News and press releases

Intelligence-led policing, which utilizes data to conduct police operations, is an increasingly valued resource in combatting crime, was at the heart of the workshop the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized for 17 police officers of the Police Directorate’s Criminal Intelligence Division from 2 to 6 October in Podgorica.

The situation of human rights defenders forced to work outside their countries to avoid danger or persecution at home was the topic of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human rights (ODIHR) on 5 October 2023 in the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomes adoption of the curriculum for the subject "Romani Language and Culture" in Tuzla Canton. This is a momentous step not only for Tuzla Canton but for Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole, demonstrating a commitment to embracing diversity and promoting cultural understanding.

SKOPJE, 6 October – OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, expressing serious concerns, calls for increased international support and humanitarian relief for the over 100,000 Karabakh Armenians that have found refuge in the Republic of Armenia. Humanitarian needs must remain the top priority and the international donor community should continue to actively demonstrate solidarity and responsibility sharing to assist Armenia as its government responds to this unfolding humanitarian crisis.

Bishkek, 6-7 October 2023- The Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic in partnership with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek organized a training on E-Commerce and government policy issues in the field of exports. The training brought together representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, National Agency for Investments and Kyrgyzstan’s prominent Business Associations.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is a transformative technology that offers opportunities for societies across the OSCE region, but without effective regulation can also endanger human rights. If the risks are not addressed when AI tools are developed, online hate can proliferate, warned

Work to counter anti-religious hate crime must safeguard communities from hate-motivated crimes, and at the same time cultivate an environment in which religious or belief communities can flourish, said participants at an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human

Through continuous support the OSCE Mission to Montenegro has provided to the country’s Forensic Centre, with today’s provision of software licenses and technical equipment for its Digital Forensic Unit, this institution is now better equipped to process digital evidence stored on mobile device and therefore to help advance police investigations into serious and organized crime.

The role of women in strengthening peace and security and the human rights of women in Central Asia were the topics of discussion at the annual Women’s Power Breakfast organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 5 October 2023. The breakfast took

An OSCE-organized seminar on the modernization of customs mechanisms and strengthening export procedures took place in Ashgabat from 3 to 5 October 2023. Held in a blended format, the three-day event brought together representatives of the State Customs Service, the Ministry of Finance and Economy,

Strengthening the capacities, increasing transparency and promoting good governance in the public procurement in Albania was the aim of a project run from the OSCE Presence from 1 September 2020 until 30 September 2023. The three-year project was financed by the governments of Italy, France and

On 3 and 4 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana together with the Ministry of Defence of Kazakhstan supported a visit of representatives from the verification centres of 25 OSCE participating States to the 604th Air Base and 37th Air Assault Brigade in Taldykorgan city.

WARSAW 4 October 2023 – Today, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro launched the new Guidelines for monitoring online violence against female journalists at the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. The Guidelines provide a systematic monitoring and reporting system aiming to better protect women journalists and prevent online violence from escalating.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan jointly with the General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the NGO “In-service Training Centre for Journalists” is conducting a series of training courses on media literacy for prosecutors. The activity is organized within the framework of the "Promoting Rule of Law, Human Rights and Media Development” project.

The OSCE awareness campaign on youth crime prevention and integrity, launched in June 2023, achieved the milestone of reaching one and a half million young people across Kyrgyzstan on 29 September 2023.

On 28 and 29 September, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) delivered a capacity-building programme on open data for media professionals. The training, which was co-organized with the Statistics Agency under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and took place at the PCUz office in Tashkent, gathered 23 journalists and bloggers.

In the framework of the OSCE project “Mitigation of Safety and Security Risks related to small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition in Montenegro”, the Head of the Mission to Montenegro, Dominique Waag, visited Brezovik military facility on 3 October, to see first-hand the results of the support provided by the Mission since 2007.

As part of its ongoing efforts to develop and refine its election observation methodology, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) launched a new handbook on observing election administration on 3 October 2023, during the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference. Election

On 30 September, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) concluded a three-month-long, nation-wide small grants programme in Ukraine with the aim of supporting civil society organizations and the private sector in creating digital solutions addressing war-related challenges. The programme, titled Open Data Unbroken, supports the use of open data to encourage civic participation through innovative technology approaches and tools, establish partnerships among various sectors, and enhance information exchange and networking among local authorities, grassroots initiatives, and public activists.

VIENNA, 3 October 2023 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, issued today a communiqué underscoring the pivotal role of media freedom during elections. She urged authorities of all OSCE participating States and electoral contenders to uphold their democratic duty by respecting and safeguarding the crucial democratic role of the media, especially during election periods.

WARSAW, 2 October 2023 – Building on strong partnerships and returning to genuine dialogue are key to overcoming challenges to human rights and democracy. This was the main message from OSCE leaders today at the opening of a major human rights conference to discuss the condition of human rights and freedoms across the 57 states of the region.

Fifteen officials from the Ministry of Interior are equipped with the knowledge and skills to create and upload training content to the police e-learning platform, developed with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro. This was the outcome of two training cycles the Mission organized this year- from 3 to 7 July and from 25 to 29 September.

WARSAW, 30 September 2023 – Following 14 months of monitoring the evaluation of candidates to the body responsible for the appointment and discipline of judges in Moldova (pre-vetting), the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) found that the procedure is generally objective, fair and professional, and in line with international human rights and rule of law principles. However, the transparency and legal certainty of the evaluation process could be further improved, ODIHR said in a new report.

The May 2023 local elections in Albania were generally well-administered, competitive and held with the participation of the key political forces, but the process was characterized by continued polarization between the main political parties and deep division within the opposition. Contestants

Türkiye’s 2023 general elections offered voters a choice between genuine political alternatives and voter participation was high, but the incumbent president and the ruling parties enjoyed an unjustified advantage, including through biased media coverage. The continued restrictions on fundamental

From 25 to 29 September, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, the Mobile Training Team and the OSCE Presence in Albania, conducted an intensive training programme in Tirana, Albania, focusing on behavioural analysis, interviewing techniques, and crisis management. It benefited twenty border and counter-terrorism officers, as well as representatives from the Security and Investigation Academy of the Albanian State Police.

Fourteen members of the Albanian State Police (ASP) participated in a training programme titled “Synthetic Drugs Trafficking- A Global Growing Threat” from 27 to 29 September 2023. The training was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania with the support of the US Justice Department International

From 18 to 29 September, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) conducted a two-week-long training on information analysis and the use of IT technologies in border security. Twenty officers of the analytical units of Tajik Border Troops took part in the training, which was held at the “Poytakht” training centre in Rudaki district.

Ensuring gender-sensitive education of staff working in Ukraine’s system of free legal aid will enhance quality of assistance provided to survivors of gender-based violence, including related to the ongoing war. These are some of the recommendations, elaborated with the assistance of the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU), based on the assessment of documents, policies and practices used by members of the Free Legal Aid system.

From 25 to 29 September, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) organized a five-day training course for lawyers from the OSCE-supported Women’s Resource Centres (WRCs) and local authorities. The event was held in Dushanbe and brought together a total of 23 lawyers from the Sughd, Khatlon, Rasht Valley regions, and the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan. The course aimed to train participants on how to provide legal advice and legal assistance to victims of domestic violence and people at risk of experiencing domestic violence.

From 25 to 29 September, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe in Dushanbe (the Office) organized a five-day training course for psychologists from the OSCE-supported Women’s Resource Centres and local authorities. The event brought together 23 female psychologists from the Sughd, Khatlon, Rasht Valley regions, and Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Tajikistan.

On 28 September, the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan organized a webinar on online payment fraud for the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.

On 27 September 2023, the OSCE Presence in Albania and the School of Magistrates organized a training-of-trainers workshop with the academic staff of the School of Magistrates, judges and prosecutors to introduce a methodology for the development and delivery of mock trial-based training for human

From 25 to 29 September 2023, 25 young professionals from Central Asia had the chance to learn about the OSCE and experience diplomatic negotiations first-hand as they simulated meetings of the OSCE Permanent Council as part of the 2023 Model OSCE event.

The OSCE Secretariat Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in co-operation with the Ministry of Science, Higher Education and Youth of the Canton of Sarajevo and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, held a multi-stakeholder event on 27 and 28 September in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to support the development of the 2024-2028 Youth Strategy.

Over 100 rescuers, police officers, medics and officials enhanced their co-operation skills at a two-day table-top chemical emergency response exercise, organized by the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine together with the country’s State Emergency Service in Rivne, on 26-27 September.

Ombudsperson offices have been playing a critical role in enforcing a better respect of human rights, international conventions and democratic values in the region, their landmark being the trust of citizens. This was one of the conclusions of a regional conference organized on the occasion of 20 years of existence of the institution of the Montenegrin Ombudsman, with the support of the OSCE Mission.

On 28 September 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) provided its support in the form of a talk show dedicated to the topic of “Law on public participation in ensuring public order”.

CHIŞINĂU, 28 September 2023- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an observation mission for the 5 November local elections in Moldova, following an invitation from the national authorities.

From 26 to 28 September 2023, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a peer exchange visit for a delegation of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to Romania with the aim of establishing co-operation and exchange experiences and best practices with regional law enforcement agencies. The

On 28 September in Belgrade, seven participants of the 2023 Professional Practice Programme for young professionals from south and southwest Serbia received certificates of completion and presented the projects they designed and implemented during their 10-month professional placement with central

A ceremony to celebrate the first 30 graduates of the Master’s degree in Criminology and to thank all those that made possible this programme took place at Tirana University’s Law Faculty on 27 September 2023. The Master’s Programme – established in December 2020 upon the initiative and support of

The OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department organized a workshop on coordinated vulnerability disclosure (CVD)- a process of managing vulnerabilities in Information and Communication Technology systems that reduces their harm.

The OSCE and the Agency for Management of Seized and Confiscated Property trained North Macedonian law enforcement and criminal justice practitioners in asset recovery pre-seizure planning.

Improving the practices of election management bodies (EMBs) in the Western Balkans region was the main topic of a conference held in Sarajevo on 26 and 27 September 2023. The event was organized as part of the ODIHR project “ Support to Electoral Reforms in the Western Balkans ”, in co-operation

OSCE Chairpersonship of North Macedonia convenes reinforced meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council

On 25 September 2023, OSCE Presence in Albania and the School of Magistrates held a joint ceremony to launch a new course on environmental legislation and judicial enforcement mechanisms.  The one-semester course – part of the initial education program for magistrate students – focuses on

Representatives of twenty-two asset management agencies from across the OSCE area exchanged best practices in cross-border recovery and management of seized and confiscated criminal assets. They met from 20 to 22 September in Chisinau, Moldova for the Annual General Meeting of the Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN), currently presided by the Republic of Moldova.

The OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat held a course on digital forensics at the Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkmenistan from 19 to 22 September 2023. Delivered by international experts, the course introduced over twenty representatives – from the Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Cybersecurity Services of the “Turkmenaragatnashyk” Agency – to digital forensics, computer data, as well as open-source data analysis tools.

The OSCE supported the first national simulation exercise that united the entire Moldovan anti-human trafficking community. During a five-day simulated exercise, 80 practitioners from law enforcement agencies, social welfare officials, prosecutors, magistrates, and civil society organizations