News and press releases

The overall security situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained tense. No substantive change to the situation in Donetsk city, which remains calm. Barricades on city access routes are being enlarged and strengthened. The so-called 'Donetsk People’s Republic' reported fighting in the area of Mospine (6 kilometres southeast of Donetsk).Other parts of Ukraine remained calm. The SMM has not reestablished communication with the four monitors from the Donetsk team and four monitors from the Luhansk team with whom it lost contact on 26 May and 29 May respectively...

VIENNA, 6 June 2014 – The holding of the Transdniestrian settlement negotiations is sending a positive signal, said the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process Ambassador Radojko Bogojević today...

ASTANA, 6 June 2014 – A roundtable discussion on the improvement of the legal framework and the enhancement of the political party system in Kazakhstan took place today in Astana...

First explosive ordnance disposal course in Central Asia completed with OSCE support...

A two-week training course for anti-terrorism instructors from Kyrgyzstan concluded on 6 June 2014 in Bishkek...

The overall security situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained tense. Donetsk city remained quiet. Fighting around Sloviansk and the south-western neighborhood of Luhansk is reported. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm. The SMM has not reestablished communication with the 4 monitors from the Donetsk team and 4 monitors from the Luhansk team, with whom it lost contact on 26 May and 29 May respectively.

BUDVA, 5 June 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed concern about the detention of Anna Sharogradskaya, Director of the Regional Press Institute, an NGO in Saint Petersburg...

BUDVA, 5 June 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed her concern about two recent criminal defamation cases in Kazakhstan and plans to expand criminal defamation in the new criminal code...

Strategies for strengthening women’s role in parliament and to advance gender equality were the focus of a study visit to Stockholm by women parliamentarians from Mongolia from 3 to 5 June 2014.

A three-day workshop for municipal officials on drafting social housing plans concluded on 4 June 2014 in Dragash/Dragaš municipality...

ASTANA, 5 June 2014 – An OSCE-supported training seminar on improving communications between civil society and the legislative body of power took place today in Astana...

The last in a series of five OSCE-supported training seminars co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana and the Interior Ministry for police inspectors and officers on trends and challenges in preventing domestic violence took place on 5 June 2014 in Kokshetau...

YEREVAN, 4 June 2014 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, on an official visit to Yerevan today commended Armenia for its close cooperation with the OSCE Office in the implementation of a broad range of domestic reforms. Burkhalter said, after his meeting with Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan, that the OSCE is committed to continue supporting the country on its path of democratic reform.

The overall security situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained tense. Donetsk city's security situation has remained calm over the last 24 hours. The potential for further armed conflict has created anxiety and fear among the city's population. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm. The SMM has not reestablished contact with the 4 monitors from the Donetsk team and 4 monitors from the Luhansk team with whom it lost contact on 26 May and 29 May respectively.

On 3 June 2014, some 50 of Serbia’s top judicial professionals gathered at an OSCE-conference in Belgrade to discuss the selection process for judges and prosecutors and the reform of the Judicial Academy...

TBILISI/ERGNETI, 3 June 2014 – In Tbilisi, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter met with Georgia’s President GiorgiMargvelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili and Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze, as well as with representatives of the Parliament and the civil society...

ERGNETI, 3 June 2014- The 45th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti today, co-facilitated by Toivo Klaar, the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), and Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, the OSCE Special Representative for the South Caucasus...

The overall security situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm. The SMM has not re-established contact with the 4 monitors from the Donetsk team and 4 monitors from the Luhansk team with whom it lost contact on 26 May and 29 May respectively...

VIENNA, 3 June 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović, today said she was disappointed by the U.S. Supreme Court decision which may force a reporter to reveal their sources in a criminal trial...

ASTANA, 3 June 2014- A regional training seminar for military officers on the practical implementation of the OSCE Vienna Document 2011 on confidence- and security-building measures began in Astana today. The OSCE Centre in Astana has organized the four-day event in co-operation with Kazakhstan's Defence Ministry...

VIENNA, 3 June 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned the continued attacks on and mistreatment of members of the media in eastern and southern Ukraine...

An OSCE-supported report on the activities of National Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) in 2013 was presented at a roundtable discussion at the Financial Police Academy in Koschi, Kazakhstan, on 3 June 2014...

The overall security situation in Donetsk region is tense. The situation in Luhansk region is volatile. SMM has not re-established contact with its monitors from Donetsk and Luhansk with whom contact has been lost...

As discussions on the need to improve effectiveness of the judiciary are gaining pace in Ukraine, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator supported a roundtable meeting on 2 June 2014 with the aim of facilitating dialogue on reforms to the justice system...

BAKU, 2 June 2014 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, started his official trip to the South Caucasus today with a visit to Baku, where he discussed with President llham Aliyev new aspects of co-operation between the OSCE and Azerbaijan, and called for implementing tension-reducing measures regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict...

The process of drafting and preparing legislation in the Kyrgyz Republic should be more transparent and participatory, said a preliminary assessment presented by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Bishkek on 2 June 2014. The presentation was held for representatives of the country’s parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh, and of the government, the presidential administration and civil society.

The meeting, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), brought together participants from Roma and Sinti civil society organizations and from academia to discuss experiences and good practices within the OSCE area on teaching about the Roma and Sinti genocide during World War II.

YEREVAN, 2 June 2014 – A series of training sessions for civil servants from Armenian ministries and state agencies on simplifying regulations in the market environment kicked off today in Yerevan with OSCE support...

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek donated equipment worth 50,000 Euros to the Ilbirs Special Forces under the General Staff of the Kyrgyz Republic on 29 May 2014. The official handover ceremony took place in Osh city and was incorporated into national Armed Forces Day events...

The overall security situation in Donetsk region remains very volatile, with sporadic infighting between various groups. Public security and safety is of the highest concern. The situation in Luhansk region is volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm. SMM has not reestablished contact with the 4 monitors from Donetsk Team, nor with the 4 monitors and interpreter from Luhansk Team with whom it lost contact on 26 May and 29 May respectively.

Bern, 30 May, 2014- Swiss Foreign Minister and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE, Didier Burkhalter, in a phone call with President-elect of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, personally assured him of the OSCE’s continuing commitment to support Ukraine in finding adequate solutions to the crisis.

The unique experiences and challenges confronting women of African descent in the OSCE region was the focus of a two-day workshop organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 29-30 May 2014. Twenty-one women from 15 OSCE participating States detailed the issues that women of African descent face on a daily basis, notably the dual challenges of racial and gender discrimination.

The situation in Luhansk and Donetsk remained volatile. Other parts of Ukraine remained calm...

VIENNA, 30 May 2014 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović warned of new acts of violence, detentions, switching-off the channels and refusal of access in Ukraine...

ASHAGABAT, 30 May 2014 – Energy diplomacy and pricing mechanisms for natural gas were the focus of an OSCE workshop that concluded in Ashgabat today...

VIENNA, 30 May 2014 – Dunja Mijatović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media today welcomed the lifting of the YouTube ban by the Turkish Constitutional Court, and called for the immediate implementation of the decision...

KYIV, 30 May 2014- At around 19:00 yesterday the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine lost contact with some members of its Luhansk-based team...

ASTANA, 30 May 2014 – Current trends and challenges in the ongoing process of reforming legislation in Kazakhstan are the main topics of an OSCE-supported conference, organized by the Legislation Institute of the Justice Ministry, which opened today in Astana...

A team of elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) held a series of meetings this week in Ashgabat with authorities in Turkmenistan to discuss the ODIHR Election Assessment Mission’s final report on the 15 December 2013 parliamentary elections.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported a working visit to Slovenia of staff from Montenegro’s Agency for the Protection of Personal Data and Free Access to Information, where they met their counterparts and shared experiences. The visit concluded on 30 May 2014...

COPENHAGEN, 28 May 2014 – Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), the chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, today deplored the sentencing of rights defender Anar Mammadli by a Baku court to 5 ½ years in prison...

The Government of the Czech Republic must do more to ensure the integration of Roma children into the country’s school system, participants said at a seminar on equal access to quality education for Roma children organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Prague on 29 May 2014.

Clashes in Donetsk between the Ukrainian army and armed separatists continued. Eleven monitors of the SMM were abducted for 7 hours, four others, abducted on 26 May, are still missing. The situation also remained tense in Luhansk, whereas other parts of the country were calm. In Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, minor members of the Right Sector were held for several hours by armed individuals...

ASHGABAT, 29 May 2014 – International standards on freedom of religion and belief were in focus of an OSCE-organized training course that concluded in Ashgabat today...

ASHGABAT, 29 May 2014 – Twenty-five officials from Turkmenistan’s law-enforcement bodies and security agencies discussed best practices in counter-terrorism negotiations at an OSCE-organized course that will conclude in Ashgabat tomorrow...

VIENNA, 29 May 2014 – Imposing unconditional and direct responsibilities on Internet content providers can stifle free debate on issues of public interest in Hungary, warned the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović today...

Bern, 28 May, 2014- Didier Burkhalter, Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE and Swiss Foreign Minister, said that the detention of monitors of the Special Monitoring Mission cannot be tolerated and was undermining the important work of the Mission which was agreed upon by the 57 participating States of the OSCE on March 21. The detentions were acts of sabotage of international efforts to assist Ukraine in overcoming the crisis, Burkhalter continued.

An agreement between the OSCE and INTERPOL was signed on 27 May 2014 with the aim of further enhancing collaboration between the two organizations in the area of law enforcement training...

Clashes in Donetsk between the Ukrainian army and armed separatists continued. The situation was also tense in Luhansk. Other parts of the country remained calm...

As part of the efforts to establish a functional school mediation system, the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the NGO Forum Civil Peace Service (forumZFD), are organizing an advanced course on mediation in schools in Struga from 28 May to 1 June 2014...