News and press releases

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 22 November 2012- Self-regulatory bodies for print media have a key role to play in improving the quality of reporting, protecting media from undue pressure, and increasing their competitiveness in saturated media markets, the participants of an OSCE conference on the state of print media in South Eastern Europe concluded today...

ASTANA, 22 November 2012 – The OSCE Centre in Astana supported a distance learning seminar on countering money laundering held today in Astana...

The OSCE Secretary General, Lamberto Zannier, welcomed on 22 November 2012 the Permanent Representative of Mongolia, Enkhsaikhan Jargalsaikhan, to the OSCE following the decision for the country to become the Organization’s 57th participating State...

Andorran Foreign Minister Gilbert Saboya i Sunyé addressed the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 22 November 2012...

Enhancing the role of women within political parties in Kazakhstan was the theme of a roundtable meeting held in Astana by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Centre in Astana and UN Women on 22 November 2012...

ASTANA, 22 November 2012 – An OSCE-supported one-day international conference on countering terrorism, which brought together some 50 parliamentarians, international and national experts, academics, and representatives of law enforcement agencies, was held at premises of Majilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan in Astana today...

KYIV, 21 November 2012 – A training seminar on curbing transnational organized crime for high-level officers of the specialized departments of the Security Service of Ukraine started in Kyiv today with support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU)...

SARAJEVO, 21 November 2012 – Stronger legal provisions backed up by adequate financial resources are needed to better protect women against violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission, Nina Suomalainen today at a conference in Sarajevo...

ASTANA, 21 November 2012 – A two-day OSCE conference “Technical Co-operation on Explosive Hazards Reduction and Response in Central Asia” started in Astana today...

TSAKHKADZOR, Armenia, 21 November 2012 –– The role of the media in elections, the importance of impartial and quality reporting on elections and the techniques to directly involve voters through electronic and social media will be discussed at a training workshop that started today in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia...

Fletcher M. Burton, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, met on 20 November 2012 in Sarajevo with Milorad Novković, the President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC) to discuss the longstanding co-operation between the OSCE Mission and the HJPC in promoting an independent, accountable, and efficient judiciary in the country...

DUBLIN, 21 November 2012 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, today announced that Mongolia has acceded to the OSCE, becoming the Organization’s 57th participating State...

The role of the parliament in better regulating the lawmaking process was the focus of a workshop in Belgrade on 19 and 20 November 2012, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Constitution and Legislative Issues Committee of the National Assembly of Serbia...

BELGRADE, 20 November 2012 – High-level judicial officials and experts from Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia shared experiences in applying ethical and disciplinary standards for judges and prosecutors at an OSCE conference that ended in Belgrade today...

YEREVAN, 20 November 2012 – Seven teams of students from Yerevan and Armenia’s regions will gather today and tomorrow in Yerevan for the final debate...

A series of training seminars for Ukraine’s administrative court judges, supported by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU), started on 20 November 2012 in Kamianets-Podilskyi in western Ukraine...

A series of seven seminars on combating trafficking in human beings and their judicial protection organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana concluded on 20 November 2012...

The OSCE Centre in Astana and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are marking Universal Children’s Day on 20 November 2012 with a new playroom for the children of employees...

TIRANA, 20 November 2012- A two-day workshop on participating in the International Civil Aviation Organization Public Key Directory, a passport verification mechanism, started today in Tirana...

Although education about the Holocaust is vital, educational activities in the OSCE region need to be broadened to effectively combat anti-Semitism, said experts at a roundtable discussion organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 19 November 2012 in Berlin...

Ways to counter violent extremism and radicalization that might lead to terrorism in Kygyzstan’s penitentiary establishments were discussed during a two-day seminar which started on 19 November 2012 in Bishkek. The event was organized jointly by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the State Penitentiary Service...

VIENNA, 16 November 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, expressed concern today over pending legislation that would make imprisonment a penalty for criminal libel in Italy...

Three workshops on the establishment and work of local and regional transparency and sustainable development expert councils (TSDECs) along the Western Europe – Western China international road construction corridor were held the week of 12 November 2012 in Taraz, Shymkent and Kyzylorda, southern Kazakhstan...

The OSCE Mission to Skopje organised on 16 November 2012 a regional conference in Mavrovo in the western part of the country, to advance the capacities of the Interior Ministry staff in the use of new technologies in public relations...

The early parliamentary elections in the Netherlands on 12 September 2012 were conducted in an open and pluralistic manner, but the legal framework could be brought more fully in line with OSCE commitments, concludes the final report by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) released on 16 November 2012...

LVIV, Ukraine, 16 November 2012 – An international e-governance forum organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) together with local authorities concluded today in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv...

The Head of OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Jennifer Brush, visited the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia, located in the south of the country, on 16 November 2012...

VIENNA, 16 November 2012 – Hate crimes continue to be a serious problem across the OSCE region despite efforts to address them in many participating States, concludes an annual report released by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Vienna today, on the International Day for Tolerance...

ASHGABAT, 16 November 2012 – National experts from four Caspian littoral OSCE participating states discussed effective mechanisms of incident and conflict prevention and security management on the maritime borders at an OSCE-organized roundtable meeting that concluded in Ashgabat today...

SKOPJE, 16 November 2012 – Encouraging the exchange of views and experiences between diverse groups of political, judicial and civil sector actors on the challenges faced in curbing hate speech is the aim of an OSCE-supported conference started in Skopje today...

The Forth East European Conference on National Preventive Mechanisms started on 15 November 2012 in Odessa with support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU)...

DUSHANBE, 15 November 2012 – A five-day training course on cross-border interdiction for 25 Afghan, Kyrgyz and Tajik border and customs officers concluded today at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe...

The OSCE Mission to Skopje, along with the Ministry of Information Society and Administration and a joint initiative of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union SIGMA (Support for Improvement in Governance and Management) organized an international seminar on merit recruitment and equitable representation of ethnic groups in public administration on 14 and 15 November 2012 in Ohrid...

VIENNA, 14 November 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today commended the government and Parliament in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for decriminalizing defamation...

TIRASPOL, 14 November 2012 – The Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Jennifer Brush, hosted today in Tiraspol a meeting of the Moldovan and Transdniestrian chief negotiators Nina Shtanski and Eugen Carpov in the context of the Transdniestrian settlement process...

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek visited Skopje on 8 and 9 November 2012, to discuss with the authorities the integration process in the country...

KARAGANDY, Kazakhstan, 14 November 2012 – The introduction of migration management into the curriculum at specialized educational institutions is the subject of a train-the-trainers event which started in Karagandy in central Kazakhstan today...

SARAJEVO, 14 November 2012 – Bosnia and Herzegovina’s work aimed at compliance with its OSCE and international politico-military commitments demonstrates the country’s commitment to contribute positively to security in the region and beyond, said Ambassador Adam Kobieracki, the Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre during a two-day visit to Sarajevo, which concludes today...

A series of four debates on the role of independent institutions in holding government accountable organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo for Prishtinë/Priština University students and representatives of independent institutions concluded on 13 November 2012...

BAKU, 13 November 2012 – Training courses for journalists, law enforcement officers and government spokespersons in Azerbaijan held by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media to promote the safety of reporters and public access to official information concluded today...

A conference on enhancing co-operation between the Probation Service of Albania and the local government took place in Tirana on 13 November 2012. The event was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Probation Service...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 13 November 2012- The Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, urged today at a conference greater involvement of young people in decision-making and policy creation...

SARAJEVO, 13 November 2012 – Bias-motivated crimes send a strong message of intolerance and prejudice towards victims and their communities, can increase tensions in society, and must not be ignored, said Adam Kobieracki, the Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, presenting in Sarajevo today an OSCE Mission report on tackling hate crimes...

An event was held on 12 November 2012 at Durrës in Albania to mark the graduation of 50 students who participated in a project on civic responsibility of the OSCE Presence in Albania...

Twenty-one officials from the border guard, border police and customs agencies of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan took part in an OSCE-organized seminar at the State Border Guard School in Medininkai in south-eastern part of Lithuania, which concluded on 9 November 2012...

The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, focused on the links between human trafficking and migration at a major international conference on combating trafficking and protecting victims in South East Europe...

YEREVAN, 12 November 2012 – Analysis of the current situation, international standards and good practices of OSCE participating States was in the focus of a study on introducing a probation service in Armenia presented today in Yerevan...

VIENNA, 12 November 2012 – Strengthening institutions that uphold the rule of law as a way to effectively prevent terrorism and radicalization that leads to terrorism is the focus of an OSCE conference that started in Vienna today...

The OSCE Office in Tajikistan completed on 9 November 2012 in Dushanbe its first joint patrol medical course for Afghan border police and Tajik border troops as part of a project to enhance the capacities of both structures to detect and prevent illegal cross-border movement.

OSCE participating States should protect and facilitate peaceful assemblies, and restrictions should be proportionate and only imposed when necessary, says a report released by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Vienna on 9 November 2012...