News and press releases

WARSAW, 22 February 2022 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) expresses profound concern at the events unfolding in Eastern Ukraine, and emphasises the need to uphold and safeguard the human rights of all.

WARSAW, 11 January 2022 – Two decades after the opening of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in the aftermath of the security challenges following the events of 9/11, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) renews its calls for the camp’s swift closure.

WARSAW, 29 December 2021 – Following two Russian court decisions this week to close both the International Memorial Society and its sister organization Human Rights Center Memorial, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) expressed profound concern and called on the Russian authorities to ensure a safe and enabling space for civil society.

WARSAW, 17 December 2021- As the world nears the end of a second year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, we see clearly that its impact has hit the most vulnerable hardest, with many migrants who were already facing challenges to access their basic rights now having greater difficulty in accessing employment, education, housing, and even the right to international protection, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on the eve of International Migrants Day.

WARSAW, 10 December 2021 – As the world continues to struggle with the Covid-19 pandemic and the rising polarization and intolerance that has accompanied it, today’s Human Rights Day reminds us that that all countries across the OSCE have recognized that human rights are the birthright of all human beings, are inalienable, and are guaranteed by law, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

WARSAW, 15 November 2021 – While many countries across the OSCE are taking greater efforts to combat hate crime, more action needs to be taken to increase knowledge of the true number of hate crimes committed and more done to support victims, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on publishing its annual hate crime report ahead of the 2021 International Day for Tolerance.

WARSAW/STOCKHOLM, 14 October 2021 – Thirty years ago, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was established. Its mandate is to assist the countries of the OSCE region in strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law, and in respecting human rights. Over the next two days, over 500 participants will gather in person and online to discuss the ODIHR’s achievements and its role in finding lasting solutions to the challenges faced across the OSCE region.