News and press releases

Osh, 15-19 July 2024 – The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek conducted a week-long Training-of-Trainers (ToT) course on Ammunition Bunker Site (ABS) management. This initiative aimed to enhance the skills and knowledge of trainer candidates in managing Ammunition Bunker Sites according to international guidelines and best practices. The training focused on compliance with the International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) and national regulations, providing both theoretical and practical lessons on setting up and running ABS, with an emphasis on safety measures to prevent unforeseen events at storage sites.

Effective management of seized and confiscated virtual assets is critical to addressing the risks posed by cryptocurrencies, including money laundering, terrorist financing, and fraud. To enhance Armenia’s capabilities in this area, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) conducted a specialized training session in Yerevan on 18 and 19 July. The event brought together 22 representatives from law enforcement and regulatory bodies to improve their knowledge and skills in managing seized and confiscated virtual assets.

VIENNA, 18 July 2024 – Media freedom and democracy improve human security and enhance international and domestic peace. This is the clear empirical conclusion of a new report by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro, authored by the research team at the Varieties of Democracies Institute.

An OSCE-organized seminar on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on freedom of expression took place on 17 and 18 July 2024 in Ashgabat. The two-day event gave an overview of the legal challenges posed by the emergence of AI and presented initiatives of international organizations aimed at

Following the publication of the report “From Paper to Practice” in June, main findings and figures of the project implementation from July 2021 to March 2024 are now included in a factsheet. During the three years, 59 organized crime and corruption cases were monitored in Montenegro, providing a significant basis for the evidence-based findings published by the project.

Annual OSCE-wide Conference on Cyber/ICT Security underscores the importance of strengthening national cyber resilience

Best practices for the regulatory framework, inventory and calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission were shared during an OSCE-organized seminar that began on 16 July in Ashgabat. The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the two-day seminar to provide an overview of existing legislation in the

Effective management of seized and confiscated virtual assets is critical to combating the risks associated with cryptocurrencies, such as money laundering, terrorist financing, and fraud. With the aim to bolster Georgia’s capacities in this area, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) organized a specialized training session in Tbilisi from 15-16 July. The session brought together 20 representatives from law enforcement and supervisory bodies to enhance their expertise in handling and managing seized and confiscated virtual assets.

On 15 and 16 July 2024, 15 young women graduates of the OSCE Scholarship for Peace and Security training programme gather in Vienna for a capacity-building workshop on overcoming the barriers faced by young women working in conflict prevention and resolution. Jointly organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, the Forum for Security Co-operation Support Unit and the OSCE Gender Issues Programme’s WIN Project, the two-day event featured a negotiation skills workshop on conflict prevention and resolution.  

In a significant step towards equality of women and men and the elimination of violence against women, Presidents of Women’s Fora and representatives of political parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) have reached a consensus on the Principles for Political Engagement for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD), Ambassador Willy Kempel, visited the OSCE-supported Regional Explosive Hazards Training Center (REHTC) on 12 July 2024.

From 9 May to 10 July 2024, the OSCE Presence supported the Central Election Commission’s (CEC) informative, educational, and awareness-raising campaign aiming to inform and engage young voters, women and minorities across Albania on various aspects of the electoral process. The first phase of the

The role of the People’s Advocate (Ombudsperson) of the Republic of Moldova in the democratic oversight of the security sector was at the centre of roundtable discussions held in Chisinau on 10 July. Forty participants took part in the event, including representatives of the security sector, government oversight bodies and civil society.

VALLETTA/VIENNA, 12 July – The OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, and OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid, unequivocally condemn today’s sentencing of OSCE official Vadym Golda to 14 years in prison as a result of so-called “legal proceedings” and call for the immediate release of all three OSCE officials in detention, which also include Maxim Petrov and Dmytro Shabanov.

Within the framework of the pilot initiative “Fire Resilient Protected Areas: Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif Area”, the OSCE has donated fire suppression equipment to five park management authorities in the four protected areas of Korab-Koritnik, Mavrovo, Shar Mountain and Sharri/Šara during the period April-June 2024. The donation is part of OSCE initiatives to strengthen regional co-operation in tackling wildfire risks in the shared hotspot Shar/Šara Mountains and Korab Massif Area where forest fires were identified as one of the main climate-related security threats.

Today, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid acknowledged the remarkable achievements of OSCE staff in advancing gender equality and empowering women in the Organization at the fifth award ceremony held at the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 11 July 2024- The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is concerned by certain aspects of today’s adoption by the Assembly of Kosovo of a new Law on the Independent Media Commission (IMC).

An OSCE-organized training seminar on establishing press services of state institutions and organizing their work took place on 9 and 10 July 2024 in Ashgabat. The two-day seminar exposed representatives of key government bodies and national media to  best communications practices of state

From 30 June to 5 July, the OSCE`s Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, organized a study visit on Cybersecurity in Estonia for representatives from Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus.

In preparation for the 2025 parliamentary elections in Albania, on 9 July 2024, the OSCE Presence supported the Central Elections Commission (CEC) in organizing a roundtable discussion to identify and discuss issues impacting the effective administration of the 2025 parliamentary electoral process.

WARSAW/VIENNA, 9 July 2024 – In a new legal analysis of Uzbekistan's draft information code, Matteo Mecacci, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Teresa Ribeiro, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), noted that while the code contains positive elements, it also includes provisions that need improvement to meet international standards and OSCE commitments on freedom of expression and media freedom.

On 4 and 5 July, the OSCE facilitated a training course to enhance the knowledge and skills of criminal justice practitioners from Moldova on investigative techniques in corruption cases. The training course was jointly delivered by practitioners from Guardia di Finanza – Italy’s economic and financial police, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Moldova, and the Romanian National Anti-Corruption Directorate, allowing participants to learn about different models, legal bases and mechanisms in investigating corruption. Special focus was put on Guardia di Finanza’s “follow-the-money” approach, which traces the movement of funds to determine the source and destination of potentially illicit funds.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe supported a delegation from the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Tajikistan, consisting of eight mid and senior-level leadership officers, during a study visit to law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1 to 7 July 2024. The visit was organized in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Srpska Ministry of Interior, and the Federal Ministry of Interior of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Over 40 representatives from the Seized Property Management Agency (FAZUOI) and the Judicial Police in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina met to discuss the challenges in executing court decisions and orders regarding the benefits of property confiscation.

PARIS, 5 July 2024 – Kari Johnstone, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Human Trafficking, concluded her two-day visit to France yesterday. At the invitation of French national authorities, she engaged in constructive discussions with government officials, anti-trafficking stakeholders and civil society organizations.

Alumni of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek discussed the principles of a well-governed security sector with a specific focus on climate change as a risk-multiplier for instability in Central Asia at the Summer School on Human Security and Climate Change held from 1 to 5 July in Chunkurchak, Ala-Archa and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The OSCE Mission to BiH (Mission) welcomes the Bosnia-Podrinje Canton Goražde Government’s (BPC) adoption of a Decree on establishment of an Anti-Corruption Office.

BISHKEK, 1-5 July 2024 – The OSCE Transnational Threats Department conducted a week-long training course “Crisis Management, Behavioural Analysis, and Interviewing Techniques” in collaboration with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

Representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, with support from the OSCE Program Office in Dushanbe, met today with the representatives of the OSCE Mission and Police Administration of the Ministry of Interior of Canton Sarajevo, as part of their five-day study visit to the law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On 5 July 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office), in co-operation with Tajikistan’s Border Troops, concluded a one-month training course titled "Sustaining Field Operational Capacities" (SFOC). The course, which took place from 10 June to 5 July, was led by a national expert and supported by five assistant instructors from the Tajik Border Troops. They leveraged local expertise while fostering sustainable internal training capacities.

On 3-4 July 2024, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) in close co-operation with the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Public Fund to Support and Develop National Media in Uzbekistan, organized a roundtable in the Tashkent region on the topic “Legislative Framework for Ensuring Freedom of Speech and Information: Parliament and Independent Media”.

From 24 to 28 June, the Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the government of Uzbekistan, held a national training course on behavioural detection and interviewing techniques to be used at border crossing points in Uzbekistan. This course was attended by 15 first- and second-line border and customs officers.

WARSAW, 3 July 2024 – This week’s verdicts by a Minsk court sentencing 20 Belarusian experts and analysts in absentia to over a decade in prison for peaceful activities in support of the political opposition are a clear violation of free speech and the right to a fair trial, and should be revoked, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today.

Today marks the beginning of the Intercultural Festival, which aims to celebrate the rich cultural diversity and the importance of co-operation among the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Organized by the pivotal organizations of culture of the peoples of BiH-"Preporod",

On 2 and 3 July, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia, organized a regional workshop to present and discuss the findings of the  OSCE assessment report  on “Understanding the Role of Women in Organized Crime” in the context of South-Eastern

PRISHTINË / PRIŠTINA, 2 July 2024- The OSCE Mission in Kosovo today published its latest trial monitoring report today on the handling of domestic violence cases by the Basic Courts in Kosovo.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina strongly condemns the verbal attack by Sanja Vulic, SNSD Caucus Chair to the BiH House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) against BiH Central Election Commission (CEC) member Vanja Bjelica-Prutina.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan facilitated the participation of four journalists and scholars from Uzbekistan in the Regional Central Asia Safety of Journalists event in Almaty, Kazakhstan, organized on 26-27 June by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM).

From June 17 to 21, 2024, a five-day OSCE Central Asian Summer Media School, "InfoSavvy: AI-Expedition and Media Literacy," was held in Issyk-Kul province, Kyrgyzstan. The school aimed to strengthen media literacy skills of 22 young journalists and bloggers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

ULAANBAATAR, 29 June 2024 – Yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Mongolia were well run and candidates could campaign freely overall, but competitiveness was negatively affected by the lack of a level playing field and a series of pay rises and social benefit increases in the run-up to the elections gave an unjust advantage to the ruling party, international observers said in a statement today.

How to conduct online investigations, as well as effectively identifying and collecting data and information from online open sources was the focus of a training course organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek from 24 to 28 June 2024.

BISHKEK, 27 June 2024 — Today, the OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, concluded his visit to Kyrgyzstan. This visit aimed to underscore the OSCE's long-standing commitment to Kyrgyzstan and discuss the achievements of the strong and constructive partnership with the participating State in achieving regional security for all.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov met with the leadership of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Saudi Arabia on 24 June 2024 to discuss tangible ways to reinforce co-operation on issues of mutual interest. Abdrakhmanov discussed conflict prevention, and

ALMATY, 27 June 2024 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro concluded today the regional Central Asian Safety of Journalists event in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The event, titled "Beyond the Headlines: Protecting Journalists to Advance Media Freedom”, gathered journalists, media professionals, and academia from the Central Asian region to engage in discussions on tools and strategies to promote the safety of journalists.

To bolster Armenia's regulatory framework for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs),  the OSCE organized a workshop from 25 to 27 June in Yerevan. Having united participants from the Financial Monitoring Center and the General Prosecutor’s Office at the Central Bank of Armenia, the workshop

On 25-26 June 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD), in close collaboration with the HELVETAS, supported the 9th Syrdarya Women Basin Forum (Forum) and the 7th Syrdarya Basin Council (Council).

DUSHANBE, 26 June 2024 — Today, OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, concluded his visit to Tajikistan, reaffirming the OSCE’s long-standing co-operative relationship with the country.

GENEVA, 26 June 2024 – The 61st round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place on 25-26 June 2024 in accordance with the six-point agreement of 12 August 2008 and implementing measures of 8 September 2008.

Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission), and Duška Jurišić, Deputy Minister of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, accompanied by representatives of the international community, visited Banja Luka, Prijedor and Kozarac today to learn about challenges facing minorities living in these communities.

VIENNA, 26 June 2024 – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will hold a two-day Annual Security Review Conference (ASRC) in Vienna on 26 and 27 June 2024.