News and press releases

It will not be possible to observe the upcoming elections in Lithuania as the invitation extended to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) was made conditional on the exclusion of nationals from certain OSCE states, in breach of the commitments made by all

From April 15 to April 19, 2024, 20 border guard officials undertook a training course titled ‘Storage of Ammunition in an Ammunition Bunker Site’ in Osh, Kyrgyz Republic. This course aimed to enhance the storage practices of ammunition in bunker sites according to the International Ammunition Technical Guidance (IATG).

VIENNA, 22 April 2024 – While civil society organizations play a crucial role in monitoring and ensuring accountability for violations of international law in times of crisis, it is becoming increasingly difficult in many places for them to carry out their work effectively or safely, OSCE leaders said as a two-day conference began today.

Participants of a roundtable meeting convened by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) on 18 April 2024 have begun devising a new master plan for comprehensive police dog (K9) services at the General Police Inspectorate of Moldova (GPI).

NEW YORK CITY, 19 April 2024 – The United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe are mutually reinforcing institutions, each playing a complementary role in the pursuit of peace and security, said the OSCE Chair-in-Office and Malta’s Foreign Minister Ian Borg in his address to the UN Security Council.

On 16-18 April, the OSCE Secretariat's Transnational Threats Department, with the support of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and in partnership with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), conducted a training course in Pejë/Peć aimed at enhancing the capacities of local entities in countering the financing of terrorism.

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) celebrated the successful conclusion of the Central Asian Women Entrepreneurship Programme with a closing event and award ceremony held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 18 April. The event highlighted the achievement of 20

The OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) organized a workshop on national cyber incident classification- a metric system for the classification of cyber incidents.

On 19 April 2024, in the context of Tajikistan’s ongoing review under the 5th monitoring round of the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan, the Programme Office in Dushanbe supported the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN) monitoring team’s visit to Dushanbe.

The fire protection unit in the Army of Montenegro has been richer for eight firefighting instructors, after an intensive instructors training that took place from 8 to 19 April in Sweden, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.

VALLETTA/VIENNA, 19 April 2024 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid made the following statement regarding the actions taken by the Republika Srpska National Assembly to unilaterally transfer competences from the State to the entity level with the aim of creating a parallel electoral system within the entity.

Addressing the significant challenges climate change poses to energy resilience, the OSCE, in collaboration with Argonne National Laboratory, hosted a webinar on 28 March focused on leveraging climate science for energy planning. The event, part of the " Mitigating Climate Change Threats to

More than 110 experts gathered on 17 April 2024 in an effort to strengthen regional initiatives for combatting illicit trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan at the Expert Working Group of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Paris Pact Initiative hosted by the OSCE. The Paris Pact initiative is an international coalition for combatting illicit trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan.

From 15 to 18 April, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) conducted a workshop aimed at increasing the capacity of the National Bank of Georgia to spot virtual assets “red flag indicators”. Held in Tbilisi and hosted by the National Bank of Georgia, the workshop aimed to enhance the National Bank of Georgia's ability to regulate VASP activity within the country.

On 18 April 2024, in the framework of its anti-corruption awareness-raising campaign, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe supported one lecture on anti-corruption in the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.

VALLETTA/VIENNA, 18 April – This week marks two years since three OSCE officials were unjustly detained in Luhansk and Donetsk. The OSCE Chair-in-Office, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg, and OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid, reiterated the demand for their immediate release and urged all members of the international community to amplify this message.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo concluded its Girls’ Talks programme held from 12 to 16 April in Prevallë/Prevalac, bringing together 20 young women of different communities from across Kosovo.

BELGRADE, 17 April 2024 – The readiness of Serbia’s political parties to discuss improvements to the election process has been encouraging, but meaningful dialogue and a deeper commitment to resolve existing differences are still needed, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today.

The first meeting of the Interagency Steering Committee to Counter Cybercrimes (hereinafter, Steering Committee) marked a significant milestone in Kazakhstan’s efforts to enhance the prevention and investigation of cybercrime. Hosted by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in close co-operation with the Ministry of Interior of Kazakhstan, the event gathered over 40 representatives from law enforcement and government agencies on 14-15 March in Astana to discuss strategies and plans for bolstering collaborative efforts to combat cybercrime in Kazakhstan.

From 16 to 19 April 2024, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator (PCUz) is organizing three events on promoting open gender data. These seminars are organized in collaboration with the Statistics Agency under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Senate Committee on Women and Gender Equality

On 15 and 16 April, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported participation of Montenegrin delegation in 24th high-level Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons, attended by more than 800 participants from the OSCE region and beyond in Vienna.

During a three-day outreach and awareness workshop on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), held from 15 to 17 April in Tarčin, the OSCE Mission to BiH presented guidelines to improve communication and co-operation among law enforcement agencies, media, and the public regarding SALW. The Guidelines for Enhancement of Inter-institutional Communication and Outreach on SALW and Monitoring and Evaluation Framework represent an important step towards increasing role awareness and SALW-associated risks among both institutions and citizens. The workshop, which concluded today, was attended by representatives of law enforcement agencies as well as media outlets.

WASHINGTON, 17 April 2024- OSCE Chair-in-Office, Malta's Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg, addressed the United States’ Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), underlining Malta's vision and priorities during its 2024 OSCE Chairpersonship.

On 17 April 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe in collaboration with Tajikistan’s Ministry of Energy and Water Resources conducted a half-day event dedicated to the Kafirnighan River Basin Council’s 4th meeting.

VIENNA, 16 April 2024 – At the 24th Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons, OSCE leaders and anti-trafficking experts called on the 57 OSCE participating States to move beyond awareness-raising campaigns, underscoring the urgent need to re-evaluate prevention efforts in the face of evolving trafficking tactics.

Reiterating OSCE commitments to advance gender equality and promote the inclusion of youth in the peace and security agenda, the OSCE Gender Issues Programme with the financial support of the European Union and in close co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the OSCE Academy launched the Young Women for Peace Initiative for Central Asia.

The OSCE Mission today published its latest focused report on sentencing practices in cases involving illegal possession of weapons.

Best practices of the OSCE participating States in establishing business ombudsperson institutions and protecting the rights and legitimate interests of business entities were shared during an OSCE-organized seminar that took place on 15 April 2024 in Ashgabat. The event brought together

SARAJEVO, 15 April 2024- The OSCE Mission to BiH (Mission) urges relevant authorities not to proceed with a proposed Municipal Council decision regarding the renaming of streets in Srebrenica.

CHISINAU/VALLETTA, 13 April 2024 – Chair-in-Office of the OSCE, Maltese Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Ian Borg concluded his first visit to Moldova. Minister Borg underscored the OSCE's commitment to actively continue its engagement in Moldova, focusing on advancing the Transdniestrian Settlement Process and strengthening the Organization's work on the ground.

Nine journalists from the main media outlets in Albania and two media relations officials from the Ministry of Interior and State Police participated in an exchange visit to Stockholm, Sweden, organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania as part of its small arms and light weapons (SALW) project, from

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 12 April 2024 – OSCE Chair-in-Office, Malta’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Ian Borg, concluded his one-day visit in Kosovo, emphasizing the OSCE’s key role in promoting dialogue, strengthening democratic institutions and rule of law.

In a world where open data plays a crucial role in fostering transparency and accountability, the OSCE continues its commitment to supporting open data initiatives in Ukraine. As part of this endeavor, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) concluded two two-day training courses aimed at empowering representatives from civil society, journalism, research, and the private sector with specialized knowledge of open data tools and digital tools in Ukraine.

Implementation of methane emission regulating system was in focus of an OSCE-organized seminar that took place on 11 and 12 April 2024. The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the two-day event to share OSCE best practices and international experiences in carbon credit trading and present state

The Office of the Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) presented a communication strategy which it developed for the Ministry of Economic Development of Montenegro to support women’s entrepreneurship in the country. The strategy, along with a study, was launched at an event in Podgorica on “Challenging Stereotypes and Changing Narratives to Women’s Entrepreneurship in Montenegro”.

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek provided support to the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic by developing a comprehensive methodology aimed at enhancing the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) practices of projects funded by the Local Development Funds (LDFs).

BELGRADE, 10 April 2024 — OSCE Chair-in-Office and Malta’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Ian Borg, concluded his visit to Serbia, reaffirming the OSCE’s steadfast commitment to the region and its continued partnership with Serbia.

Research examining public confidence in elections in Montenegro has shown that in 2023 58 per cent of people thought elections were free and fair as compared to 47 per cent in 2022. 32 per cent of citizens believe that electoral reform in Montenegro is needed, while almost a half of them (46%) is of the opinion that electoral reform needs to be implemented urgently. These are some of the findings of the survey...

Marking two decades since the historic 2004 Berlin Declaration, the 2024 Conference on Anti-Semitism in the OSCE region reviewed the advancements in countering anti-Semitism and discussed how persisting challenges can be effectively addressed. This Conference is a follow-up to the yearly OSCE Chairs-in-Office conferences and meetings dedicated to addressing anti-Semitism.

WARSAW, 8 April 2024 – With the political participation of Roma and Sinti remaining marginal in many places and elections taking place in almost half the countries of the OSCE area this year, it is more important than ever that Roma and Sinti are empowered to participate and thereby help shape their societies for the better, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said on International Roma Day.

GENEVA, 5 April 2024 –   The 60th round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place on 4-5 April 2024 in accordance with the six-point agreement of 12 August 2008 and implementing measures of 8 September 2008.

The sixth edition of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Media Fellowship Programme, an annual initiative designed to enhance skills of young journalists in a rapidly evolving media landscape and establish a network of fellow journalists from diverse communities, started on 4 April in Prishtinë/Priština.

On 3 April, OSCE Project Co-Ordinator in Uzbekistan, Ambassador Antti Karttunen, held an introductory meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov. Ambassador Karttunen stated that he was thrilled to assume his new role as a Head of PCUz. Ambassador

Systemic change requires meaningful and proactive engagement by those decision-makers and institutions across all levels of governance mandated to respond to domestic violence and gender-based violence, including violence against women. Today’s joint session of the parliamentary committees of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on the Institutional Response to Domestic Violence and Violence against Women was an important step in making those changes.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited Mongolia from 1 to 3 April 2024 where he discussed co-operation and issues of mutual interest with the authorities, signed a new Memorandum of Co-operation and organized a roundtable. During his meeting with Foreign Minister

On 1 and 2 April 2024, representatives of the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market of Kazakhstan (the Agency) and commercial banks gathered in Almaty for a two-day intensive practical workshop focusing on tackling money laundering networks and detecting schemes involving "money mules".

In view of the 2025 parliamentary elections in Albania, the OSCE Presence and the Central Election Commission (CEC) organized a technical workshop on findings and recommendations regarding voter education, on 3 April 2024. Opening the event, Acting Head of OSCE Presence in Albania Clarisse Pasztory

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, in co-operation with the Committee on Innovative Development, Information Policy and Information Technology of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Centre for Retraining of Journalists of Uzbekistan, organized

National experts from the Government of Kazakhstan convened at the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office near Astana on 27 and 28 March 2024 for an interactive national workshop on the protection of vulnerable targets from terrorist attacks.

SARAJEVO, 01 April 2024- The OSCE Mission to BiH strongly condemns the attack on Stari Grad Municipality Mayor Irfan Čengić. We appreciate the swift investigation by the FBiH and Sarajevo Canton law enforcement agencies and expect the perpetrators to be brought to justice as a matter of priority.