News and press releases

On 23 October, in Tashkent, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) – together with the National Human Rights Centre, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and its Regional Office for Central Asia, the United Nations Development Programme in Uzbekistan and the Office in Uzbekistan of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation – organized an International Forum titled: "Youth Rights: Possibilities and Mechanisms of Protection". The Forum commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights.

From 16 to 20 October 2023, the OSCE delivered a national training course on gender-responsive policing of violence against women and girls in Popova Šapka. The course – organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), the OSCE Mission to Skopje, and the Police Training Centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in North Macedonia – was delivered by the six national police officers and prosecutors who had previously benefited from the TNTD’s train-the-trainers course in Warsaw. Twenty-two police officers and prosecutors from various municipalities in North Macedonia- twelve women and ten men – learned to respond to cases of violence against women and girls while maintaining a victim-centred approach.

VIENNA, 23 October 2023 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, concluded a two-day official visit to London. During her visit, she engaged in a series of productive meetings with various stakeholders, including Sir John Whittingdale, Minister of State for the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport, Lord Christopher Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice, Christian Rogg, Director for Development and Open Societies, and members of Parliament, including Vice Chairs of All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Media Freedom issues. The primary focus of these discussions was to address both current and emerging challenges to media freedom across the OSCE region, including discussions on the situation in the United Kingdom.

The second penitentiary reform forum of Tajikistan, supported by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, was held on 23 October 2023 in Dushanbe and focused on the development of the prison system in Tajikistan.

The meeting of the OSCE Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe regional networks for women professionals in preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (P/CVERLT) concluded today in Vienna. The event was organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Gender Issues Programme/WIN Project, in collaboration with the OSCE Secretariat's Transnational Threats Department/Action against Terrorism Unit.

On September 18-22, 2023, the Training Center of the State Financial Intelligence Service under the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic, with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, successfully conducted the autumn camp to prepare the national team of the Kyrgyz Republic for the final of the International Olympiad on Financial Security, which will take place on October 2-6, 2023, in Sochi.

From 16 to 20 October, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe provided an introductory training course on cryptocurrencies and darknet investigations at the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Representatives of Turkmenistan’s national media and institutions involved in the implementation of the National Human Rights Action Plan for 2021-2025 (NHRAP) participated in an OSCE-organized training course on media literacy that took place on 19 and 20 October 2023 in Ashgabat. International

Twenty-seven supervisory and law enforcement representatives from Georgia strengthened their skills in identifying and investigating the financial crimes conducted with cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets in a training course held from 17 to 20 October 2023 in Tbilisi, Georgia. The course was

Bishkek, 18-20 October- The Service on Countering Illicit Drug Trafficking of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, in collaboration with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, hosted an Annual K9 competition commemorating National Police Day. The competition will feature K9 units from four government entities, including the State Service for Execution of Punishments under the Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Service on Countering Illicit Drug Trafficking of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, the State Customs Service under the Ministry of Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Border Service of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Fifteen public officials from five ministries and one parliamentary committee successfully completed a four-day training course ending on 19 October, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Secretariat for Competitiveness Council. These officials, are now qualified to train their counterparts on implementing gender-responsive budgeting in state institutions.

The Central Election Commission of Albania in co-operation with the OSCE Presence organized a national high-level conference titled “Voting from abroad- the way forward”, on 19 October 2023. The conference facilitated discussions among relevant stakeholders on how the Assembly can address the legal

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented the final report on Hungary’s 2022 parliamentary elections and referendum in Budapest on 17 and 18 October 2023. The experts discussed the report’s key findings and recommendations with government

From 17 to 19 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) organized a three-day training of trainers on domestic violence issues. The training brought together 17 young people (six men and 11 women) from Dushanbe and the regions of Tajikistan.

The role of Aarhus Centres in promoting public participation in environmental decision-making, transition towards green economy, and management of hazardous and toxic wastes took centre stage at the 2023 Aarhus Centres Annual Meeting, held in Dushanbe and online on 17 and 18 October.

VIENNA, 18 October 2023 — A new report mapping the online landscape of risks of trafficking in human beings on sexual services websites across the OSCE was launched by the Office of the Special Representative and Co-Ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings to mark EU Anti-Trafficking Day.

A series of four three-day simulation exercises organized jointly by the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine and IOM Mission in Ukraine in September and October helped officials, experts, and practitioners from 12 regions of Ukraine to enhance their practical skills in investigating cases of trafficking in human beings and assisting survivors of the crime.

On 17 October 2023, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) with the OSCE Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), under the auspices of the 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship of North Macedonia, organized a one-day Conference on Statelessness. The Conference was intended as an exchange forum for over eighty participants representing national authorities, civil society and international organizations, to facilitate practical and informative discussions aimed at sharing good practices to prevent and address statelessness in the South-Eastern Europe region.

On 17 October 2023, the OSCE Presence in Albania presented a project on electoral reform and processes, aiming to contribute to an all-inclusive and participatory electoral process in Albania in line with OSCE commitments and OSCE/ODIHR recommendations.   The OSCE project “Support to electoral

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) supported the organization of two panel discussions on the processing of cases related to trafficking in human beings and hate crimes.

On 18 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office) organized a roundtable event to present and discuss the findings and recommendations of four monitoring reports prepared by civil society national experts (two women, and two men).

SKOPJE, 17 October 2023 – Resolving all known cases of statelessness in South-Eastern Europe and preventing children from being born stateless are the commitments made by the national authorities and civil society representatives at a regional conference held today in Skopje, North Macedonia.

KYIV, 17 October 2023- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, completed his second visit to Ukraine.

WARSAW, 16 October 2023 – Poland’s parliamentary elections were characterized by record high voter participation with a wide choice of political options and candidates able to campaign freely, but the campaign was tarnished by notable overlap between the ruling party’s messages and government information campaigns. Together with distorted and openly partisan coverage by the public broadcaster, this provided a clear advantage to the ruling party, undermining the democratic separation of state and party, international observers said in a statement today.

The 9th OSCE Dialogue Academy for Young Women organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, concluded yesterday in Struga, North Macedonia.

SKOPJE/VIENNA, 14 October 2023- Rabbi Andrew Baker, Personal Representative on Combating Anti-Semitism, Associate Professor Dr. Regina Polak, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination, made the following statement:

On 14 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office) completed a two-week training course on “Surface Water Rescue Operation” for representatives of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (CoESCD).

The increased risks of trafficking of women and children during armed conflict and the protection of victims of trafficking were discussed at an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 12 October 2023. The discussion took place at the

An OSCE-organized training course on the production of TV programmes covering environmental issues took place from 10 to 13 October 2023 in Ashgabat. The four-day course brought together editors and camera operators from Turkmenistan’s TV channels as well as journalism instructors from three

From 5 to 13 October, the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department/Border Security and Management Unit jointly with UNODC’s Terrorism Prevention Branch, delivered capacity-building training for twenty officers from border and customs services in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

From 9 to 13 October, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office), in co-operation with eight civil society organizations working with persons with disabilities and local municipalities, supported a rally in the Khatlon region.

Toguz-Bulak village, 12 October 2023- The Border Service of the State Committee on National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek announced the grand opening of the Young Border Guard classroom in Toguz-Bulak village, Kyrgyzstan. This milestone event underscores the joint commitment to address critical border security needs and transnational threats.

The Forensic Centre is a healthy bond between the police and judicial authorities, while support to the Forensic Centre means support to both the police and judiciary in combatting criminal activities and for the benefit of all citizens. This was one of the messages sent at the opening of the Eighth Regional Meeting of Forensic Centres, organized with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro on 12 and 13 October in Budva.

Marking International Day for Disaster Reduction, the OSCE underlines the vital role of wildfire risk reduction, landscape fire management, and fire early warning in responding to the growing challenges posed by climate change.

On 12 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) facilitated the meeting of the Working Group on Improvement of Legal Acts on Elimination of Gender Stereotypes, Protection of Women's Rights, and Prevention of Domestic Violence. The event, organized by the Executive Office of the President, was held in Dushanbe and was attended by 40 (24 women, 16 men) representatives of Tajikistan’s Government, civil society organizations, and international organizations.

Over the course of the past two years, the OSCE Mission has conducted twelve Tabletop Exercises (TTX) that convened more than 500 participants from diverse backgrounds across the entire country. Employing a multi-disciplinary approach, the TTXs aimed to enhance the capacities of key stakeholders in the prevention and countering of violent extremism in BiH.

Addressing the pressing issue of violence experienced by women and girls in conflict zones was the focus of a side event at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, held on 4 October 2023. Organized by the Gender Issues Programme WIN Project, and co-hosted by the 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship of North Macedonia, the Permanent Delegation of Finland to the OSCE, the Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the OSCE, and the United States Mission to the OSCE, the event brought together experts and activists to discuss the dynamics of violence against women and girls in Ukraine.

Roma fleeing the armed conflict in Ukraine continue to experience prejudice when seeking support or aid, said participants at an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 11 October 2023, on the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

The essential role of prison staff in protecting the human rights of detainees was the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on 10 October 2023, on the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. “The Nelson Mandela Rules are the gold

Addressing ongoing issues with access to healthcare and housing for Roma and Sinti communities was the focus of a discussion organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 11 October in Warsaw, during which ODIHR presented new tools to help OSCE countries

On 9 October, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid hosted the closing ceremony of the first edition of the OSCE Women’s Peace Leadership Programme, a high-level mentorship programme supporting women’s inclusion in peace and security at all levels.

On 11 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) supported a one-day roundtable dedicated to the International Day of the Girl Child. The event brought together some 55 young activists, members of the Coalition De Jure de Facto, and representatives of respective government line Ministries and Agencies and international organizations from Dushanbe and the regions.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in co-operation with the FBiH and RS Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Centres, organized a training course on ethical standards and disciplinary practices tailored for approximately 40 newly appointed judges and prosecutors on 11 October in Sarajevo.

Guiding principles for democratic lawmaking were at the centre of discussion at an event organized by OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 9 October at the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, where ODIHR presented its upcoming tool, the Guidelines on

ASHGABAT, 10 October 2023 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, concluded his visit to Turkmenistan yesterday. Throughout his meetings, he discussed ongoing challenges in the OSCE region and the more effective use of OSCE tools in supporting Turkmenistan’s reform path.

On 10 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office), in co-operation with the Agency of Land Reclamation and Irrigation, conducted a one-day event dedicated to the 10th meeting of the National Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (NCID). The meeting brought together a total of 70 participants representing national and international stakeholders, members of the NCID from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, scientific institutions, and young water professionals.

The 2023 parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan took place in an environment that lacked genuine competitiveness and pluralism, and while the constitution guarantees fundamental freedoms, they remain very restricted. Media is tightly controlled by the state, with limited access to the Internet

As part of its ongoing effort to support OSCE states in upholding their commitments to the rule of law, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented newly developed recommendations to ensure judicial independence and accountability across the region on 9 October

How to approach and interview children is focus of a three-day regional OSCE-supported workshop on interviewing child victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation that has started on 9 October in Budva.

The importance of self-representation and self-advocacy for women from diverse groups was the focus of a discussion organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 6 October 2023 on the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. The discussion was part of