News and press releases

COPENHAGEN, 15 June 2012 – With former political leaders and human rights defenders imprisoned in several countries, a committee of parliamentarians from 55 nations is now considering a resolution that would demand all political prisoners be released and call for countries leading the OSCE to “set the standard” on human rights...

COPENHAGEN, 15 June 2012 – National governments should increase green investments to encourage economic growth, according to a measure now pending before the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly...

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier attended the Summit of the South East European Co-operation Process (SEECP) in Belgrade on 15 June 2012, which marked the end of Serbia’s Chairmanship of the SEECP...

SARAJEVO, 14 June 2012 – Participants of an OSCE discussion which took place today said that there is a clear need for continued efforts towards combating human trafficking for labour exploitation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including through strengthened co-ordination, improved assistance to victims and more efficient prosecution of perpetrators...

COPENHAGEN, 14 June 2012—A 22-year-old agreement guiding military co-operation between nations should be updated to reflect modern warfare, according to a measure now pending before the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly...

VIENNA, 14 June 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, expressed today her concern over the persistent intimidation of journalists and attempts to restrict access to information in Azerbaijan...

VIENNA, 14 June 2012- Albanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto, speaking today in Vienna in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, outlined his country’s Chairmanship priorities to OSCE participating States and pointed to areas for further strengthening co-operation between the two organizations...

KABUL, 14 June 2012 – The OSCE is committed to supporting the Istanbul Process on regional security and co-operation for a secure and stable Afghanistan, said Marcel Peško, the Director of the Office of the OSCE Secretary General, today at the Heart of Asia ministerial conference in Kabul...

BAKU, 14 June 2012 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore, during today’s visit to Azerbaijan called for restraint and an end to violence following the recent clashes with Armenia...

SARAJEVO, 12 June 2012 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the British Embassy launched a joint project on "Modernizing entity parliaments and Brcko District Assembly for Europe" today...

SARAJEVO, 12 June 2012 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, emphasized the importance of keeping anti-trafficking a priority during a visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina that began today...

TBILISI, 12 June 2012 – On a visit to Georgia today, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore, stressed the OSCE’s continued engagement in the country, including its commitment to helping Georgia address the consequences of the 2008 conflict...

A boat for fisheries inspectors and a water sampling platform on the Dniester/Nistru River were formally handed over to authorities in Moldova by representatives of the OSCE and its partner organizations, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), at a ceremony on 8 June 2012...

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is organizing a study trip for representatives of five municipalities and the Ministry for Local Government Administration to Germany from 12 to 15 June 2012. The aim of the trip is to help Kosovo municipalities increase the level of public participation and gender-responsiveness in budget planning processes...

The OSCE Centre in Bishkek held a training course for heads of units of correctional institutions under Kyrgyzstan’s state penitentiary service from 21 May to 12 June 2012...

YEREVAN, 12 June 2012 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore, in Yerevan today called on all parties to refrain from the use or threat of force and to abstain from retaliatory measures...

TIRANA, 11 June 2012- The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, welcomed today the election of Bujar Nishani as President of Albania...

CHISINAU, 11 June 2012- Moldovan politicians, representatives of the judiciary and international experts met today at an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion in Chisinau to discuss hate crimes and how to address them...

Helping police officers better respond to cases of domestic violence was the focus of training organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and partners in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia on 8 and 11 June 2012, respectively...

Some 25 members of the expert working groups from both sides of the Dniestr/Nistru River got an opportunity to fine-tune their negotiation skills at an OSCE-organized training course on 7 and 8 June 2012...

GENEVA, 8 JUNE 2012 – The Geneva International Discussions are the only process to resolve the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia, said Pádraig Murphy, the OSCE Chairmanship’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, following today’s 20th meeting in Geneva...

KARAGANDY, Kazakhstan, 8 June 2012 – A review of the National Human Rights Commissioner’s (Ombudsman’s) work in 2011 was presented at an OSCE-supported meeting held in Karagandy today...

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 7 June 2011 – Reform efforts in the field of criminal justice are the focus of an OSCE-supported two-day round-table meeting that began in Almaty today...

TIRANA, 7 June 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, called upon the Albanian government to strengthen media freedom in the country as a priority as she concluded her three-day visit to Tirana today...

The role played by law-enforcement agencies in protecting freedom of religion or belief was the focus of a seminar organized by ODIHR, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and partners in Kyrgyzstan’s capital on 4 and 5 June 2012...

VANADZOR, Armenia, 6 June 2012 – Today the Armenian Human Rights Defender officially opened its regional office in the Lori province, one of six regional offices in Armenia. Human Rights Defender Karen Andreasyan, Ambassador Andrey Sorokin, the Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, and Ambassador Traian Hristea, the Head of the European Delegation to Armenia, attended the opening ceremony...

DUBLIN, 6 JUNE 2012 – The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore, will travel to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan next week to meet government leaders, representatives of political parties for discussions of the OSCE’s work in the region...

Member of the German Bundestag Defence Committee Ernst-Reinhard Beck addressed the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) on 6 June 2012 in Vienna on democratic control over armed forces...

COPENHAGEN, 6 June 2012—For the first time lawmakers from Europe, Asia and North America will convene 5 July to debate the economic question at the heart of the global economic crisis: austerity measures or economic stimulus?

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 6 June 2012 – Enhancing co-operation in Central Asia to fight organized crime and terrorism is the topic of a two-day workshop organized by the OSCE, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Center (CARICC) that began today in Almaty...

On the occasion of the 2012 World Environment Day on 5 June, staff of the OSCE Centre in Astana planted shrubs in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The theme of the 2012 World Environmental Day is “Green economy: does it include you?” The event was organized by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia to raise awareness of environmental risks and ecological scarcities...

DUSHANBE, 5 June 2012 – Twenty-four officers from the Afghan Border Police successfully completed a two-week intensive training course on border management today...

YEREVAN, 4 June 2012 – Individuals working to promote human rights, accountable governance and free speech in Armenia were acknowledged today at a ceremony hosted by the US Embassy and co-organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the EU Delegation to Armenia, the British Embassy in Armenia and Counterpart International...

VIENNA, 4 June 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, welcomed today the early release from prison of social media activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, adding that she hoped all imprisoned journalists would also be set free soon.

DUSHANBE, 4 June 2012 – Twenty-five senior border officials from OSCE participating States and Partner for Co-operation countries started a one-month course on border security and management at the OSCE Border Management Staff College (BMSC) today...

SHEVCHENKOVE, Ukraine, 1 June 2012- The third shipment of 715 tonnes of a toxic rocket fuel component, stored in deteriorating containers in eastern Ukraine, was safely loaded onto 14 railways tanks for disposal today as part of an OSCE-supported project...

DUSHANBE, 1 June 2012 –¬ An OSCE-supported training course on electoral management for staff and commission members of Tajikistan’s Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER), including representatives from all eight registered political parties, concluded today in Dushanbe...

JEJU, Republic of Korea, 1 June 2012- OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today met with the Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Omurbek Babanov, in the margins of the Jeju Peace Forum, at which both were delivering keynote addresses...

ASHAGABAT, 1 June 2012 – Energy diplomacy and key principles and concepts of cross-border gas trade were the topics of an OSCE-supported workshop that concluded in Ashgabat today...

Promoting women’s political participation in Ukraine ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for later this year was the focus of a roundtable discussion organized in Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on 31 May 2012, by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and partners...

ASHGABAT, 31 May 2012 – Representatives of the Turkmen National Institute of Democracy and Human Rights under the President of Turkmenistan completed today an OSCE-organized visit to Estonia and the Netherlands on practices in processing individual human rights complaints and communications...

VIENNA, 31 May 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, welcomed today a decision by the Tajik Parliament to make libel and insult a civil tort, saying she hoped all remaining criminal provisions related to defamation would eventually be abolished...

Conflict resolution and promoting democratization and respect for human rights on the both banks of the Dniestr/Nistru river are top priorities of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, said the new Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Ambassador Jennifer Brush...

BISHKEK, 31 May 2012 – A graduation ceremony for some 25 young reporters who have successfully completed a three-month journalism course, organized by the non-governmental organization and news agency Kloop Media, was held in Bishkek today. The tuition for eight students from Kyrgyzstan’s provinces was supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek...

ASTANA, 30 May 2012- A three-day regional training seminar for military officers on the practical implementation of the Vienna Document 2011 began in Astana today...

YEREVAN, 30 May 2012 – A meeting on community policing as the new model of operation in the Armenian capital Yerevan from 1 June was held today by the Armenian police with the support of the OSCE Office...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 30 May 2011 – Kosovo institutions provide communities and other vulnerable groups with much needed humanitarian transportation services, but a lack of coordination and procedural oversight have left the service unresponsive to the evolving needs of users, concludes an OSCE report published today...

The effective resolution of electoral disputes in Kyrgyzstan was the focus of a roundtable discussion held in Bishkek by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and other partners, on 29 May 2012...

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek visited Kosovo between 21 and 24 May 2012 to assess the security situation in the north and to discuss language and education challenges, among other issues...

VIENNA, 29 May 2012 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, condemned today the attack on Russian radio journalist Sergei Aslanyan and called upon authorities to swiftly identify the perpetrators...