News and press releases

The 2023 early parliamentary elections in Greece took place in a competitive and pluralistic environment, and fundamental freedoms were respected. Voters were provided with ample information to make an informed choice. While some technical aspects could be improved, the election was effectively

VIENNA, 21 November 2023 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, has concluded her visit to Uzbekistan which took place from 15 to 17 November. The visit included a series of high-level meetings with Uzbekistan’s officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister, Gairat Fazilov, Assistant to the President, Saida Mirziyoyeva, Chair of the Committee of the Legislative Chamber for Innovations, Information Policy and Information Technologies, Ilhom Abdullayev, and the Director of the Agency for Information and Mass Communications, Asadjon Khodjaev.

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, the Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Youth of the Canton of Sarajevo and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina delivered the second multi-stakeholder event to discuss the draft of the 2024-2028 Canton of Sarajevo youth strategy.

See for yourself, you’re not small boy – is a title of the campaign the OSCE Mission to Montenegro launched on 21 November in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, NGO Women’s Safe House and the Football Association of Montenegro.

On 21 November 2023, Turkmenistan’s International University for Humanities and Development hosted an OSCE-supported conference on engaging youth in addressing climate change.

Two aspiring entrepreneurs from the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Nurgazy Raev and Ms. Tansuluu Arstanbekova participated at the Chairmanship in Office’s (CiO) Youth Forum titled "Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Creating a Sustainable Future in the OSCE Region." This initiative underscores commitments of the OSCE participating states to advancing and nurturing youth entrepreneurship within the OSCE region.

On the occasion of World Children's Day, the Mission would like to remind all institutions and individuals of their responsibility to protect children from any and all forms of discrimination.

Crafting project applications on youth mobility, co-operation, activism and intercultural learning was the focus of a three-day capacity building training course, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) Local Branch Office in Montenegro organized with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro from 14 to 17 November in Bar.

From 15 to 17 November 2023, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), the OSCE Mission to Serbia, and the Serbian Ministry of the Interior delivered a National Table-Top Exercise (TTX) in Belgrade on countering the use of the internet for terrorist purposes.

An OSCE-organized five-day train-the-trainers course (ToT) for facilitators of Women’s Resource Centres (WRCs) concluded on 17 November 2023 in Dushanbe.

The OSCE delivered a national training course on gender-responsive policing of violence against women and girls from 13 to 17 November in Riviera Golem, Albania.

Belgrade, 17 November 2023- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 17 December early parliamentary elections in Serbia, following an official invitation from the national authorities.

On 16 November, the Green Economy Forum 2023: Common Goals for Sustainable Development of the Central Asian Region took place in Bishkek. The Forum brought together representatives from Central Asian countries and international experts in the field of sustainable business and management to discuss common challenges and find solutions for scaling green initiatives.

Fourteen supervisory and law enforcement officials from Ukraine enhanced their knowledge and skills in identifying and investigating financial crimes conducted with cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets in a training course held from 14 to 17 November 2023 in Vienna. 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).

Following the successful completion of the anti-corruption masterclasses series, organized in co-operation with four national universities (Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Goce Delcev University- Shtip, University St. Kliment Ohridski Bitola and South East European University), the expressed enthusiasm by the students and in order to further encourage active anti-corruption engagement, OSCE Mission to Skopje is organizing an essay writing competition for students.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Kairat Abdrakhmanov and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) Tatiana Valovaya organized a roundtable on Promoting Conflict Prevention through the Socio-Economic Inclusion of Minorities on 15 November 2023 at the Palais

The purpose of the conference was to reflect on the 2003 criminal justice system reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to assess the progress made over the past two decades, while also recognizing ongoing challenges.

WARSAW, 16 November 2023 – Launching its annual Hate Crime Report on today’s International Day for Tolerance, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) emphasized the importance of identifying the underlying bias motives of hate crimes in order to diminish the impact on victims and assist their recovery.

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department launched a new training guide on human rights compliance in cybercrime investigations.

ASTANA, 15 November 2023 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, concluded a two-day official visit to Kazakhstan. During the visit, she engaged in a series of productive meetings with various stakeholders, including Minister of Culture and Information Aida Balayeva, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roman Vassilenko, and Assistant to the President on internal policies and communication Ruslan Zheldybay. She also met with members of Parliament, including the Chair of the Committee for Social and Cultural Development of the Mazhilis, Ashkat Aimagambetov, the Chair of the Working Group on Drafting the Law on Mass Media, Zhanarbek Ashimzhanov, and with MP Nikita Shatalov.

As part of an extrabudgetary initiative aimed at mitigating the risks associated with the illicit movement of small arms, ammunition, and explosives across the State Border of the Kyrgyz Republic, the OSCE is enhancing the institutional capacity of the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic to effectively counter transnational threats.

The workshop aimed to facilitate the development of the 2023-2027 BiH Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (DRR Strategy), in accordance with the BiH Council of Ministers' Conclusion of 9 November, 2022 and with requirements of the global Sendai DRR Framework for 2015-2030.

SKOPJE, 14 November 2023 – Innovative and entrepreneurial solutions for creating a culture of peace, dialogue, justice, trust, and reconciliation were the focus of the Youth Forum organized by the OSCE 2023 Chairpersonship of North Macedonia with the support of the OSCE Secretariat.

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan delivered a training course on women leadership and effective communication strategies in Tashkent on 8-10 November.

We are deeply saddened by the femicide case that occurred in Sarajevo yesterday and we express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim.

From 10 to 12 November, a training course on intercultural dialogue and professional reporting standards gathered in Budva 14 young journalists from both prominent media outlets and youth magazines, as well as youth interested in journalism, from across Montenegro. The event was organized by the Regional Youth Co-operation Office (RYCO) Local Branch Office in Montenegro, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

10 November, 2023 In a significant milestone, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Kyrgyz Republic conducted a comprehensive presentation today on the outcomes of a year-long implementation of the Automated Information System, titled "Registration of Inspections of Business Entities."

SKOPJE, 14 November 2023 – The OSCE expert network, which will serve as a point of consultation and dialogue on the three dimensions of the OSCE, was launched in Skopje by the OSCE 2023 Chairpersonship of North Macedonia and the OSCE Secretariat.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited Norway from 6 to 10 November 2023.

WARSAW, 13 November 2023 – Hate crimes have been rising in many OSCE countries over the last month, severely impacting the security of Jewish and Muslim communities and threatening to undermine the stability of our societies, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today.

Sarajevo, 10 November 2023- With less than 11 months until the 2024 Local Elections scheduled for next October, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Brian Aggeler, notes that authorities in BiH have so far failed to bring the BiH Election Law in line with international standards and best practices for democratic elections. The necessary amendments have been clearly and repeatedly enumerated and recommended, also after the last general elections held in October 2022, by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), including in its Election Observation Mission Final Report issued in February 2023, and by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission).

The OSCE Secretariat Transnational Threats Department and United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) delivered the 7th Passenger Data Exchange Seminar as a back-to back event with the 3rd in-person meeting of the Eastern European Informal Working Group on Passenger Data (EE IWG) on 8-10 November 2023.

From 6 to 11 November, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat delivered the second part of an introductory course on digital forensics for law enforcement representatives from Turkmenistan.

On November 10, 2023, within the framework of the implementation of the Anti-Drug Programme by the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Service for Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoI) of the Kyrgyz Republic, in collaboration with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, convened a roundtable discussion for students of the Faculty of Law at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. The focal theme of the discussion was "Prevention of Drug Use Among Young People."

More than 50 professionals from five countries participated in a week-long simulation-based training exercise on combating trafficking in human beings in Brühl, Germany this week, marking the first such regional training between the OSCE and the Council of Baltic Sea States.

On 8 and 9 November, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Ministry of Interior organized an international conference in Budva that brought together representatives from the Ministry, Police Directorate, Police Academy and University of Montenegro. Five higher education institutions from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Serbia and Slovenia were invited and presented their educational models in creating an institution that could grant a university degree for police officers.

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the United States Department of Justice, Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (US OPDAT) facilitated an advanced interactive workshop for prosecutors and judges from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia on recovery of illicit assets, including cross-border organized crime cases. Prosecutors and judges from Kosovo also attended.

How do state agencies effectively manage businesses, real estate, securities, and financial instruments seized from organized crime groups? How do they ensure that their value does not depreciate by the end of lengthy court proceedings, and that they do not become a liability to the seizing authority? These are some of the questions tackled during an OSCE-facilitated workshop on the effective management of seized and confiscated criminal assets that took place in Moldova this week.

An OSCE-organized two-day seminar on the development of small and medium enterprises (SMES) in the field of agriculture took place on 8 and 9 November 2023 in Ashgabat. The event addressed the role of SMEs in the rural development and ensuring food security and highlighted best practices of the

On 6 November, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department held an international cyber diplomacy training course focused on building national capacities to engage in international cyber policy deliberations.

International standards and best practices of the OSCE participating States in the development and functioning of the effective capital market were presented during an OSCE-organized seminar that took place on 7 November 2023. International experts focused on the development and functioning of the

Representatives of the State Energy Institute of Turkmenistan, State Concerns “Turkmengas” and “Turkmenoil” participated in an OSCE-organized seminar on monitoring and scientific research on the reduction of methane emissions that took place on 6 and 7 November 2023. The two-day online event aimed

VIENNA, 6 November, 2023 – Dr. Kari Johnstone took up her position serving as OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Human Trafficking on 30 October, 2023.

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.