News and press releases

CHIŞINĂU, 6 November 2023 – Moldova’s local elections were calm and efficiently managed with candidates mostly able to campaign freely, but the broad powers of the government commission for exceptional situations were used to restrict freedom of speech and association as well as the right to stand, while interference from abroad and widespread allegations of vote buying throughout the campaign were of concern, international observers said in a statement today.

Between 30 October and 3 November 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe’s Integrated Cooperation on Explosive Hazards Programme (ICExH) together with the Regional Explosive Hazards Training Centre (REHTC) of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defense organized the first joint field visits to humanitarian demining sites in the Vahdat and Garm regions of Tajikistan.

As part of the Mission’s activities to support gender mainstreaming, the Mission has supported the Municipality of Berane in developing a Local Action Plan for Gender Equality, whose adoption is expected by the end of this year. This action plan serves as a basis for the municipality to consider a gender perspective in drafting its documents and activities.

On 1 and 2 November 2023, the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina held a training programme in Sarajevo on preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (P/CVERLT) through media and information literacy, with a focus on human rights and gender-sensitive approaches.

In a robust response to the OSCE-wide commitment towards gender equality and a harassment-free workplace, Moldovan border and law enforcement agencies participated in a two-day training course on 1-2 November 2023, in Chisinau. The initiative brought together 30 border and law enforcement officers and provided a platform for delving into in-depth discussions and practical exercises aimed at preventing and eradicating sexual harassment within their agencies.

Twenty-three supervisory and law enforcement representatives from Moldova strengthened their skills in identifying and investigating financial crimes conducted with cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets in a training course held from 30 October to 2 November 2023 in Chisinau. The course was organized by 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).

Seventy-five representatives from Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SESU) and State Border Guard Service had a chance to improve knowledge and practice skills needed to respond to radiation-related emergencies at a series of two three-days training sessions, organized by the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU) in Kyiv on 23-28 October 2023.