News and press releases

A four-day training workshop on biodiversity conservation started in Baku on 22 May 2013...

VIENNA, 22 May 2013 – A number of inaccuracies have been reported in the media with regard to alleged detention of OSCE personnel in Moldova/Transdniestria. No OSCE staff members have been detained. The OSCE Mission continues to operate in accordance with its mandate on both sides of the Dniester/Nistru River.

YEREVAN, 22 May 2013 – Participants at a workshop in Yerevan today discussed ways to prevent terrorists and other criminals from crossing borders with forged travel documents...

TIRANA, 21 May 2013 – A comprehensive approach, including education to promote mutual respect and understanding, is necessary to combat intolerance and discrimination, including hate crime, participants said today at the opening of a two-day OSCE conference in Tirana...

ASTANA, 21 May 2013- 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 first in a series of meetings between the Assembly of Kosovo and civil society representatives on the improvement of co-operation and further inclusion of civil society in law-making concluded in Prishtinë/Priština on 21 May 2013...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) provided expertise on effective election observation reporting at a workshop for leaders of Tunisian citizen election observer groups in Tunis on 16 and 17 May 2013...

KRAKOW, Poland, 17 May 2013- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Jacques Faure of France, and Ian Kelly of the United States of America) met today with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, and the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meetings...

Ten police officers from the Interior Ministry’s Undercover Operations Department will be trained on how to effectively use technical and electronic devices during surveillance in Ankara from 20 to 24 May 2013. The training is supported by the OSCE Mission to Skopje...

SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 17 May 2013 – The heads of the OSCE Missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia today called for further efforts in transitional justice and reconciliation to ensure regional stability and prosperity ahead of a two-day conference in Jahorina in Bosnia and Herzegovina...

KOKSHETAU, Kazakhstan, 17 May 2013 – An OSCE-sponsored presentation of the National Human Rights Commissioner’s (Ombudsman) annual report for 2012 was held at Ualihanov State University in Kokshetau, northern Kazakhstan today...

From 14 to 17 May 2013, members of the newly established Serbian Women’s Parliamentary Network travelled to Helsinki to exchange experiences with representatives from the Finnish Women’s Parliamentary Network and other institutions working in the field of gender equality...

Representatives of ministries of justice, working groups on legal aid laws and the judiciary, as well as members of bar associations, international organizations and civil society organizations in Central Asia exchanged their views on the latest developments in legislation on criminal legal aid during a roundtable event held in Bishkek on 15 and16 May 2013...

BISHKEK, 16 May 2013 – How to develop income-generation activities for prisoners was the topic of a training seminar on 14 to 16 May 2013 in Bishkek. The event was held in the training centre of the state penitentiary service (GSIN) and was co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, the European Union, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)...

A series of six training workshops organized by the OSCE Mission and Ministry of Health for 180 doctors in Kosovo on how to identify and treat victims of trafficking and domestic violence concluded in Prishtinë/Priština on 16 May 2013...

Promoting leadership in the management of courts was the focus of a conference organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania together with the USAID’s Justice Sector Strengthening Project (JuST) and in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the High Council of Justice on 15 May 2013 in Tirana...

DUSHANBE, 15 May 2013 – The OSCE Office in Tajikistan jointly with the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities organized a training course on energy diplomacy for Tajik and Afghan officials and experts that concluded today...

TIRANA, 15 May 2015 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today formally opened an election observation mission to monitor the 23 June parliamentary elections in Albania...

WARSAW, 15 May 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today expressed deep concern about the increasingly hostile situation for the media in Azerbaijan following moves to extend the criminalization of defamation to the Internet...

DUSHANBE, 15 May 2013- Today, seventeen senior and mid-level Afghan and Tajik customs officers successfully completed a week-long training course on customs risk management in prevention of smuggling trends and money laundering...

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro presented a 2012 annual report on how the authorities have implemented legislation that relates to their co-operation with civil society on 14 May 2013 in Podgorica...

VIENNA, 14 May 2013 – The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, addressed representatives of the 57 OSCE participating States today in Vienna...

WARSAW, 14 May 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today said she was distressed over revelations that in 2012 the U.S. Department of Justice secretly seized two months of office, home and cell phone records from up to 20 phone lines assigned to The Associated Press reporters...

SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan, 14 May 2013- An OSCE-supported regional workshop, comprised of a seminar on improving the regulation of migration policies at the local level, and a training event on best practices in the integration of migrants, started in Shymkent in south Kazakhstan today...

The draft Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia generally complies with international standards, although certain provisions could benefit from further consideration, concludes an opinion published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 14 May 2013...

BELGRADE, 14 May 2013 – Ways to improve the rights of persons deprived of liberty and introduce new prisoner aftercare services that will facilitate their reintegration into society and reduce overcrowding in prisons are the focus of a two-day conference that opens in Belgrade today...

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier met Slovenian Defence Minister, Roman Jakič, on 13 May 2013 in Vienna...

The OSCE Mission and the Embassy of France in Skopje are organizing a course for police trainers on the correct use of police batons, starting on 13 May 2013...

WARSAW, 13 May 2013 – Governments must protect media freedom online and off to be in line with international commitments and to ensure respect for citizens’ fundamental freedoms, the vice-chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee said today at the opening of an international media freedom conference...

KYIV, 13 May 2013 – Ways to enhance the prosecution of human trafficking offences and improve the protection of victims’ rights in Ukraine was the topic of a discussion started in Kyiv today with the support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU)...

WARSAW, 13 May 2013 –The implementation of good laws and sharing of best practices are essential to fulfilling OSCE commitments on media freedom, the Chair of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Ihor Prokopchuk of Ukraine, told participants at a human dimension seminar on media freedom legal framework today...

SOFIA, 13 May 2013 – Bulgaria’s early parliamentary elections on 12 May were held in a competitive environment, fundamental freedoms were respected, and the administration of elections was well managed, although the campaign was overshadowed by a number of incidents that diminished trust in state institutions and the process was negatively affected by pervasive allegations of vote-buying, international observers said in a statement today...

Some 30 police cadets and representatives of law enforcement bodies started a two-week training course on information security on 13 May 2013, organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan at the Police Academy of Armenia...

The OSCE Office in Baku conducted a three-day train-the-trainers seminar on political party development for youth wings of political parties in Azerbaijan. Some 20 young people attended the event, which took place from 10 to 12 May 2013...

KYIV, 13 May 2013 – A two-week training-of-trainers’ session on investigation of cybercrime started in Kyiv today with support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine...

ULAANBAATAR, 13 May 2013 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission to monitor the 26 June presidential election in Mongolia...

KYIV, 12 May 2013 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara condemned the deadly attacks in Turkey on 11 May...

DUSHANBE, 10 May 2013 – Nineteen officers from the Afghan Border Police completed today a five-week training course on patrolling and leadership organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan...

The parliamentary elections in the Principality of Monaco on 10 February 2013 took place in a competitive environment and were administered professionally. Candidate registration was inclusive and the campaign was vibrant and competitive. However, further steps could be taken to bring the electoral process closer in line with OSCE commitments, concludes the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)...

From 9 to12 May 2013 the OSCE Mission to Skopje holds a four-day seminar on social aspects of the teaching profession in Strumica...

WASHINGTON D.C., 9 May 2013 – Protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms and making progress in resolving protracted conflicts are top priorities of his country’s OSCE Chairmanship, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara told the US Helsinki Commission at a hearing on 8 May in Washington D.C.

The final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on the 18 February 2013 presidential election in Armenia concludes that though the elections were generally well-administered and characterized by a respect for fundamental freedoms, more can be done to increase public trust in the integrity of the electoral process...

WASHINGTON D.C., 8 May 2013 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara marks the days of 8-9 May known as the Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War, urging participating States to step up co-operation to solve remaining conflicts, strengthen peace and security in OSCE region...

UNITED NATIONS, 8 May 2013 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara in his address to the UN Security Council yesterday outlined the Ukrainian OSCE Chairmanship priorities, stressed the importance of further developing the partnership between the two organizations in promoting international peace and security...

VIENNA, 7 May 2013 – OSCE media freedom representative Dunja Mijatović expressed concern today over a recent decision of the Constitutional Court that prevents the decriminalization of speech offenses in Romania and called for a Constitutional amendment to ban criminal defamation...

WARSAW, 7 May 2013 – The Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Janez Lenarčič today warned that the manner in which recent legislative changes were introduced in Moldova ran counter to the country’s rule of law commitments and threatened to undermine its achievements so far in developing a pluralistic democratic system...

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, 3 May 2013 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today called upon all 57 OSCE participating States to take real action to ensure journalists’ safety...

ASTANA, 3 May – The OSCE Centre in Astana supported a national online seminar to educate Kazakhstan prosecutors on water management principles, institutional charters, and legislation that concluded today...

"Freedom of press: the right to know" is the theme of an exhibition that opened in Yerevan on 3 May 2013 to mark the World Press Freedom Day...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, 2 May 2013 – Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today expressed concern over members of the Slovak judiciary seeking high damage awards in lawsuits against the media...