News and press releases

OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 10 December 2014- Three schools involved in the “My Clean Town” environmental campaign will be awarded today by the Osh City Mayor, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Agroprom Holding recycling company as part of an campaign to raise the community’s involvement in an environmental clean-up initiative supported by educators and students...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM continued to monitor the situation in Vinnytsya...

VIENNA, 9 December 2014 – High-level diplomats from across the OSCE region met at the Secretariat today to discuss ways to stamp out trafficking for domestic servitude in diplomatic households, focusing on the outcomes from a series of workshops held by the Organization’s anti-trafficking Office during the past three years...

WARSAW, 9 December 2014 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today released its Georgia Trial Monitoring Report, concluding ODIHR’s trial monitoring activities in the country. The trial monitoring project began in February 2013 and focused on 14 criminal cases against senior officials of the previous government in Georgia...

BELGRADE, 9 December 2014 – Vida Petrović Škero, a recently retired judge of the Supreme Court of Cassation, and Aleksandra Stepanović, the Head of Department for Protection of Human Rights of Persons Deprived of Liberty within the Prison Administration in the Ministry of Justice received the OSCE Mission to Serbia’s 2014 Person of the Year Award at a ceremony taking place today in Belgrade...

At 12:00 hrs the SMM monitored an event in Kharkiv where some 150 people of mixed gender and age expressed their appreciation to the soldiers serving in the east and some activists installed a memorial stone for soldiers by the pedestal of Liberty Square. The police monitored the gathering, which ended peacefully...

BELGRADE, 8 December 2014 – More than 40 young activists from across the OSCE region are gathering for the OSCE Roma and Sinti Youth Conference in Belgrade on 8 and 9 December 2014, to discuss and propose policies to mobilize and empower their communities and to stimulate their participation in politics and decision-making...

The OSCE Presence in Albania on 4 December 2014 donated a range of academic books to the Albanian Police Academy. The recently-published books on criminology, psychology, criminal law, criminal procedure and other topics of interest for the law enforcement community will form the nucleus of the library of the Academy’s soon-to-be-established police higher education institution...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 8 December 2014 – Fifteen years after the conflict, and despite substantial international assistance, some 220,000 people displaced outside of Kosovo and some 17,000 people displaced within Kosovo are still without durable solutions regarding their return or integration at the place of displacement, concludes the fifth report on voluntary returns published today by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. The report adds that the number of returns to Kosovo is decreasing every year...

The OSCE Centre in Astana supported a co-ordination meeting of The Right for Access to Information civil society coalition in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 8 December 2014. The meeting aimed to discuss the current national legislation and further promote the drafting and adoption of a law on access to information in compliance with international standards...

A three-day training seminar on the use of density metres and microscopic cameras for inspecting vehicles entering Kazakhstan began on 8 December 2014 in Kordai, close to the Kyrgyzstan border...

Human rights, non-discrimination and the role of the OSCE in promoting these values were among the topics discussed at a Democracy Workshop on 5 December 2014, attended by the students of the Radoje Cizmovic elementary school from Niksic and the Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Ambassador Janina Hrebickova. The workshop was organized in Podgorica by the parliament of Montenegro...

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek on 4 December 2014 supported a two-day regional roundtable discussion in Kyrgyzstan’s capital on the outcomes of UNESCO’s World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM observed columns of over 100 unmarked green military vehicles travelling westwards towards the city of Donetsk...

BASEL, Switzerland, 5 December 2014 – The OSCE proved its value and ability as a forum for dialogue while its key principles were defended, said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter as the 21st Ministerial Council concluded in Basel today. Burkhalter welcomed decisions on Germany and Austria assuming the OSCE Chairmanships respectively in 2016 and 2017, and lauded decisions to further enhance the fight against terrorism and boost States’ preparedness against the threat of natural disasters...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). Shelling in the northern outskirts of Donetsk intensified over the last 48hrs.

WARSAW, 5 December 2014 – Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Budapest Summit, when the OSCE participating States signalled their commitment to improving the situation of Roma and Sinti in the OSCE region by creating a Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues (CPRSI). Since then, the CPRSI has been instrumental in addressing the historic discrimination and persecution of Roma and Sinti and in promoting their inclusion in the region...

BASEL, Switzerland, 5 December 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned the arrest of Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismailova...

SHKODËR, Albania, 5 December 2015- Two parliamentary committees from Albania and Montenegro met on 5 December 2014 in the Albanian town of Shkodra to discuss cross-border environmental issues. The event was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in partnership with the parliaments of the two countries, with the aim of promoting bilateral co-operation and strengthening the legislative process on environmental issues.

BASEL, 5 December 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today called on the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve journalists’ rights following a probe launched to identify confidential sources...

BASEL, 5 December 2014 – The chair of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), spoke on 4 December via telephone with Kazakhstani labor activist Roza Tuletayeva, who was released from prison on 19 November...

The last in a series of five workshops on standard operating procedures for protecting people from domestic violence concluded in Prishtinë/Priština on 5 December 2014. The workshops, organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the Kosovo Agency for Gender Equality, have trained a total of 200 police officers, social workers, victims’ advocates, doctors, shelters’ staff, teachers, judges, and prosecutors...

The OSCE Network of Think Tanks and Academic Institutions presented its recent study, The Future of OSCE Field Operations (Options), at a side event during the 2014 OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference in Basel on 3 December...

BASEL, Switzerland, 5 December 2014- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter summarized the discussions of the first day at the OSCE 21st Ministerial Council in Basel, noting that OSCE Foreign Ministers are meeting against the backdrop of one of the worst crises in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area since the end of the Cold War...

BASEL, Switzerland, 5 December 2014- Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office presented a Commemorative Publication on 20 years of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security to the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier at a special event held today during the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). In particular, it was informed that talks were held in Donetsk between Russian and Ukrainian military officers attached to the JCCC in order to arrange a ceasefire in and around Donetsk airport

BASEL, 4 December 2014 – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is facing its greatest challenge in recent memory as it responds to the Ukraine crisis and must take decisive steps, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) said in an address to the Organization’s foreign ministers today...

BASEL, Switzerland, 4 December 2014 – Today, after 18 years, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Serbia are taking over full responsibility for regional stability and arms control, essential for building peace and stability in the Western Balkans, with senior politicians from the four countries signing a document on the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel...

BASEL, Switzerland, 4 December 2014 – It is essential to preserve the OSCE as a platform for inclusive discussions and as an effective responder despite divisions in Europe over the situation in Ukraine, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter in his opening address at the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel...

BASEL, Switzerland, 4 December 2014- We, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries – Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State of the United States John Kerry, State Secretary for European Affairs of France Harlem Desir – remain strongly committed to a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There is no military solution, and we call on the sides to refrain from violence and work actively towards a lasting settlement...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). In particular, it noted attempts in Donetsk to implement a ceasefire and arrange for the withdrawal of heavy weaponry. An SMM Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was shot at in the Donetsk region.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 3 December 2014- Representatives of law enforcement agencies from Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, are meeting on 4 and 5 December in Almaty to discuss issues of co-operation in fighting drugs and the exchange of information on drug traffickers and drug supply routes...

Basel, 03 December 2014 – In his capacity as Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter attended the closing session of the Parallel Civil Society Conference, held in the margins of the Ministerial Council meeting on 02 and 03 December. In Basel, more than 100 civil society representatives discussed and adopted concrete recommendations directed at the OSCE, its Institutions, field presence and participating States. In addition to the CiO, the closing session of the conference was attended by Ambassador Dejan Šahović, Head of the Serbian Chairmanship Task Force, and Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

TSAGHKADZOR, Armenia, 3 December 2014- A four-day workshop to sum up an anti-corruption course on investigative journalism and photo reporting for 25 young people was launched today in Tsaghkadzor by the Future is Yours NGO with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Check Points (BCPs). On 30 November a Russian convoy crossed the Donetsk BCP to Ukraine and returned to the Russian Federation (RF) the same day. Overall cross-border traffic flows decreased at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). Following a snowstorm and falling temperatures beginning in the night of 30 November, the traffic flows at both BCPs decreased significantly. The OM continued to observe a significant number of persons in military-style clothing crossing the border in both directions.

BISHKEK, 3 December 2014 –The Minister of Social Protection and Development, the Ombudsman and representatives from parliament joined the OSCE Centre in Bishkek in supporting a charity event on Equal Rights to Education, which was held to mark the International Day of Persons with Disability...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the work of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). The SMM attempted to facilitate a ceasefire to connect Staromikhailivka (22km W of Donetsk) to electric power, but had to leave due to security reasons.

The Head of OSCE Mission to Montenegro Ambassador, Janina Hrebickova; Minister for Human and Minority Rights, Suad Numanovic; Mayor of Capital City of Podgorica Slavoljub Stijepovic, and the President of the local parliament Djordje Suhih signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on promoting gender equality on 28 November 2014...

Sixty high-school students from the Albanian towns of Lezha, Puka, Korça, Kukës and Peshkopi, met on 2 December 2014 with high-level state officials, including President Bujar Nishani, as part of an OSCE project aimed at strengthening the participation of citizens – especially young people – in decision-making processes at the local and central level. The goal was to enable them become active citizens, to promote a sense of civic responsibility and a better understanding of what democracy means...

YEREVAN, 2 December 2014 – The Social Justice NGO with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan presented today the results and key findings of a project on developing a partnership model for domestic violence prevention by strengthening police units in Armenia...

As part of its support to the implementation of media reform, the OSCE Mission to Serbia, together with the Ministry of Culture and Information and the EU Delegation to Serbia, organized consultations between the relevant stakeholders and the authorities on 28 November in Arandjelovac...

TASHKENT, 2 December 2014 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today held the opening press conference of its limited election observation mission for the 21 December parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan...

The SMM continued to focus its observation on the implementation of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum, including by monitoring activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC). In Makiivka, the SMM observed the offloading of three trucks of the Russian convoy coming from the Russian Federation.

CHISINAU, 1 December 2014 – The 30 November parliamentary elections were characterized by a wide choice of political alternatives and were generally well administered, although the deregistration of one electoral contestant shortly before election day raised questions about the timing and circumstances, international election observers said in a statement issued today. While contestants enjoyed unimpeded access to the media, political influence in broadcast media led to partisan reporting...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku and Azerbaijan’s Justice Academy organized a two-day train-the-trainers course on 1 and 2 December 2014, focusing on the legal norms of preventing domestic violence...

With the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, the “Open Day: Working together” was held in Struga on 1 December 2014 to introduce regional activities of a locally-based NGO Network...

With the goal of strengthening the capacities of the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality and their oversight role, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported two thematic sessions of the Committee that took place on 21 and 24 November 2014 in Podgorica...

The OSCE Mission supported the NGO centre for development of non–governmental organisations (CRNVO) in the development of 2013 the monitoring report on good governance in local self-government, involving 21 municipalities in Montenegro, which was presented on 27 November 2014 in Podgorica.

CHISINAU, 1 December 2014 – The international observers monitoring the 30 November parliamentary elections in Moldova will present their preliminary post-election statement at a press conference on Monday, 1 December 2014, in Chisinau...

On 30 November 2014 at 09:42 hrs (Moscow time), a Russian convoy consisting of 43 vehicles arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point. The vehicles were checked by the Russian border guard and customs services. On the same day at 21:16 hrs, all vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation. This was the seventh Russian convoy crossing through the Donetsk Border Crossing Point since the arrival of the Observer Mission at the Russian Border Crossing Points...