News and press releases

The Serbian translation of the Handbook of Best Practices at Border Crossings – A Trade and Transport Facilitation Perspective, developed by the OSCE and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), was presented on 24 November 2014 at a high-level launch event in Belgrade...

COPENHAGEN, 24 November 2014 – It is first and foremost up to Russia to take immediate, concrete steps towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) said today in an address at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s 60th Annual Session in The Hague...

COPENHAGEN, 24 November 2014 – The chair of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), today called on Russian authorities to ensure the ability of non-governmental organizations, including human rights group Memorial, to continue their important work and rescind restrictive regulations on their activities...

ASTANA, 24 November 2014- An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on green technologies with a focus on organic farming took place today in Astana...

A four-day OSCE-supported training seminar for Kazakhstan’s police officers on document integrity and advanced methods to detect document forgery began on 24 November 2014 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan...

The OSCE Border Management Staff College’s Second Cross-Border Research Conference, this year focusing on border security in the era of globalization and the challenges of migration, concluded on 21 November 2014 with a field trip to the Tajik-Afghan border...

DUSHANBE, 24 November 2014 – A three-day workshop on pre-screening legal acts to identify provisions that may be vague or contradictory and therefore encourage corruption started today at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. The workshop is the last phase of a one-month activity with the objective to produce a methodology on anti-corruption law screening...

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors highlighted access to higher education by national minorities and human rights abuses in Crimea in her statement to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 20 November 2014...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum and the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC). Events marking the first anniversary of Maidan were held across the country and were still ongoing at the time of reporting...

BERN, 22 November 2014- Central Asia plays an important role as a bridge between Asia and Europe, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said as he concluded a four-day visit to the Central Asian republics of Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, from 19 to 22 November 2014...

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

Twenty teachers from educational institutions of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies enhanced their knowledge and skills in the area of investigating ICT-related crimes,during a five-day intensive train-the-trainer course that ends on 21 November 2014, in Kyiv...

ASTANA, 21 November 2014 – A workshop for long-term election observers, co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana and the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan and with the support of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), took place in Astana today...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the Judicial Training Centre and the U.S. Embassy in Podgorica organized a four-day seminar from 17-20 November 2014 in Budva on the importance of public information and outreach in the Judicial, Prosecutorial, and Police institutions...

MOSCOW, 21 November 2014 – Ensuring journalists’ safety and breaking the cycle of impunity remain the biggest challenges to overcome for free media, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today in a keynote speech at the European Federation of Journalists’ Annual Meeting “Journalism in Times of Conflict: Impunity, Safety & Ethics”, at Moscow’s Central House of Journalists...

ASHGABAT, 21 November 2014 – Internationally recognized human rights standards and best practices regarding the treatment of inmates in prisons were discussed at an OSCE-organized training course that concluded in Ashgabat today...

An OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on the implementation of the action plan for the transition to a new model of the criminal and administrative justice took place on 21 November 2014 in Almaty...

BISHKEK, 21 November 2014 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek, in co-operation with the Economy Ministry of Kyrgyzstan launched yesterday the Systematic Regulatory Review project with the aim of assisting the country’s government in conducting regulatory reforms, governing private economic activity and combating corruption...

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

SARAJEVO, 20 November 2014 – Enhanced awareness and compliance of Bosnia and Herzegovina's politico-military and security commitments as an OSCE participating State and UN member were the focus of the 7th Review Conference on Compliance with the OSCE/UN Security Commitments of Bosnia and Herzegovina concluded in Sarajevo today...

VIENNA, 20 November 2014 – The mandate of the OSCE Observer Mission at the Russian checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk has been extended by one month to 23 December 2014, following a consensus decision taken by all 57 OSCE participating States today...

Empowering youth participation in democratic life is the focus of a seminar supported by the OSCE Mission to Skopje that will take place from 20 to 22 November 2014, in Bitola...

YEREVAN, 20 November 2014 – Mediating tensions between countries, negotiating territorial disputes and protecting ethnic minorities are among the topics of discussion at this year’s Model OSCE Conference, taking place on 20 and 21 November 2014, in Yerevan...

BAKU, 20 November 2014- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Project Co-ordinator in Baku today signed a Declaration to co-operate on and support combating human trafficking in Azerbaijan. The Declaration was signed by Dereck Hogan, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Baku, and Ambassador Alexis Chahtahtinsky, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku...

Military personnel shoot in the direction of an OSCE convoy near government-controlled Mariinka (15km W of Donetsk).

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

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized on 13-15 November a seminar for civil society representatives from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River, on establishing and developing partnerships with local authorities, media and businesses...

MOSCOW / PARIS / WASHINGTON, 19 November 2014 – The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) remain deeply concerned that there has been no humanitarian access to the crash site of the military helicopter downed by Azerbaijani forces on November 12. The wreckage of the helicopter lies in no man’s land in a heavily mined area along the Line of Contact...

COPENHAGEN, 19 November 2014 – The second leg of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Helsinki +40 seminar series has concluded in Washington, with six current and former Assembly presidents, members of the U.S. Congress, diplomats, experts and academics considering how the OSCE can most effectively promote good transatlantic relations and respond to new challenges, particularly in light of the crisis in Ukraine...

Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russian Federation. As mandated, the Observer Mission (OM) is operating 24/7 at both BCPs. Overall cross-border traffic flows decreased at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). Traffic flows changed again in that slightly more people left than entered the Russian Federation (RF) at the two observed BCPs. The OM continued to observe a significant number of persons in military-style clothing crossing the border in both directions. The OM observed a Russian convoy crossing to and returning from Ukraine through Donetsk BCP on 16 November...

The SMM continued to focus its observation on the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum. In Donetsk the SMM observed an armoured truck carrying an antiaircraft machine...

An OSCE-supported training seminar focusing on international standards for economic, social and cultural rights and their implementation in national policies began on 19 October 2014 in Aktobe, western Kazakhstan...

YEREVAN, 19 November 2014 – Reforming the police as a way to enhance criminal justice is the focus of a new guidebook published by the OSCE and presented today to the staff and students of the Armenian Police Educational Complex...

A conference organized by the OSCE Mission and Kosovo Police for law enforcement officers, government representatives, and academics from Western Balkans, Turkey and several EU countries on combating organized crime and transnational threats concluded on 18 November 2014 in Prishtinë/Priština...

BERN, 18 November 2014- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter will visit the five Central Asian republics – Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan- from 19 to 22 November 2014...

Introducing amendments to ensure clearer and more comprehensive electoral legislation, along with measures to increase trust and public confidence in the election administration, are among the main recommendations in the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 10 August 2014 presidential election in Turkey.

KYZYL-ORDA, Kazakhstan, 18 November, 2014 – Development of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture as part of the green economy promotion in the Aral Sea region is the topic of the OSCE-supported training seminar that began today in Kyzyl-Orda...

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

ERGNETI, 17 November 2014- At today’s 50th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) the co-facilitators, Toivo Klaar, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, OSCE Special Representative of the Swiss OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, commended and thanked participants for their continuing engagement...

Training on integrity, transparency and reduction of corruption risks in public administration was held for some forty high-level representatives from Armenia’s government institutions and regional self-government bodies on 10-15 November 2014, in Aghveran, Kotayk region. The training was held by the Union of Armenia's Government Employees NGO with the OSCE Office in Yerevan support and in partnership with the Civil Service Council of Armenia...

ASTANA, 17 November 2014- An OSCE-supported training seminar and roundtable discussion on ethics and the prevention of corruption in the judicial system began today in Astana...

OSH, 17 November 2014 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek supported a public hearing of the Kyrgyz Parliament Committee on Defense and Security on “Combating religious extremism and international terrorism” today in Osh, Kyrgyzstan...

BISHKEK, 17 November 2014 – A two-day workshop on international co-operation in criminal matters between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan law enforcement agencies and Prosecutorial and Central Authorities started today in Bishkek...

BAKU, 17 November 2014 – An international conference on strengthening religious tolerance, co-organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku, the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Caucasus Muslims Board and the National Commission of Azerbaijan for UNESCO, will take place in Baku on 17-18 November 2014. It will discuss Azerbaijan’s model of religious tolerance and existing challenges in the OSCE area and beyond. The two-day event, organized in the following day after the UN International Day of Tolerance (16 November), will bring together more than 100 participants from 11 countries...

On 16 November 2014 at 07:25 (Moscow time), a Russian convoy arrived at the Russian Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 20 vehicles were inspected by the Russian border guard and customs services and then headed into Ukraine. All the vehicles crossed back into the Russian Federation (RF) at 15:12 on the same day. This was the sixth Russian convoy crossing through the Donetsk BCP since the arrival of the Observer Mission (OM) to the Russian BCPs.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, focusing on the implementation of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum.

The SMM continued to monitor the situation in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, focusing on the implementation of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum. The Ukrainian and Russian heads of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) informed the SMM of an agreed draft schedule for gradual disengagement of forces along the line of contact.

More than 120 police officers, prosecutors and judges from all over Ukraine discussed ways of enhancing the prosecution of human trafficking offences at a two-day international conference, organised by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator on 13-14 November in Kyiv...

COPENHAGEN, 14 November 2014 – On the eve of the 5th anniversary of the death of Sergei Magnistky, the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee, Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), has called for an end to impunity in Russia and greater attention to the persistent link between corruption and human rights transgressions across the OSCE area...

Young politicians, journalists, civil servants, civil society and media representatives from Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the South Caucasus discussed the use of technology in fostering young people’s political participation in the OSCE region at the second Youth Leadership Forum, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 13 and 14 November 2014.