News and press releases

Gender mainstreaming the work of local governments and election campaigns was the focus of an OSCE-supported training seminar for some 45 high-level local government executives and local district legislators from Kazakhstan’s Atyrau Region on 21 June 2017...

A training event held in Vadul-lui-Vodă by the OSCE Mission to Moldova from 16 to 18 June 2017 has equipped some 40 high school students and their teachers with essential debating techniques...

On 20 June an SMM patrol (1) comprising two armoured vehicles and six members was stationary at an observation post at “DPR”-controlled Yasynuvata railway station (16km north-east of Donetsk), when it saw two men in military-style attire, one armed with an assault rifle (AK-type) walking in a western direction about 80m away. Another SMM patrol (2) comprising two armoured vehicles and six members was positioned about 150m west of the other patrol and about 100m from the two men. At 11:06, both patrols heard one burst of small-arms fire assessed as coming from the area of the two men...

WARSAW, 20 June 2017- Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today on World Refugee Day reminded OSCE participating States of their commitment to ensuring the dignified treatment and human rights of all men, women and children wanting to cross borders...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations and fewer explosions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM confirmed the death of a man in Zhovte and observed damage caused by shelling in Pikuzy and Sakhanka. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations in Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and heard an explosion near Zolote. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including in Khreshchatytske when the SMM attempted to corroborate reports of a civilian casualty in the area.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines between Almazna and Zolote. The SMM observed a protest by supporters of the Aidar battalion outside the Kyiv City office of the Security Service of Ukraine...

Good practices in lawmaking, including public consultation and a balanced relationship between legislative and executive bodies, were the focus of a roundtable discussion hosted by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 19 and 20 June 2017 in Warsaw. The event

Some 80 participants from more than 20 countries, including state officials, civil society representatives, international experts and academics, shared good practices and debated practical steps to improve political finance regulations in Eastern and Central Europe during a regional conference

Between 13 and 16 June 2017, the OSCE Mission to Moldova organized two training events in the north and south of Moldova, during which a total of 37 police officers learnt how to effectively identify and investigate bias-motivated crimes, otherwise known as hate crimes...

Vienna, 19 June 2017- High level representatives of more than 20 delegations of OSCE participating States and senior OSCE officials visited on 9 June 2017 the site of the predeployment training for the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine conducted by the Austrian Armed Forces International Centre (AUTINT) in Götzendorf, Lower Austria. The visit was organized by the Austrian OSCE Chairmanship.

Berlin, 19 June 2017 – Making full use of the OSCE Asian Partnership as a forum for addressing common challenges is essential to ensure comprehensive security in the OSCE region and its neighbourhood, emphasized participants at the opening of the OSCE Asian Conference in Berlin today.

Between the evenings of 16 and 17 June the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 17 and 18 June the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. It confirmed one elderly woman had died from a gunshot wound in Sakhanka. The SMM observed damage to multiple civilian properties due to shelling in Shchastia, Starolaspa, Yasynuvata and Obozne...

BAKU, 19 June 2017 – The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France, and Richard Hoagland of the United States of America), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the region in June. The main purpose of the Co-Chairs’ visit was to discuss the position of the Sides towards the next steps in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process after the trilateral ministerial meeting in Moscow (28 April) as well as the overall situation in the conflict zone...

A series of training sessions for state and municipal civil servants on the application of a newly adopted law “On state civil service and municipal service” started on 19 June 2017 in Bishkek...

An OSCE-supported workshop for some 30 judges and regional court employees from Kazakhstan on best practices in combating corruption in the judiciary concluded on 19 June 2017 in Astana...

COPENHAGEN, 19 June 2017 – Responding to a vehicle attack on a group of Muslim worshippers as they left a London mosque last night – killing one person and injuring ten others – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) said the incident underlines that violent extremism knows no race, religion or ethnicity, and must be condemned in all its forms...

Vienna, 17 June 2017 – The OSCE officially joined the ranks of 22 other high-profile international organizations that are this year participating in Astana EXPO-2017 on the theme of “Future Energy” by holding an inaugural ceremony on 14 June 2017.

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. It confirmed one man had died following shelling of government-controlled Sukha Balka and that two people had been injured in a suspected mine explosion in Bairak. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it recorded ceasefire violations near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas and observed construction inside the latter. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. It continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines between Almazna and Zolote. The SMM visited three border areas not under government control. The Mission observed a protest against the re-naming of streets under the de-communisation process in Kyiv...

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, 16 June 2017- A two-day workshop on the “Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings in Supply Chains through Government Practices and Measures” opened yesterday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan in Astana.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, including more explosions compared with the previous reporting period. In Luhansk region the Mission registered more ceasefire violations, but fewer explosions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas; an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle spotted that 12 anti-tank mines previously observed at the edge of the Zolote disengagement area were no longer present.

DUSHANBE, 16 June 2017 – The 17th Staff Course for current and future border security managers concluded today in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Twenty four mid- to senior-level officials from border and customs agencies of Afghanistan, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Portugal, Tajikistan and Ukraine graduated from the course...

SHYMKENT, 16 June 2017 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) is wrapping up a week-long visit to Eastern and Central Asia with meetings in southern Kazakhstan today and tomorrow...

Some 40 court presidents, prosecutors, judges, deputy prosecutors and representatives of the Ministry of Interior`s Service for Combating Organized Crime discussed the impact of recently introduced amendments to the Law on Seizure of the Proceeds from Crime during the joint OSCE Mission to Serbia/Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (POOC) roundtable discussion in Belgrade on 16 June 2017...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas and recorded ceasefire violations inside those near Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote. Its access remained restricted in these areas and elsewhere.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in government-controlled areas and weapons missing from storage sites and holding areas on both sides of the contact line. It continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to power lines between “LPR”-controlled Almazna and Kalynove-Borshchuvate. The SMM monitored two border areas not under government control...

The Kyrgyzstan Government’s Regulatory Reform Council reviewed on 8 June 2017 the third package of recommendations for improving the legal framework regulating private economic activity, developed under the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek’s project Systematic Analysis of Regulations (SAR)...

ASTANA, 15 June 2017 – Greening the economy and building partnerships for security in the OSCE region – transitioning to a greener, cleaner and smarter economy- is the focus of the two-day Second Preparatory Meeting of the Annual OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, which opened today in Astana...

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM confirmed civilian casualties in Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city and in its Trudovskyi settlement and observed damage caused by shelling to civilian properties in Trudovskyi and Zolote-4. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it observed ceasefire violations near Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The Mission facilitated and monitored repairs to Vasylivka water pumping station and to high voltage power lines between Mykhailivka and Almazna.

COPENHAGEN, 14 June 2017 – Following a shooting at a baseball field in a Northern Virginia suburb of Washington, DC, which eyewitnesses said appeared to target Members of Congress, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen (MP, Austria) issued the following statement:..

The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) and the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine organized a conference on “Integration with respect to diversity: legal standards and good practices from across the OSCE region” on 13 June 2017 in Odessa. Participants discussed two

VIENNA, 14 June 2017 – Austria’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Michael Linhart, today reaffirmed his country’s commitment and support to the OSCE as he joined the Organization’s Secretary General, Lamberto Zannier, in signing a Headquarters Agreement between the Republic of Austria and the OSCE...

BEIJING, 13 June 2017 – As part of her ongoing efforts to promote knowledge of the OSCE and its core principles in Eastern Asia, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Christine Muttonen, accompanied by Secretary General Roberto Montella, has held meetings this week in Beijing with representatives of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the International Department of the Communist Party of China...

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...

Kyiv, 13 June 2017- The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, visited certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions from 10-13 June 2017.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region, compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM observed damage to civilian properties in Khrystove. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas; it observed ceasefire violations near Zolote disengagement area. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The Mission saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. The SMM observed the presence of multiple pieces of unexploded ordnance of a multiple launch rocket system near Debaltseve. The Mission continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to high voltage power lines between Mykhailivka and Almazna. The SMM monitored two border areas not under government control. The Mission monitored a protest outside the Russian Federation Consulate in Kharkiv...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova partnered with the National Institute of Justice on 8 and 9 June to launch a new training cycle that aims to boost the capacity of justice sector actors to prosecute instances of domestic violence. The event, held in Chisinau, brought together 22 prosecutors and judges to study how to identify and assist domestic violence victims in the context of recent amendments to Moldovan legislation...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro concluded a series of three workshops on empowerment of Roma and Egyptian women in Montenegro, on 6 June 2017....

Between the evenings of 9 and 10 June the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions and more than five times the number of explosions in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period. Between the evenings of 10 and 11 June, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM heard shots and bursts close to its unmanned aerial vehicle when it was flying near Mineralne. The SMM confirmed that two civilians from Marinka were injured and one from Petrovskyi district of Donetsk city. The Mission observed multiple impact sites in Oleksandrivka, Petrovskyi district, Vasylivka, Bezimenne and Sakhanka. On 11 June it was hindered from observing an impact site in Petrovskyi district by “DPR” members. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; it recorded ceasefire violations in Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area and observed an impact site near Pervomaisk. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* In violation of the withdrawal lines, the Mission saw howitzers near Zaichenko. It observed recently excavated trenches near Shchastia. The Mission visited two border areas not under government control.

VIENNA, 12 June 2017- Energy security as a precondition for economic growth and stability in times of economic and political uncertainty was the focus of the OSCE Mediterranean Contact Group meeting held today in Vienna...

The first public-private partnership in the cybersecurity domain in Serbia was announced at the first national cybersecurity conference, entitled Partnerships for a Secure Cyber Space, held on 12 June 2017 in Belgrade...

VIENNA, 12 June 2017 – Participants in the second OSCE Gender Equality Review Conference in Vienna stressed today that more systematic and concrete action is needed to achieve progress advancing towards gender equality in the OSCE area.

The OSCE Mission to Serbia handed over IT equipment and school supplies to the Kruševac Correctional Institution for Juveniles on the occasion of its 70th anniversary and to the Požarevac Prison for Women, on 9 June 2017...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized a training event for 21 law students between 7 and 9 June 2017 to equip them with the knowledge and skills to deliver primary legal aid to vulnerable people across Moldova. Law students from Moldova’s north and south participated in the event, held at Vadul-lui-Vodă, a town by the Dniester/Nistru River...

The SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued to monitor the disengagement areas: it observed ceasefire violations near Zolote. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM heard small-arms fire close to its unmanned aerial vehicle while it was flying over the Zolote disengagement area. The SMM confirmed civilian casualties from Marinka and Kamianka. It noted damage caused by gunfire or shelling to power lines near Mykhailivka power plant and assessed impact sites at military compounds close to residential areas in Sartana. The SMM observed a tank in violation of withdrawal lines in Avdiivka and saw weapons outside storage sites on both sides of the contact line. The SMM visited two border areas not under government control...

More ceasefire violations were recorded by the SMM in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued to monitor the disengagement areas: it observed ceasefire violations near Zolote, and a white flared being fired in Stanytsia Luhanska. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* Damage to houses and a shop caused by shelling was observed and assessed by the SMM in Krasnohorivka and Pikuzy. The SMM saw weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. It facilitated and monitored repairs to high voltage power lines between Mykhailivka and Almazna. In Kyiv the SMM followed up on reports of an explosion on the grounds of the Embassy of the United States...

VICENZA, Italy, 9 June 2017 – The second five-day OSCE simulation-based training course on combating human trafficking along migration routes concluded today at the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) in Vicenza, Italy...

DUSHANBE, 9 June 2017 – A one-month Border Management Staff Course for Women Leaders concluded today at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe...

Representatives of government institutions and public organizations discussed topical issues of migration and the role of the OSCE in migration governance at an OSCE-organized roundtable discussion that took place in Ashgabat on 9 June 2017...

SKOPJE, 9 June 2017 – The Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje Nina Suomalainen met today in Skopje with the newly elected Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and congratulated on his election as the Prime Minister...

The OSCE Office in Tajikistan’s Rule of Law and Media units held an interactive training seminar for 18 journalism professionals and aspiring professionals in the Varzob region outside of Dushanbe, on 8 and 9 June 2017...

A 10-day train-the-trainer course on the detection of forged documents and identification of imposters concluded in Tashkent on 9 June 2017. The course, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan with support from the Transnational Threats Department’s Travel Document Security Programme, was attended by 19 officers of relevant departments of the State Border Protection and National Security Services and 12 officers of the Internal Affairs Ministry of Uzbekistan...

In Donetsk region the Mission recorded more ceasefire violations compared with the previous reporting period. In Luhansk region the flare-up in ceasefire violations recorded by the SMM in the previous reporting period continued in the same areas – Sentianivka, Krymske and Zholobok – west and north-west of Luhansk, and involved multiple launch rocket systems. The use of weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements reached a level last recorded by the Mission on 23 March 2017...