News and press releases

KYIV, 11 October 2012 – Walburga Habsburg Douglas (MP, Sweden), the Special Co-ordinator appointed to lead the OSCE election observation mission to Ukraine, today concluded a three-day pre-election visit to the country aimed at assessing the climate ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 October...

SKOPJE, 11 October 2012 – Exchanging best practices on enhancing police integrity, anti-corruption measures, as well as discussing practical examples of regional co-operation, is the goal of an OSCE-supported regional conference that started in Skopje today...

TBILISI, 11 October 2012 – Online and traditional media alike must remain free forums for public debate, said the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović opening the 9th South Caucasus Media Conference in Tbilisi...

TIRANA, 10 October 2012- The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, today urged Albania’s politicians to redouble their efforts to work together for the future of their country...

TEMIRTAU, Kazakhstan, 9 October 2012 – An OSCE-supported seminar on air pollution monitoring started in Temirtau in Central Kazakhstan today...

The OSCE Mission to Skopje supports training for 15 mid-level managers from the Ministry of Interior that started as of 8 October 2012...

WASHINGTON D.C., 9 October 2012 – The Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR) today officially opened an election observation mission for the general elections to be held in the United States on 6 November...

Workshop on human rights under the motto Know Your Rights was held on 4 October 2012 for school children in the Municipality of Cetinje in South-West Montenegro. The event was organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Municipal Secretariat for Social Welfare and Youth and non-governmental organization Youth Centre Proactive...

TASHKENT, 8 October 2012- A training course on international transport law organized by the Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan started in Tashkent today...

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier spoke at the opening session of the OSCE Parliamentary Fall Meeting, hosted by the Albanian Parliament, on 5 October 2012...

A study tour to the Aral Sea Basin for 16 local journalists organized by the Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan in co-operation with the State Nature Protection Committee and non-governmental organization Ekomaktab started in the city of Nukus on 8 October 2012...

Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, addressed participants at a conference on security architecture in Asia organized by the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in co-operation with the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan on 5 October 2012 in Astana...

PODGORICA, 5 October 2012 – The Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Waldemar Figaj, today condemned the assault on two newspaper journalists in the town of Pljevlja...

DUBLIN, 4 October 2012 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore, today condemned the mortar attack emanating from within Syria on the Turkish village of Akcakale, on the Turkish-Syrian border, which resulted in the death of five people, and expressed concern about escalating tensions...

MOSCOW, 4 October 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today concluded a four-day official visit to Moscow, during which she discussed with high-level Russian officials safety of journalists, Internet freedom, media legislation and ways to enhance co-operation with her office...

BELGRADE, 4 October 2012- The Acting Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Paula Thiede, issued the following statement on the decision by state authorities to ban public gatherings on 6 October, when the Pride March was planned...

The collection and reporting of hate crime data were the focus of a discussion organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 3 October 2012...

A workshop organized by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo on the development of municipal regulation on gender equality for nine municipalities in the Gjilan/Gnjilane region concluded on 1 October 2012...

ASTANA, 3 October 2012 – Fostering dialogue and co-operation between ministries, parliamentarians and senior military personnel involved in the oversight of armed forces is the focus of a regional OSCE-held seminar that started today...

MOSCOW, 2 October 2012- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, commended today the decision by the Verkhovna Rada (the parliament) of Ukraine to reject re-criminalization of defamation...

TBILISI, 2 October 2012 – Georgia’s parliamentary elections marked an important step in consolidating the conduct of democratic elections, although certain key issues remain to be addressed, concluded the international election observers in a statement released today...

Religious and belief communities should be granted quick, simple and non-discriminatory access to legal personality, said participants at a meeting on the margins of the OSCE’s annual human rights conference in Warsaw on 2 October 2012...

DUSHANBE, 1 October 2012 – The opening ceremony for the sixth staff course for senior border officials from 12 countries was held at the OSCE Border Management Staff College today...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 1 October 2012 – Despite substantial progress in creating the necessary legal framework to safeguard human and community rights, more needs to be done to put this into practice, an OSCE Mission in Kosovo report issued today concludes...

The OSCE Mission to Skopje in co-operation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced on 1 October 2012 the extension of the school safety project “My Safety Depends on Me” for the school year 2012-13...

ELBASAN, Albania, 1 October 2012- The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, pledged support for destroying remaining surplus ammunition during a visit to the Mjekes military factory in Elbasan in central Albania today...

An international forum on border management in humanitarian emergencies was held at the OSCE Border Management Staff College in Dushanbe from 24 to 28 September 2012. It was co-organized with the Tokyo-based UNHCR Regional Centre for Emergency Management...

UNITED NATIONS, 28 September 2012 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, emphasized the importance of human rights in promoting peace and security in his address to the UN General Assembly today...

TIRANA, 28 September 2012 – Genuine dialogue involving all actors is essential for progress on Albania’s reform agenda, said Lucinda Creighton, Irish Minister for European Affairs representing the OSCE Chair-in-Office, during her official visit to Albania today...

BAKU, 1 October 2012 – A training course held by the OSCE Office in Baku with the Judicial Legal Council for future judges on countering money laundering and the financing of terrorism started today...

Greater co-operation among international and national organizations is needed to prevent and combat violence against women, said participants at a meeting on the margins of the OSCE’s annual human rights conference in Warsaw on 28 September 2012...

The new official website of the Armenian police, which was developed with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, was launched on 28 September 2012...

ISTANBUL, 28 September 2012 – An OSCE-supported training course for women entrepreneurs from Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan concluded in Istanbul today...

CHISINAU, 28 September 2012- The Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Jennifer Brush, today welcomed the agreed intensified meeting schedule between representatives of the sides of the Transdniestrian conflict...

NEW YORK, 27 September 2012- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Robert Bradtke of the United States of America, Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, and Jacques Faure of France) and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, met on September 26 with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, and on September 27 with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov.

DUSHANBE, 27 September 2012 – Some 80 members of the Public Council under the President as well as invited experts and stakeholders discussed the switchover to digital terrestrial TV broadcast in Tajikistan at an OSCE-supported Social Partnership Club meeting today...

SARAJEVO, 27 September 2012 – The OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina today welcomed efforts to improve inter-parliamentary co-operation demonstrated at a three-day seminar in Jahorina with secretaries of working bodies from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s four parliaments...

Governments must take more decisive steps to counter anti-Roma rhetoric and violence, said participants at the annual OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw on 27 September 2012...

VIENNA, 27 September 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today called on the Italian authorities to reform libel laws following an Italian high court ruling upholding the criminal conviction and 14-month prison sentence imposed on Allessandro Sallusti, former editor of the newspaper Libero...

On 25 September 2012 the OSCE Mission and the Kosovo Employment Promotion Agency concluded a series of two-day workshops on accessing income generation assistance from the central-level reintegration fund for municipal officers for communities and returns (MOCRs) from 25 municipalities...

The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, in a three-day trip to Baku from 24 to 26 September 2012 called on the government to increase efforts to combat trafficking for labour exploitation, particularly in cases involving labour migrants in construction and domestic work...

OSCE participating States must address issues of discrimination, access to education and adequate housing and reducing poverty to lessen the health inequalities between Roma and non-Roma women, said participants at the annual OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw on 26 September 2012...

SKOPJE, 27 September 2012 – Irish Minister for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton, the representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, during an official visit today in Skopje discussed the implementation of reforms, the need for further reconciliation, and the role OSCE can play in advancing the reform and integration processes...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented this year's background paper on the death penalty in the OSCE region on 26 September 2012 at the annual OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) launched two new tools, designed to build the capacity of legal practitioners to conduct professional trial monitoring, at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 26 September 2012...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 26 September 2012 – Ireland remains committed to building a stable future for all the communities in Kosovo, said the representative of the Irish OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office, Minister for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton, in her meetings with leaders in Kosovo today...

VIENNA, 26 September 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Fletcher Burton and the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina/EU Special Representative, Ambassador Peter Sørensen, today called for legal reforms to ensure the independence of the public service broadcasters and broadcast regulator in Bosnia and Herzegovina...

Participants at the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw highlighted measures to promote free access to information held by governments, as well as the importance of providing legal protection to individuals who expose wrongdoing within organizations – so-called whistleblowers...

BELGRADE, 25 September 2012 – The Representative of the Irish OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton, during an official visit to Serbia today, stressed the need to move forward with implementing reforms, continuing reconciliation efforts and dialogue, as well as delivering on commitments...

Unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions on the right of association for police and military personnel should be lifted, said participants at the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw on 25 September 2012...