 June, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department organized the concluding conference for the first phase of its flagship regional capacity-building initiative on combating cybercrime in Central Asia at the Hofburg in Vienna. The conference took stock of the project’s achievements over the last three years, and highlighted the main outcomes and lessons learned from its implementation.

Cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets can present a wide range of risks, including but not limited to money laundering, terrorist financing, and fraud. To strengthen Armenia’s crypto-related crime investigation capacities, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), gathered 23 representatives from the public sector in Yerevan from 12 to 14 June for a targeted training session to foster their expertise in this area.

On 10 and 12 June, the OSCE Transitional Threats Department gathered 86 policy and technical cybersecurity points of contact from 51 participating States. This is the fourth annual meeting of national representatives who are part of the OSCE’s Point of Contact network established in line with the confidence-building measure number 8, one of the 16 cyber/ICT security confidence-building measures agreed upon by all OSCE participating States.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) has organized a study trip on 10-12 June 2024 by the Constitutional Court of Uzbekistan to constitutional courts and law institutions in Germany.

On 4 and 5 June 2024, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) hosted two expert roundtables, in Tashkent and Samarkand cities, respectively, on the “Recommendations on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life”. (Socio-Economic Recommendations). The events were organized in co-operation with the National Centre for Human Rights (NCHR) of Uzbekistan.

The Faculty of Law of the University of Tirana, in co-operation with OSCE Presence in Albania and Università di Pavia organized an international scientific conference on “Crime, society, criminal law and justice reform”, in Tirana, on 10 June 2024. About sixty participants discussed in depth

BRUSSELS, 10 June 2024 – The European parliamentary elections were competitive and offered voters a wide choice of genuine political alternatives, but differing practices for voter and candidate registration created unequal conditions and there were concerns about growing political polarization and disinformation, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today.

For the first time in Albania, the OSCE Presence, in close co-operation with Ministry of Interior and Albanian State Police, organized a regional exhibition of police service dogs’ capabilities in detection of narcotics and firearms. The event took place in the central “Rinia” park in Tirana, on 7

On 28 and 29 May, the Heads of Asset Management Agencies from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Moldova, North Macedonia and Ukraine gathered in Skopje, North Macedonia for a meeting of the Steering Group of the Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN).

The OSCE has taken a proactive position in addressing human rights abuses within supply chains, particularly focusing on preventing and combating human trafficking and labour exploitation in the tourism sector.

On 27- 30 May 2024, the final simulation-based exercise on combating human trafficking took place in the Lviv region, concluding the comprehensive 2-year training initiative by the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine and IOM Representation in Ukraine.

From 3 to 7 June 2024, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) in close co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, organized a training of trainers course on identifying forged documents and impostors at border crossing points in Tirana, Albania. The course brought together five officers, two women and three men, from the Albanian State Police and the Albanian Border Police.

Moldovan border and law enforcement officers visited the International Airport Henri Coanda in Otopeni and the International Airport Avram Iancu in Cluj-Napoca during a study visit that took place from 3 to 7 June. Organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department with the support of the Permanent Mission of Romania to the OSCE, the visit helped participants improve their expertise and skills related to airport security.

In view of the 2025 parliamentary elections in Albania, the OSCE Presence and the Central Election Commission (CEC) organized a technical workshop on enhancing the role of law enforcement bodies in addressing vote-buying and other electoral violations, on 6 June 2024. The workshop served as a

On 4-6 June 2024, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, jointly with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), organized a training course in Budva, Montenegro, aimed at equipping national officials with critical skills to counter the financing of terrorism.

The need for more gender-balanced political representation and the urgent need to end violence against women were key topics at the two-day regional expert conference titled Transforming Politics: Male Politicians as Critical Actors for Gender Equality and Eliminating Violence against Women. The conference, held on 5-6 June in Sarajevo, brought together over 70 participants, including parliament members, party leaders, government agency representatives, and civil society members from South-East Europe. It was jointly organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 5 June 2024, the city of Osh hosted a festival Create4 Caravan Osh, bringing together creators and innovators to exchange ideas, and build network. The event was divided into two parts: day and evening sessions. During the day, 80 selected entrepreneurs from the creative industry developed roadmaps in a foresight session. The evening session was open to all city residents and included panel discussions, a buffet, live music, and a thematic film screening for over 150 participants.

On 5 and 6 June, the OSCE Gender Issues Programme, in collaboration with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), organized a regional meeting for women peacebuilders in Istanbul, Türkiye. The event that marked a milestone of the nearly three-year partnership brought together prominent women peacebuilders from Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the South Caucasus and representatives from   the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), UNFPA and UN Women.

A regional conference on “Effective strategies for recovering stolen assets; management and disposal of seized, confiscated and returned assets and current issues related to crypto assets in the context of asset recovery” took place in Tashkent on 20-21 May. The event convened delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the host country, Uzbekistan, and was co-hosted by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities Economic Governance Unit (OCEEA/EGU), the Transnational Threats Department Strategic Police Matters Unit (TNTD/SPMU) and the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia.

On 4 and 5 June 2024, the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), in co-operation with the National Centre for Human Rights of Uzbekistan and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), organized two expert roundtables in Tashkent and Samarkand to share practical

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, wrapped up an interactive training programme focusing on media and information literacy in the context of preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (P/CVERLT) in Tirana, Albania, on 5 and 6 June 2024.

Environmental crime is a growing challenge that requires joint action, improved co-ordination amongst state institutions and NGOs, and full awareness among private sector, the media and citizens. The OSCE Mission to Montenegro will support national stakeholders to jointly address this issue, as formation of joint working groups for environmental crime investigations has been agreed. These were conclusions from a roundtable organized by the Mission on 5 June to coincide with World Environment Day.

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 5 June 2024 – The OSCE Mission launched the report “From Paper to Practice- Evaluating the Effectiveness of Judicial Response to serious Organized Crime and Corruption in the Western Balkans”- an analysis of the justice system in Kosovo, as part of a wider regional OSCE project carried out with EU financial support.

The presentation aimed to create a platform for discussion, identify and exchange good practices developed in specific regional contexts, and develop targeted bilateral approaches for more strategic engagement of all stakeholders, including civil society organizations and international bodies.

The Western Balkans Trial Monitoring report “From Paper to Practice”, developed within the regional project implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia, was published today with recommendations on how judicial response to organized crime and corruption cases in these five jurisdictions can be improved.

In a significant step towards gender equality and the elimination of violence against women, Presidents of Women’s Forums and representatives from 10 political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have reached a consensus on the Principles for Political Engagement. The OSCE Mission to BiH facilitated this crucial meeting in Sarajevo, where the finalized text of these principles was agreed upon.

As part of the continuous efforts to strengthen the media self-regulatory bodies in Montenegro, the OSCE Mission organized a study visit to Netherlands for the representatives of the Technical Working Group on Self-Regulation on 30 and 31 May.

The OSCE Asian Partners for Co-Operation Group and OSCE participating States met in Vienna on 3 June to discuss the pressing issue of Afghan women’s rights, emphasizing the broader implications for regional and global stability. This event focused on exploring actionable strategies for empowering Afghan women and mitigating the challenges they face. The meeting brought together high-level representatives and experts to address the significant challenges faced by Afghan women and the global implications of their plight. This special meeting was organized by North Macedonia as Chair of the OSCE Asian Partners for Co-operation Group.

BELGRADE, 3 June 2024 – Serbia’s local elections were well run and freedom of expression and assembly were respected, but the dominance of the ruling party as well as the fragmentation of the opposition reduced their competitiveness, while allegations of widespread pressure on public sector employees and misuse of public resources favoured the ruling coalition, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today.

The OSCE Mission supported a delegation of six senior officials of the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety (KAPS) and its public safety agencies to conduct a visit to North Carolina Justice Academy (NCJA) in the United States (US) from 27 May to 1 June 2024. The visit was part of Mission’s continued

On 29-30 May, 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in collaboration with the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market (ARDFM), conducted a training seminar in Almaty. The seminar focused on combating money laundering arising from tax crimes, entrepreneurial activities, and public procurement offenses. This initiative is part of a broader, multi-year co-operation aimed at strengthening Kazakhstan’s capacity to counter money laundering and terrorist financing.

Investigating online terrorist-related crimes in line with human rights and gender-sensitive approaches was the focus of a training-of-trainer course held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 28 to 31 May 2024 by the OSCE Secretariat Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan. 

The OSCE Secretariat Transnational Threats Department and the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a regional workshop dedicated to protecting soft targets from terrorist attacks in Astana on 27 and 28 May 2024 with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana.

From 27-31 May, the 40th Plenary Meeting of the Eurasian Group (EAG) on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) took place in Bishkek. Supported by the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, this event underscored the OSCE’s role in regional efforts to combat financial crimes and enhance financial security.

Georgia’s newly approved law “on transparency of foreign influence” contains serious deficiencies that make it incompatible with international human rights standards and the country’s commitments as an OSCE state, and it should be rescinded, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human

Switzerland's 2023 federal assembly elections were competitive and well organized, and new campaign finance regulation increased transparency, but donation and campaign spending limits are lacking and reporting on spending is regrettably not required. The redesigned internet voting system

On 21 and 22 May 2024, two military advisors from the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the OSCE in Vienna, the United Kingdom Delegation to the OSCE in Vienna, and one representative from the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center’s Forum for Security Co-operation Support Unit (CPC/FSC SU) visited the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD) and OSCE-supported Regional Explosive Hazards Training Center (REHTC).

More than 50 public officials, business and civil society representatives gathered in Sofia to discuss collaborative efforts in addressing human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation. Hosted by the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the Council of Europe's Anti-Trafficking Division, and supported by the Bulgarian National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the event encouraged dialogue and intensified action towards implementing ethical supply chains in Bulgaria.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission), in co-operation with the AIRE Centre and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and Republika Srpska (RS) Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Centres, organized a tailored training course on ethical standards and disciplinary practices for 40 judges and prosecutors on 29 May in Sarajevo.