News and press releases

The first assessment of the newly established notary system in Serbia was presented to more than 100 representatives of state institutions, courts, notarial profession, international community and academia in Belgrade on 29 June 2017 by the Chamber of Notaries with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia....

KYIV, 29 June 2017 – The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) will hold its regular news briefing on Friday, 30 June in Kyiv...

WARSAW, 28 June 2017 – Witold Waszczykowski, Poland’s Minster of Foreign Affairs, and Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), signed an agreement today establishing relations with the OSCE within Poland, including the legal basis for ODIHR’s operations in the country...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the three disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* It assessed impact sites in Vesela Hora. The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored repairs to electricity lines and water pipes near Zolote. The SMM visited a border area not under government control. A vehicle explosion killed a Ministry of Defence official in Kyiv...

Representatives of the Judicial Academy of the Slovak Republic and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) signed an agreement on 28 June 2017 that will help Slovakian prosecutors and judges strengthen their ability to effectively prosecute hate crimes.

An OSCE-supported two-day training seminar on best practices in combating corruption concluded on 28 June 2017 in Astana...

A two-day training course on mentorship principles for women leaders, organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, concluded in Dushanbe on 23 June 2017...

ASTANA, 28 June 2017 – The eleventh annual OSCE Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN) seminar began today on the premises of ForteBank’s head office in Astana...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported a customized two-day workshop on conducting financial investigations in money laundering cases from 21 to 22 June 2017 in Podgorica...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM assessed a number of impact sites near Shchastia. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations inside and near the Zolote disengagement area and saw a white signal flare fired from near a checkpoint south of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including at a checkpoint near Sidove. The SMM continued to monitor the situation of civilians travelling across the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. The SMM visited one border area not under government control. It monitored gatherings in Dnipro and Odessa...

VIENNA 27 June 2017 – Dialogue, co-operation and willingness to compromise are crucial to addressing the current security challenges, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz as he opened the three-day 2017 Annual Security Review Conference in Vienna today...

VIENNA, 27 June 2017- A team of students from the San Pablo CEU University of Spain was today awarded the first prize in a regional competition organized by the OSCE United in Countering Violent Extremism (#UnitedCVE) campaign as part of the Peer to Peer (P2P): Facebook Global Digital Challenge...

Ottawa, 24 June 2017 – OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, concluded on Friday a five-day follow-up visit to Canada to discuss the country’s progress in implementing OSCE anti-trafficking commitments subsequent to the previous 2011 Special Representative’s report.

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana is supporting a training seminar and a regular meeting of the Aral-Syrdariya Water Basin Council which began in Kyzyl-Orda, Southern Kazakhstan on 27 June 2017...

Brussels, 27 June 2017 − Today, the EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and the Director of OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Michael Georg Link launched a new project to support democratic elections in the Western Balkans...

An OSCE-supported workshop for lawyers "Freedom from torture: international and national legislation and practice" concluded in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 27 June 2017...

More than 40 representatives of Kyrgyzstan’s parliament – the Jogorku Kenesh, the government, as well as independent experts took part in the OSCE Summer School on “National interests of the Kyrgyz Republic in the modern geopolitical situation” on 21-24 June 2017. The Summer School, at Issyk Kul, northern Kyrgyzstan, brought together officials who in their daily work are involved in developing the country’s internal and external policies as part of the National Sustainable Strategy to 2040 and the national high-tech project Taza Koom.The Project provides for better public services, business conditions and transparency in the public administration system...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized a three-day summer training course for lawyers from 23 to 25 June 2017 aimed at enhancing their ability to access information and to collect and protect personal data in accordance with Moldovan law and international standards. The event, held at Vadul-lui-Vodă, brought together 30 lawyers and representatives of NGOs and legal aid clinics for lively discussions on this complex subject...

ULAANBAATAR, 27 June 2017 – The 26 June 2017 presidential election in Mongolia was competitive and well-organized, featuring a short yet fierce campaign; the election administration largely enjoyed public confidence and the freedoms of assembly and expression were generally respected. However, protracted resolution of complaints, as well as pending court cases, led to uncertainty regarding candidacies. The media coverage was extensive, but largely devoid of analytical reporting, the international observers concluded in a statement released today...

Between the evenings of 23 and 24 June the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 24 and 25 June the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours.

Astana, 26 June 2017- An OSCE-supported workshop organized to familiarise participants with international experience on customs control procedures during transit of goods and vehicles, took place on 26 June 2017 in Astana.

A new Election Expert Database was launched by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 26 June 2017 to improve the management of staff recruitment for all ODIHR election observation activities. The new database is designed to further increase the transparency and

TIRANA, 26 June 2017 – The 25 June parliamentary elections in Albania took place following a political agreement between the leaders of the Socialist Party (SP) and Democratic Party (DP) that secured the participation of the opposition. Electoral contestants were able to campaign freely and fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression were respected. The implementation of the political agreement, however, created challenges for the election administration and resulted in a selective and inconsistent application of the law, international observers concluded in a statement today.

The SMM heard small-arms and outgoing mortar fire close to its position in Zolote-4. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on civilian casualties in Marinka, Luhanske and Kadiivka. The SMM observed damage as a result of shelling in Vesela Hora, Kadiivka, Shchastia and Vodiane.

On 23 June an SMM patrol comprising two armoured vehicles and six members was stationary in a residential area in government-controlled Zolote-4, approximately 300m north of the Zolote disengagement area (60km north-west of Luhansk). All patrol members were outside the vehicles.

WARSAW, 26 June 2017 – On the occasion of today’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), called on all OSCE participating States to ensure that no one is exposed to the risk of torture, including by ensuring that the states’ actions do not put people at risk of being tortured in other countries.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed a fresh impact site in Zaichenko. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations in Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Olenivka.* “DPR” and “LPR” refused to provide the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination with written security guarantees which facilitate the implementation of SMM’s mandate...

DUSHANBE, 23 June 2017 – The OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) today concluded its second one-year Border Security and Management for Senior Leadership Course with participants defending their coursework in Dushanbe, Tajikistan...

Specialized investigative techniques for government officials to counter the internet-based narcotics trade were the focus of a training course organized by the US Embassy in Kazakhstan and the Global Training Team of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration's Office of Training with support from the OSCE Programme Office from 19 to 23 June 2017 in Astana...

An induction course for newly hired war crimes legal support staff in courts and prosecutors’ offices, organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Centre of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, concluded on 23 June 2017 in Sarajevo...

Efforts to address anti-Semitism, discrimination and intolerance through coalition building that addresses gender and interlinking forms of discrimination was the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) from 21 to 23 June 2017 in

Strengthening the capacity of government officials from Kyrgyzstan to counter terrorist financing is the aim of a three-day train-the-trainers course organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's Global Programme against Money Laundering from 23 to 25 June 2017 in Vienna...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of casualties in Yasynuvata and Pikuzy and observed fresh impact sites south of the bridge in Shchastia. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near Zolote disengagement area and inside Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area.

A group of 22 mid- to higher rank officers of Spain’s local police forces gained essential knowledge and skills to respect human rights in countering and preventing violent extremism that may lead to terrorism during a training workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and

VIENNA, 22 June 2017 – Freedom of religion or belief, and tolerance and non-discrimination are essential to ensuring peace and security in the OSCE region, participants said today at the opening of a two-day OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting in Vienna...

The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on Turkey’s 16 April 2017 constitutional referendum, published on 22 June 2017, recommends reviewing the legal framework to guarantee respect for fundamental rights and freedoms. Free and equal participation of

The stronger political engagement of people with disabilities at the national level and increased co-operation with organizations representing them were discussed during two events organized in Skopje this week by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Skopje...

MINSK, 22 June 2017 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG and its working groups in Minsk on 21 June 2017...

The OSCE Programme Office in Astana supported the second of two training seminars on the judicial application of environmental legislation in civil and economic cases, which was held in Astana on 22 June 2017...

The OSCE Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office on Gender Issues, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, concluded a visit to Ukraine on 17 June 2017. The visit was organized by the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship, the Office of the Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine...

A total of 26 Moldovan army officers and representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the Security and Intelligence Service successfully graduated from a six-week training course on 21 June 2017 supported by the OSCE Mission to Moldova. The course was held in Chisinau and delivered by Moldovan army officers with assistance from Austrian and German trainers...

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) intends to build on existing co-operation to expand its relations with the OSCE in areas including countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism, said speakers at the Forum for Security Co-operation held on 21 June 2017 in Vienna...

GENEVA, Switzerland, 21 June 2017- The participants in the 40th round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) just completed their work. In both working groups, wide-ranging and useful discussions took place...

An armed man opened fire at and violently attacked the SMM in Yasynuvata. The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission confirmed that one elderly woman had been seriously injured by an explosion in Yasynuvata. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Pikuzy.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. An SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted, for the first time, the presence of 13 anti-tank mines near Pikuzy. The SMM observed long queues of civilians travelling across the contact line at Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. It continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines between Almazna and Zolote. The Mission visited one border area not under government control. In Kyiv the SMM continued to observe a protest by supporters of the former Aidar battalion...

VIENNA, 21 June 2017 – Major threats to media freedom and freedom of expression, particularly in those regions affected by conflict and crisis, were the focus of the conference, Media Freedom in Volatile Environments, organized by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, which concluded in Vienna yesterday...

SARAJEVO, 21 June 2017 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) today in Sarajevo presented the third in a series of reports that highlights progress achieved by the country’s justice sector between 2014 and 2016 in tackling cases of sexual violence committed during the 1992-1995 war, as well as recommendations on how to enhance these efforts.

A team of elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) visited Skopje from 21 to 23 June 2017 to present the final report of the ODIHR election observation mission for the 11 December 2016 early parliamentary elections. The ODIHR experts discussed the

The basic concepts of gender responsive budgeting, its importance and implementation at the municipal level were discussed during an OSCE-supported training course held on 15 and 16 June 2017in Podgorica...

COPENHAGEN, 21 June 2017 – Some 25 OSCE parliamentarians from 15 countries will observe the 26 June presidential election in Mongolia and provide leadership for the OSCE’s short-term observer mission. The election observation mission to Mongolia marks the first time for the OSCE PA observing an election in the country...

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 increased at both BCPs...