News and press releases

WASHINGTON, 5 November 2014 – The 2014 United States midterm elections were another demonstration of the country’s commitment to democracy, as voters could readily inform themselves about their political options and could freely cast their ballots, observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) concluded. However, the increasing role of money in political campaigns threatened to overshadow the real issues at stake in the elections. While the elections benefitted from extensive media coverage, with diverse and critical analysis of many aspects of the campaigns, the actual interest of the public appeared limited...

The provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum as well as the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination remained at the focus of SMM monitoring. In Donetsk and Luhansk the situation remained tense. In Donetsk the SMM heard shelling from the northern outskirts of the city...

Life imprisonment and child friendly justice standards in European criminal law were among the topics discussed at an OSCE-supported seminar held on 5 November 2014 in Yerevan...

Businesses which procure products and services have an important role to play in preventing human trafficking, by setting minimum standards to be met by all their suppliers, concludes a new publication launched on 4 November 2014 by the OSCE’s Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova...

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. An SMM UAV was subject to military-grade GPS jamming...

On 4 November 2014 at 08:25 (Moscow time), a Russian convoy of 10 vehicles arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). The vehicles were inspected only by the Russian border guard and customs services. All the vehicles crossed back into the Russian Federation (RF) at 14:20 on the same day. This was the fifth Russian convoy to cross through the Donetsk BCP since the arrival of the Observer Mission (OM) to the Russian BCPs...

A new handbook for relevant authorities across the OSCE region on how to prevent human trafficking for the purpose of domestic servitude in diplomatic households was launched by the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, on 4 November 2014 in Vienna...

BISHKEK, 04 November 2014 –The OSCE Academy in Bishkek today signed a Memorandum of Co-operation (MoU) with the Kazy Dikambaev Diplomatic Academy under the Kyrgyz Foreign Affairs Ministry. On the same occasion, the Diplomatic Academy signed a Memorandum of Co-operation with the American University of Central Asia President Andrew Wachtel. The MoUs will contribute to developing and enhancing of mutual co-operation, exchange of information and expertise in the field of education, professional training and research...

VIENNA, 4 November 2014 – The OSCE plays a pivotal role in easing divisions, healing wounds and managing change, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today, and emphasized the close UN-OSCE partnership in enhancing conflict prevention and resolution...

VIENNA, 4 November 2014 – Ethical approaches in corporate codes of conduct, government procurement regulations and empowering workers are a key part of the struggle against modern-day slavery, said the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, today at the opening of the 14th Alliance against Trafficking in Persons conference in Vienna...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan 4 November 2014 – The first national forum on effective water resources management and co-operation between the government, universities and industries began today at the Kazakh-German University in Almaty...

DUSHANBE, 4 November 2014 – Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender Issues June Zeitlin paid a four-day country visit to Tajikistan from 1 to 4 November 2014...

The provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum as well as the activities of the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination remained the focus of SMM monitoring. Even though the SMM did not hear shelling in Donetsk city, the situation remained tense throughout the region. The SMM observed several demonstrations in the rest of the country...

On 2 November 2014 starting at 07:06 (Moscow time), a Russian convoy arrived to the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 32 vehicles were inspected only by the Russian border guard and customs services. By 15:08 on the same day, all the vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation (RF).

Numerous anti-aircraft rounds were fired at an SMM UAV on 2 November 2014.

Advancing gender equality in elected office in Malta was the focus of a conference on “Women’s Political Participation in Malta”, held on 3 November 2014 in Valletta, Malta.

KYIV, 3 November 2014– Ukrainian legal professionals attended the first in a series of training courses, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, aimed to broaden their knowledge on international standards of human rights protection in crisis situations today in Kyiv...

KARAGANDA, Kazakhstan, 3 November 2014 – A four-day regional seminar for law enforcement officers on the detection of trafficking routes for illegal drugs and their precursors, including methods for detecting relevant contraband, began today in Karaganda...

Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Didier Burkhalter, reminded all parties that the Minsk Protocol and the Memorandum of September 5 and 19 respectively should continue to serve as the relevant framework and reference point for steps towards de-escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. He noted that some progress was made in the implementation of the arrangements, particularly with regard to cease-fire and its monitoring, efforts towards decentralization and the liberation of detainees, which led to a decrease in violence.

On 31 October 2014 starting at 07:40 (Moscow time), a third Russian convoy bound to Luhansk arrived to the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 42 vehicles, including 30 cargo trucks and 12 support vehicles, were inspected by both the Russian and Ukrainian border guard and customs services. By 18:00 on the same day, all the vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation.

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum. In the Odesa region the SMM followed up on an incident at a local district administration building...

SKOPJE, 1 November 2014 – Over 500 students, from eighteen schools around the country, came together during an OSCE-supported Building Bridges Fund event that took place in Skopje today...

DUSHANBE, 31 October 2014 – A week-long train-the-trainer course for the representatives of the national border-related training institutions and graduates was completed today at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC)...

VIENNA, 31 October 2014 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today cited the case of Azerbaijani human rights defender and journalist Khadija Ismayilova in calling on OSCE participating States to refrain from pressuring or harassing individuals for their legitimate activities in supporting the promotion and protection of human rights...

VIENNA, 31 October 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned the recent incident of an abuse of press insignia in eastern Ukraine...

The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, advised judges at an international seminar in Haifa, Israel, from 27 to 30 October 2014, to avoid “secondary victimization” of trafficked persons during court cases...

KYIV, 31 October 2014 – ‘To enhance public trust in civil society organizations in Ukraine, the Registry of Public Associations should provide citizens with access to the NGOs statutes and reports’ – was one of the core recommendations adopted at the “Civil Society and State: Dialogue and Partnership" international conference, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator, on 30-31 October 2014, in Kyiv...

DUSHANBE, 31 October 2014 –The Tajik border guards and Afghan border police officers today completed a two-week OSCE Patrol Management and Analysis training course...

The training focused on promoting youth political participation in the OSCE region was provided for 25 participants at an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the Folke Bernadotte Academy (FBA) and the School of Public Policy (SPP) of the Central European University in Sando, Sweden, from 27 to 31 October 2014.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 31 October 2014- A three-week advanced training course on the use of detection dogs co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, the Canine Centre of the Customs Control Committee of Kazakhstan and the US Embassy in Astana concluded today in Almaty...

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. In Lviv the SMM observed a lustration march.

VIENNA, 30 October 2014 – While times of economic crisis can impose severe budgetary conditions on States, addressing these constraints cannot come at the cost of ignoring the responsibilities States have for the protection and promotion of human rights, participants said today at the opening of a two-day OSCE meeting in Vienna...

Vienna, 30 October 2014- Following a report by Stimme Russlands Radio (“The OSCE stumbles upon illegal transplantation in Ukraine”) on 1 October 2014, alleging that “The OSCE Special Representative to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, confirmed this information on Ukrainian television and explained that the situation required a thorough investigation by international experts.” and a documentary broadcast by NTV channel on 5 October 2014, stating that “the OSCE Special Representative to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, speculated that the organs had been removed for sale.”, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings wishes to make the following statement:

CHISINAU, 30 October 2014- The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Ambassador Radojko Bogojević today concluded his visit to Moldova in which he underscored the importance of frequent and substantive direct contacts between Chisinau and Tiraspol...

Gender equality principles in education, with a particular focus on protection against discrimination and domestic violence, were the focus of a workshops organized for a group of 20 Faculty of Philosophy students, Montenegro University, on 11 October and 25 October 2014, in Nikšić...

Kamensk-Shakhtinsky, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) is operating at full capacity. Cross-border traffic flows remained relatively steady at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs) and the total number of border-crossings has slightly increased. More people left than entered the Russian Federation (RF) at the two observed BCPs although this return movement has continued to slow down. The OM observed again a considerable number of persons in military-style clothing crossing the border in both directions, few of them apparently belonging to Cossack units. Truck convoys continued to transport coal from the Luhansk region to the RF...

ULAANBAATAR, 30 October 2014 – A two-day OSCE-supported national expert workshop addressing terrorist use of the Internet, cybercrime and other cyber threats ended today in Ulaanbaatar. The expert workshop was co-organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, and the Mongolian Law Enforcement University...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained tense. A number of shelling instances were noted...

The legislative process in the Republic of Armenia should be made more flexible and participatory, says an assessment report presented by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Yerevan on 30 October 2014.

VIENNA, 30 October 2014 – In the run-up to the International Day to End Impunity, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today called on OSCE participating States to take real steps to track down and prosecute those who commit crimes against journalists.

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 30 October 2014 – Leaders and members of Islamic, Serbian Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant Evangelic, and Jewish communities in Kosovo reiterated today their call for an improved legal framework which would enable religious communities to register as legal entities, request restitution of property and regulate their finances...

SARAJEVO, 29 October 2014 – An initial two-day conference on developing a model for mandatory professional development of school management hosted by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina concluded today in Sarajevo...

LONDON, 29 October 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today met with the Foreign Office Minister for Human Rights and International Organisations, Baroness Anelay and other senior UK officials to discuss media freedom issues in the OSCE region...

COPENHAGEN, 29 October – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) issued the following statement today on the early parliamentary elections in Ukraine:..

The OSCE Senior Adviser on Gender Issues, Ambassador Miroslava Beham, attended the UN Security Council debate on Women, Peace and Security on 28 October where she presented an outline of the OSCE activities on UNSCR 1325 ranging from supporting OSCE participating States in their implementation of National Action Plans, through to gender-enhanced mediation support...

The SMM continued to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained tense. Shelling resumed in the Mariupol area. The NGO “Territorial Defence” in Ivano-Frankivsk is prepared to protect the region from possible military and terrorist threats.

BRATISLAVA, 28 October 2014- Government authorities and non-profit organizations need to engage in regular dialogue on the basis of mutual trust to ensure non-profit organizations are not abused by terrorists or operate as fronts for the financing of terrorism, said participants of a three-day regional workshop which opened today in the Slovak capital...

VIENNA, 28 October 2014 – “Challenges facing us are too big for any single country or region to tackle them alone. Co-operation and common action are an absolute necessity”, said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier at the 20th Annual OSCE Mediterranean Conference, taking place on 27/28 October in Neum, Bosnia and Herzegovina...

The OSCE Centre in Astana and the Legislative and Judicial Reform Committee of the Mazhilis (lower chamber of the Parliament) with support of the Penal Reform International Office in Central Asia and Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry co-organized a study visit to Netherlands from 23 to 28 October 2014...

The situation remained calm on Election Day throughout most of Ukraine, including around Shchastya in the Luhansk region, where a local truce seems to have been arranged, and in Donetsk city. A number of frontline villages to the south of Donetsk city were, however, subjected to shelling...