News and press releases

MOSCOW, PARIS, WASHINGTON D.C., 18 May, 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, released the following statement today:...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. An unknown device was thrown towards an SMM patrol while driving in the north-eastern outskirts of Dokuchaievsk. The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM observed damage due to shelling in Novotroitske and Boikivske. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; the Mission’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. It monitored the situation of civilians travelling across the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. In Kyiv, Kharkiv and Ivano-Frankivsk, the Mission observed public gatherings and followed up on incidents affecting religious communities...

The mobilization of the international community is vital for combating the uncontrolled proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW), said speakers in the session of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation on 17 May 2017 in Vienna...

The fruitful relationship the OSCE and Tunisia have developed in the context of the OSCE’s Mediterranean Partnership and the challenges Tunisia is facing in its current efforts to consolidate its democracy in an unsettled international environment were discussed during a meeting between OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and Foreign Minister of Tunisia Khemaies Jhinaoui in Vienna on 17 May 2017.

VIENNA, 18 May 2017 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said today that the Organization had to start the process of closure of the Office in Yerevan, since no consensus could be reached on the future mandate of the Office...

A two-day roundtable discussion organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo on the role of male senior police officers in promoting gender equality concluded on 17 May 2017 in Prevallë/Prevalac, Prizren municipality...

The last in a series of three OSCE-supported training seminars for women entrepreneurs to promote the use of green technologies took place on 18 May 2017 in Kostanai, Kazakhstan...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova held a two-day practical workshop aimed at enhancing the co-ordination of the country’s anti-trafficking activities at the national and local levels on 11 and 12 May 2017. The event, held in Alba Iulia, Romania, brought together 15 representatives of state institutions, civil society and international organizations, and was organized in co-operation with Moldova’s National Committee for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings...

Good practices in the integration of migrants were exchanged and discussed at an international conference co-hosted by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Chisinau on 17 and 18 May 2017. The event, held in co-operation with Moldova’s Interior Ministry, brought

On 17 May an SMM patrol consisting of five members in two armoured vehicles was in the north-eastern outskirts of “DPR”-controlled Dokuchaievsk (30km south-west of Donetsk) heading west behind a green military-type truck (KamAZ-4350) with plate number DK-1823. The SMM patrol saw six men wearing military-style clothes on board the truck in the back of the cargo compartment...

The office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities held a kick-off meeting to launch a long-term project to support the implementation of Georgia’s State Strategy for Civic Equality and Integration in Tbilisi on 16 May 2017...

Copenhagen, 17 May 2017 – OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, concluded on Wednesday a three-day official visit to Denmark to discuss the country’s implementation of OSCE anti-trafficking commitments.

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous reporting period. Near Verkhnoshyrokivske the SMM heard a shot of small-arms fire nearby. The SMM continued to follow up on a report of a civilian casualty in Chermalyk and observed damage to civilian property due to shelling in Sakhanka. It continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske; the Mission’s access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines. It continued to monitor the situation of civilians travelling across the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. The Mission visited a border area currently not under government control. In Kyiv, the SMM monitored three peaceful gatherings...

The first OSCE-supported forum on Kazakhstan’s National Preventive Mechanism against Torture (NPM), focused on national and international experience in this field, concluded on 17 May 2017 in Astana.

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 decreased at both BCPs...

ST JOHANN IM PONGAU, Austria, 17 May 2017 – A new joint action plan between the OSCE Secretariat and INTERPOL will lead to increased collaboration between the two bodies to combat transnational threats, including organized crime and terrorism...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions compared with the previous 24-hour period. The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines.

Sustainable water governance with a focus on advanced education standards in the water sector was the focus of an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on 16 May 2017 that took place today at Kazakhstan’s Parliament in Astana...

A four-day training course on psychological counselling for victims of domestic violence concluded on 12 May 2017 at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan...

More than 20 representatives of law enforcement agencies from Belarus, Moldova and the Russian Federation began a five-day training course co-organized by the OSCE in Minsk on 15 May 2017 on developing co-operation among law enforcement agencies in combating the spread of new psychoactive substances (NPS) facilitated by the so-called ‘Darknet’...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized the first of this year’s Human Rights Clubs discussions for lawyers from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River on 12 May 2017. The event, held in Varnita, brought together some 30 lawyers and NGO representatives to discuss how to better aid clients who encounter issues with their documentation...

A four-day conference, organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, on the role of armed and security forces in democratic societies started on 15 May 2017 in the coastal town of Budva, Montenegro...

An OSCE-supported workshop for the Kazakhstan-Russia experts’ commission meeting on the joint use and protection of trans-boundary water resources in the Ural River basin concluded on 16 May 2017 in Atyrau, Kazakhstan...

MINSK, 15 May 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:..

TIRANA, 15 May 2017 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President and Special Representative on South East Europe Roberto Battelli (MP, Slovenia) today kicked off a week-long visit to Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina...

LINZ, Austria, 15 May 2017 – A two-day academic conference on the topic of „connectivity“, a main priority of the OSCE 2017 Austrian Chairmanship in the economic and environmental area, opened today in Linz...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. Between the evenings of 12 and 13 May the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous reporting period, while between the evenings of 13 and 14 May it recorded fewer ceasefire violations – including fewer explosions – compared with the previous 24-hour period. In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 12 and 13 May, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations – including more explosions- compared with the previous reporting period, while between the evenings of 13 and 14 May it recorded fewer ceasefire violations compared with the previous 24 hours. The SMM followed up on multiple reports of shelling and civilian casualties in Avdiivka, Chermalyk, Dokuchaievsk, Donetsk, Pikuzy, Sentianivka and YasynuvataThe Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons and observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The SMM monitored the situation of civilians travelling across the contact line at the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge. The Mission visited three border areas currently not under government control...

BELGRADE, 15 May 2017 – The OSCE Mission to Serbia is for the first time today marking International Family Day by opening its doors to the families of its staff...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 15 May 2017 – The OSCE Mission in Kosovo will hold a two-day roundtable discussion on gender equality and the importance of engaging men to promote it, starting tomorrow in Prevallë/Prevalac, in the municipality of Prizren...

BERLIN, 15 May 2017 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today released a new publication aimed at assisting governments in addressing the security needs of Jewish communities, at a launch event in the German Parliamentary Society...

A four-day seminar organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan on explosive hazards training management concluded at the Office’s premises in Dushanbe on 13 May 2017...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, including, however, more explosions. In Luhansk region the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations compared with the previous reporting period.

ULAANBAATAR, 12 May 2017 – A set of recommendations for improving legal certainty, efficiency and consistency of administrative processes, focused on public private-partnerships in the fight against corruption, were developed during a four-day modular training course in Ulaanbaatar and presented today to the State Great Khural, Mongolia’s Parliament...

A training course on best practices in international co-operation on border security concluded on 12 May 2017 at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan...

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized a study visit to Vienna from 9 to 12 May 2017 for representatives of the Turkmen State Energy Institute in Mary (TSEI) in order to show them international best practices in the field of renewable energy sources usage...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 12 May 2017 – A group of 15 young experts from the wider Central Asia region convened today in Almaty, Kazakhstan for a two-day workshop to discuss their role in the prevention of violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (VERLT)...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The Mission recorded more ceasefire violations, including, however, fewer explosions in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The Mission continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The Mission monitored two border areas currently not under government control. The SMM monitored public gatherings in Kyiv, Chernivtsi and Kherson...

VIENNA, 12 May 2017 – The safety and security of the unarmed civilian monitors of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine – and of the wider civilian population in eastern Ukraine – must be prioritized by the sides to the conflict, said the Chief Monitor of the OSCE SMM to Ukraine, Ertugrul Apakan, in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna yesterday.

VIENNA, 12 May 2017 – High-level diplomats and experts from across the OSCE region met at the Hofburg today to exchange best practices and discuss ways to stamp out human trafficking for domestic servitude in diplomatic households.

VIENNA, 12 May 2016 – High-level diplomats and experts from across the OSCE region met at the Hofburg today to exchange best practices and discuss ways to stamp out human trafficking for domestic servitude in diplomatic households.

BRČKO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 12 May 2017 – An OSCE-supported course on Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)’s security policy, focusing on the prevention of terrorism and the role of local communities, concluded today in Brčko. The course was organized by the OSCE Mission to BiH and the Council of Ministers’ Inter-ministerial Working Group on Monitoring the Implementation of BiH Security Policy...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova launched a series of 15 public lectures on 2 May 2017 aimed at promoting gender equality and combating domestic violence in Moldova. The public lectures, organized with the support of Moldova’s Ministry of Education, will be held throughout the year in 13 separate locations across the country, including the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. Some 900 students and teachers of vocational schools are expected to attend...

WARSAW, 11 May 2017 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today condemned the murders of three Roma sisters, ages four, eight and 20, who died in a fire after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at their camper van on the outskirts of Rome early Wednesday morning...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The Mission recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous reporting period. The SMM followed up on reports of shelling and civilian casualties in the Kuibyshevskyi district of “DPR”-controlled Donetsk city and shelling in “DPR”-controlled Bezimenne. The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The Mission observed public gatherings in Dnipro and Odessa...

ERGNETI, 11 May 2017- The 77th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti. Ambassador Kestutis Jankauskas, Head of the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and ambassador Guenther Baechler, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, co-facilitated the proceedings...

A high-level roundtable discussion of the implementation of the new ombudsman law in Turkmenistan, effective from 1 January 2017, and of international standards, guidelines and good practices in establishing and strengthening national human rights institutions took place on 11 May 2017 in Ashgabat...

TBILISI, 11 May 2017 – ‘Fake news’, the dissemination of disinformation and propaganda through traditional and online media and the associated negative repercussions for the freedom of expression were the focus of the 14th South Caucasus Media Conference, which concluded in Tbilisi today...

The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations. The SMM recorded a similar number of ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region compared with the previous reporting period. In Donetsk region most ceasefire violations were recorded in areas north-east of Mariupol. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere.* The Mission saw multiple weapons in Donetsk and Luhansk cities, in violation of withdrawal lines. It monitored three border areas currently not under government control. The SMM followed up on a reported civilian casualty and assessed impact sites and damage to residential areas caused by shelling. Outside the security zone the Mission observed parades marking 9 May that largely passed off peacefully...

Noting that the 12 February 2017 presidential election in Turkmenistan took place in a strictly controlled political environment characterized by the lack of genuine opposition and meaningful pluralism, thus limiting voters’ choice, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

The first Olympiad on multilingualism in Central Asia that specifically focused on the mother tongues of the region, State and official languages, as well as foreign languages was held in Karaganda, Kazakhstan from 4 to 6 May 2017. Organized by Karaganda State University, in co-operation with the