News and press releases

The Czech government needs to do more to overcome the marginalization and segregation in schools of children from Roma and Sinti communities, concludes a field assessment visit report published by the OSCE/ODIHR on 26 October 2012...

KYIV, 26 October 2012 – The international observers monitoring the parliamentary elections in Ukraine will present their preliminary post-election statement at a news conference on Monday, 29 October, in Kyiv...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU), Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, presented 22 sets of monitors, notebooks, and other specialized equipment to the country’s Interior Ministry on 25 October 2012...

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Araz Azimov, addressed representatives of the 56 OSCE participating States at a Permanent Council meeting in Vienna on 25 October 2012. Azimov outlined his country’s perspectives on security in the region and on the role of the OSCE...

WARSAW, 24 October 2012 – Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), expressed his grave concern over the threat of criminal prosecution of OSCE/ODIHR election observers...

ERGNETI, 24 October 2012 – On 24 October, the 27th meeting under the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM), co-facilitated by the EUMM and the OSCE, took place in Ergneti...

ALMATY, 23 October 2012 – More than 80 government officials, academics, diplomats and representatives of international and non-governmental organizations discussed the implementation of OSCE commitments reconfirmed in the 2010 Astana Commemorative Declaration at a conference in Almaty today...

AMSTERDAM, 23 October 2012 – On 22-23 October, delegations from the Serbian and Romanian Governments met in the Netherlands for informal consultations under the auspices of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), Ambassador Knut Vollebaek...

BISHKEK, 23 October 2012 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek presented information brochures on requirements for passport photographs to Kyrgyzstan’s State Registration Service today...

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier discussed preparations for the Ministerial Council to take place in Dublin in December, as well as the Organization’s current activities and priorities during a working visit to the Russian Federation that got under way on 23 October 2012...

CHISINAU, 23 October 2012 – The freedom, professionalism and sustainability of Internet media in Eastern Europe are the focus of a two-day OSCE training seminar that opened today in Chisinau...

VIENNA, 22 October 2012- Exploring ways to include women in formal and informal peace processes was the theme of a roundtable discussion organized by the OSCE in Vienna on today...

A training course on procurement fraud and investigating corruption organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo concluded on 19 October 2012 at the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety in Vushtrri/Vučitrn...

A five-day study tour on migration management for a group of experts from Kazakhstan started on 22 October 2012 in Minsk. The visit is co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Office in Astana...

VIENNA, 23 October 2012 – The challenge of countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism among young people and the role of youth in countering these phenomena are the focus of a two-day meeting organized by the OSCE that began today in Vienna...

A roundtable discussion dedicated to co-operation between Kazakhstan and the OSCE was held in Astana on 19 October 2012. The event was jointly organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana and the Academy for Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan...

The Secretaries General of parliaments in South-Eastern Europe gathered on 18 and 19 October 2012 in Tirana to discuss ways of modernizing human resource management in their national parliaments. The meeting was organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania, in co-operation with the Albanian Assembly and other OSCE field operations in the region...

YEREVAN, 20 October 2012 – Encouraging effective partnerships between the police and the media is the aim of a two-day workshop that started in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia today. The two-day event is co-organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Armenian police...

A series of six workshops held across Kosovo on identifying, investigating and responding to hate crimes for 90 high-ranking Kosovo police officers including station commanders, regional deputy directors, and regional chiefs of operations concluded on 19 October 2012 in Ferizaj/Uroševac...

BELGRADE, 19 October 2012 – The protection of the rights of institutionalized persons with mental health disabilities was discussed at an OSCE conference that ended today in Belgrade...

The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, said that much of the domestic work sector remains hidden in the shadows of the global economy and more must be done to protect the rights of its overwhelmingly female labour force...

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department organized a stakeholder consultation meeting to discuss an OSCE project on protecting non-nuclear critical energy infrastructure from terrorist attacks on 11 October 2012 in Vienna...

KYIV, 18 October 2012 – A web portal to help train election officials created with support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) and the country’s Central Election Commission was launched today...

VIENNA, 18 October 2012 – Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today strongly condemned the attack on Damir Dragić, director of the daily newspaper Informer...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 18 October 2012 – The OSCE Centre in Astana supported a roundtable meeting and a workshop on the implementation of the current domestic violence prevention legislation which concluded today...

TIRANA, 18 October 2012- The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, commended the peaceful nature of today’s demonstration by a group of formerly politically persecuted persons in front of the Albanian Assembly...

Two half-day workshops for the directors of penal colonies under Kyrgyzstan’s penitentiary system took place on 18 October 2012 at the Training Centre for Prison Staff in Bishkek. The events were co-organized by the state penitentiary service, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Freedom House and USAID...

VIENNA, 18 October 2012 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, called for new approaches in the fight against the growing problem of modern-day slavery on the occasion of the European Union Anti-Trafficking Day today...

SKOPJE, 18 October 2012 – The efforts and challenges faced in implementing and protecting minority rights in the Balkans are the focus of an OSCE-supported regional conference that started in Skopje today...

KYIV, 18 October 2012 – A national roundtable discussion on implementing Ukraine’s law on combating trafficking in human beings started in Kyiv today with support from the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU)...

VIENNA, 18 October 2012- Cutting the supply of illicit drugs to young people is the focus of an OSCE-organized conference which started in Vienna today...

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek visited Hungary and Slovakia from 8 to 11 October 2012 to discuss bilateral issues between the two countries related to national minority matters, including citizenship...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 17 October 2012 – On the occasion of European Anti-Trafficking Day, today representatives of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo called for greater awareness of the threat of human trafficking. The appeal was made during a presentation of selected poems and essays written by high school students from different Kosovo communities on this topic...

SKOPJE, 17 October 2012 – Exchanging best practices and experience in conflict resolution and mediation in schools is the aim of an OSCE-supported regional conference that started in Ohrid today...

Guidelines developed by the OSCE on improving data collection to help combat money laundering and terrorism financing were launched in Vienna on 16 October 2012...

A series of two training workshops on systematic data collection and development of databases on returnees and repatriated persons for 19 municipal officers for communities and returns from Gjilan/Gnjilane region concluded on 12 October 2012 in Gjilan/Gnjilane.

VIENNA, 16 October 2012 – Representatives of the 56 OSCE participating States met today in Vienna to discuss the implementation of their commitments on economic and environmental issues...

Following an invitation from the Russian Central Election Commission, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) sent a team of experts to Ryazan to follow election-day proceedings and the use of new voting technologies during the 14 October 2012 ‘single voting day’...

KYZYLORDA, Kazakhstan, 15 October 2012 – A red ribbon ceremony was held today to mark the opening of the OSCE-supported Kyzylorda Training Centre for Aral-Syrdarya Basin Water Management. The Centre is expected to help introduce modern water management and sustainable development practices to the area...

A five-day workshop on standardization of municipal acts organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, the Association of Kosovo Municipalities and the German Agency for International Co-operation (GIZ) concluded on 12 October 2012 in Durrës, Albania...

PODGORICA, 15 October 2012 – Montenegro’s early parliamentary elections on 14 October took place in a peaceful and pluralistic environment with respect for fundamental rights, although continued lack of confidence needs to be addressed, international observers said in a statement issued today...

On 12 October 2012, the OSCE Gender Section held a discussion in Vienna on gender responsive budgeting and its role in ensuring equality between women and men within the Organization and participating States...

ASTANA, 12 October 2012 – An OSCE-supported seminar on countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism and the role community policing can play in this regard concluded today in Astana...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 12 October 2012 – Today the OSCE Mission in Kosovo completed its assistance to the Police Inspectorate...

SKOPJE, 12 October 2012 – Supporting anti-corruption efforts and contributing to an effective fight against corruption in education and sport is the aim of an OSCE-supported debate which started in Skopje today...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 12 October 2012 – Practical aspects and the impact of the implementation of the law on religious activity and religious associations adopted a year ago were the focus of an OSCE-supported roundtable meeting held in Almaty today...

GENEVA, 11 October 2012 – Pádraig Murphy, the OSCE Chairmanship’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, emphasized the need to maintain stability and the political commitment to resolve issues at the 21st meeting of the Geneva International Discussions today...

VIENNA, 11 October 2012 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, at an OSCE-hosted conference, outlined today how discrimination serves as an underlying cause of human trafficking and called for new strategies to fight...

TIRANA, 11 October 2012-- The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, welcomed today’s election by the Albanian Assembly of the Central Election Commission...

YEREVAN, 11 October 2012 – Four days of activities organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Armenian police as part of its ‘Safe School’ initiative concluded today in Yerevan...