News and press releases

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan organized from 11 to 15 November 2013 a study visit to Austria for representatives of Uzbek law enforcement agencies, to learn best practices in tackling drug trafficking.

The OSCE Office in Baku held a workshop on oil spills preparedness for 40 specialists from the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) on 11 December 2013...

VIENNA, 12 December 2013 – The scale of attacks on and harassment of members of the media continues to grow throughout the OSCE region, journalists are threatened every day for they say or write, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today...

TSAKHKADZOR, Armenia, 12 December 2013 – The OSCE Office in Yerevan kicked off a seminar for judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officials on best practices in combating trafficking of human beings today in Tsakhkadzor...

OSCE Senior Adviser on Gender Issues Ambassador Miroslava Beham and OSCE Special Representative on Gender Issues June Zeitlin completed a three-day visit to Switzerland on 11 December 2013, where they held discussions with representatives of the Swiss government and civil society on the implementation of the Swiss Gender Equality Law and the UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan, as well as efforts to prevent domestic violence...

BISHKEK, 11 December 2013 – The presentation of an OSCE-supported monitoring report on torture prevention took place today at a roundtable discussion in Bishkek. The report aimed at detecting cases of torture and ill-treatment in detention facilities, and was prepared by civil society representatives who visited a range of detention facilities across Kyrgyzstan over the past year.

A roundtable discussion focused on strengthening co-operation between the Parliament, civil society organizations, and independent institutions began in Tirana on 11 December 2013 organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Albanian Assembly...

Traditional songs, dances and poems from thirteen different ethnic communities were presented at an OSCE-supported performance in Skopje on 11 December 2013...

BELGRADE, 11 December 2013- Journalist Zsuzsanna Szerencsés received the OSCE Mission to Serbia’s 2013 Person of the Year Award for her promotion of freedom of expression and democratic dialogue, at a ceremony taking place today in Belgrade.

The OSCE Office in Baku and Justice Academy of Azerbaijan organized a two-day training course from 9 to 10 December 2013 on handling anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) for 20 Azerbaijani judges...

KYIV, 10 December 2013- On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara underlined today the important role the OSCE can play in fostering co-operation between participating States in building a community with the highest standards of respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms, and the rule of law...

Some thirty school teachers and civil servants were trained on methods in teaching human rights to young people at an event in Lviv, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) from 6 to 8 December 2013.

VIENNA, 10 December 2013 – In a report issued today, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, praised the Government of Portugal for the measures taken following her visit to Portugal in November, 2012...

ALMATY/ASTANA, 10 December 2013 – On the occasion of International Human Rights Day being marked today, the OSCE Centre in Astana supported a conference for students on the theme of tolerance and non-discrimination as well as supporting the World Press Photo exhibition in Astana. This is the first time that the exhibition has been held in Central Asia...

An OSCE-supported campaign entitled Raise Your Voice to Protect Your Human Rights! culminated on 10 December 2013 with the marking of International Human Rights Day.

An OSCE-supported training course on the use of alcoholic breathalysers for twenty officers of the Road Patrol Service of Kyrgyzstan concluded on 8 December 2013 at the Police Academy in Ankara, Turkey. The training precedes the official introduction of breathalysers in Kyrgyzstan before the end of 2013...

WARSAW, 10 December 2013 – Violence against peaceful protesters cannot be justified in any circumstance, and the right to freedom of peaceful assembly must be safeguarded, Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said today on the occasion of International Human Rights Day...

COPENHAGEN, 10 December 2013 – On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly, Isabel Santos (Portugal), the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's human rights committee, issued the following statement:

Twenty-five officers from border, customs and interior agencies of Tajikistan completed a two-week training-of-trainers course on 6 December 2013...

A three-day OSCE training course for 25 chief editors of print media and information agencies in Uzbekistan on international professional standards and ethics took place in Tashkent from 5 to 7 December 2013...

Best practices in delivering administrative services by public authorities in Ukraine were the focus of an OSCE-supported conference that took place in Kyiv from 2 to 3 December 2013...

ERGNETI, 9 December 2013 – Today, the 40th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) took place in Ergneti, co-facilitated by Head of EU Monitoring Mission Toivo Klaar and Ambassador Andrii Deshchytsia, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Conflicts. Ambassador Angelo Gnaedinger, the Special Representative of the incoming Swiss OSCE Chairmanship, also attended the meeting, which took place in a constructive atmosphere...

A conference on efficient management of fish resources and biodiversity conservation as part of the ‘green growth’ approach in Kazakhstan’s Aral Sea Basin Area took place from 4 to 6 December 2013 in Kyzylorda in southern Kazakhstan...

An OSCE-supported three-day training seminar for law enforcement officers on countering cybercrime began in Astana on 3 December 2013...

The OSCE Office in Tajikistan facilitated a three-day expert operational meeting from 27 to 29 November 2013 aimed at aligning the Police Reform Programme and Action Plan with the National Police Reform Strategy of Tajikistan...

KYIV, 6 December 2013 – A commitment to address protracted conflicts, stronger OSCE work on energy and environment, increased efforts to address transnational threats, human dimension agreements on religious freedom and Roma, and a reaffirmation of the Helsinki +40 process to map the OSCE’s future path were amongst the results of the 20th OSCE Ministerial Council that concluded in Kyiv today...

The OSCE Mission to Skopje has organized a number of training sessions over the last two months for municipal councillors in ethnically mixed municipalities in an effort to facilitate dialogue between different ethnic groups. The last in this series of trainings started on 6 December 2013 in Struga...

To raise awareness about gender violence and to demonstrate solidarity with its victims, the OSCE Mission to Skopje supports an essay competition at the law faculty of the European University in Skopje today, 6 December 2013.

KYIV, 6 December 2013 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic issued the following statement today on the passing of former South African President Nelson Mandela:

The newly-established network of OSCE think tanks held a panel discussion in Kyiv on 4 December ahead of the opening of the Ministerial Council to discuss how the academic community can assist participating States in defining new directions for the Organization, in the so-called Helsinki+ 40 process...

KYIV, 5 December 2013 –The 20th OSCE Ministerial Council has opened in Kyiv today with a call for greater efforts towards creating a Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian security community with no dividing lines, respect for the rule of law and basic freedoms, and unity of purpose...

KYIV, 5 December 2013 – The OSCE can be a driving force for freedom and democracy, but must achieve consensus to fulfil that vital role, said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic at the opening of the 2013 OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Kyiv today.

KYIV, 5 December 2013 – On the occasion of the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Kyiv, the Heads of Delegation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries (Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, Minister for European Affairs of France Thierry Repentin, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland) and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian agreed to continue working together on a just and peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis what has been already achieved.

Kyiv, 4 December 2013- On the eve of the Organization’s Ministerial Council, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and the Organization’s Chairperson in Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara discussed ongoing developments in Ukraine.

KYIV, 4 December 2013 – In the run-up to the 20th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Leonid Kozhara delivered the following statement...

KYIV, 4 December 2013 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic held a bilateral meeting with Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Rybak this morning in the Ukrainian Parliament.

Organizational development, advocacy and fundraising skills were focus of a training seminar for leaders of the recently established Media Trade Union of Montenegro that concluded in Budva on 1 December, 2013.

COPENHAGEN, 3 December 2013 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic today issued the following statement regarding the situation in Ukraine, which is scheduled to host a meeting of the Bureau of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and a meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council on 4-6 December in Kyiv:

ASHGABAT, 3 December 2013 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today held the opening press conference for its election assessment mission for the 15 December parliamentary elections in Turkmenistan...

LONDON, 2 December 2013 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, today urged UK lawmakers to enhance the criminal justice response and simultaneously the protection of victims’ rights at the Modern Slavery Bill Evidence Review in Westminster.

The OSCE Mission to Skopje, in co-operation with the national Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors and the US Embassy, supported the preparation for the practical implementation of the new Law on Criminal Procedure by offering trainings and discussion forums for legal practitioners and law enforcement officials.

DUSHANBE, 2 December 2013 – The OSCE Cross-Border Research Conference on evolving transnational threats and border security began at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) today.

VIENNA, 2 December 2013 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today expressed her concern by the magnitude of violence against members of the media at the demonstrations in Kyiv...

VIENNA, 1 December 2013 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier has welcomed the peaceful and orderly voting in the municipal election in Kosovo as a “significant step towards confidence and security.”

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 1 December 2013 – Following the completion of the second round of mayoral elections in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North and the re-vote at three polling stations in Zvečan/Zveçan, the OSCE successfully concluded its election facilitation in the four northern Kosovo municipalities...

A new manual for law enforcement officers on protecting and respecting human rights during counter-terrorism investigations was launched by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department/Strategic Police Matters Unit in Vienna on 29 November 2013...

VIENNA, 29 November 2013 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today condemned new attacks on journalists in Ukraine.

More than 100 law students and legal professionals learned about the recent and topical case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) at an international event held in Lviv in western Ukraine from 29 November to 1 December 2013, with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU)...

Preventing human trafficking in Kyrgyzstan and enhancing inter-agency cooperation was the focus of an OSCE-supported roundtable meeting held on 29 November 2013 in Bishkek...

ODIHR launched a training programme to help Montenegrin law-enforcement officers better recognize, understand and investigate hate crimes with a three-day course that ended on 29 November 2013 in Podgorica...