News and press releases

The OSCE Office in Tajikistan began a five-week patrol and leadership training course for Tajik trainees on 9 April 2012, as a part of a project developed for Tajik border troops and Afghan border police within the framework of Tajikistan National Border Management Strategy supported by the OSCE...

VIENNA, 11 April 2012 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović today welcomed Spain’s draft access to information law, and urged the authorities to consider her Office’s recommendations to ensure that the law is in line with OSCE commitments...

YEREVAN, 10 April 2012 – The OSCE Office in Yerevan announced today a call for civil society project proposals to address environment and security challenges as part of the Civic Action for Security and Environment (CASE) small grants initiative...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 9 Apr 2012- Acting Head of OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Edward P. Joseph condemned today's assault on a police checkpoint and yesterday’s violent incidents in Mitrovica which left one person dead and another one injured...

TIRANA, 5 April 2012- Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, speaking ahead of International Roma Day on 8 April, highlighted the importance of education as a crucial tool for improving the future of the Roma community in Albanian society...

WARSAW, 5 April 2012 – Speaking ahead of International Roma Day on 8 April, the ODIHR Director, Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, called today on governments and local authorities to redouble their efforts to improve housing and living conditions for Roma and Sinti in the OSCE area...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan held a new course for heads of press services of state ministries and agencies from 4 to 6 April 2012...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 6 April 2012 – Acting Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Edward P. Joseph issued the following statement today ahead of International Roma Day on 8 April:

BELGRADE, 5 April 2012 – Speaking today ahead of International Roma Day on 8 April, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ambassador Dimitrios Kypreos, offered his congratulations to the Roma community in Serbia and said that the Mission will continue to assist the Serbian Government’s efforts to implement policies in support of Roma integration...

SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan, 5 April 2012 – A two-day training course on environmental reporting for journalists began today in Shymkent in southern Kazakhstan. The course was organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana together with the NGO MediaNet International Centre for Journalism, the Southern Kazakhstan Regional Administration, and the newly established Shymkent Aarhus Centre...

Establishing an OSCE-wide network of legal practitioners to improve access to justice and effective remedies, including compensation, for trafficked persons was the focus of a meeting organized by ODIHR in Warsaw on 3 and 4 April 2012...

SKOPJE, 5 April 2012 – On the occasion of International Roma Day on 8 April, the OSCE Mission to Skopje, in co-operation with Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the local non-governmental organization Ambrela, held a workshop in Skopje today on increasing Roma integration in mainstream education through pre-school education...

SHEVCHENKOVE, Ukraine, 4 April 2012- The first shipment of a toxic rocket fuel component stored in deteriorating containers at a military base in Eastern Ukraine was safely loaded on to 14 railways tanks today as part of an OSCE-supported project...

BELGRADE, 4 April 2012 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened a limited election observation mission for the parliamentary elections to be held in Serbia on 6 May...

Ambassador Erwan Fouéré, the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office for the Trandniestrian conflict settlement process, is visiting Tiraspol and Chisinau on 4 and 5 April 2012...

The final report by ODIHR on Kazakhstan’s early parliamentary elections on 15 January 2012 concludes that they did not meet OSCE commitments or international standards, and offers a number of recommendations to bring the conduct of elections in line with fundamental principles for democratic elections...

BAKU, 5 April 2012- A four-day training course on public relations and political campaigning organized by the OSCE Office in Baku for young political activists started today in Baku...

ATYRAU, Kazakhstan, 4 April 2012 – Promoting the Aarhus Convention with a special focus on public participation in water and environmental programmes in western Kazakhstan was the topic of a roundtable discussion held in Atyrau today...

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, 3 April 2012 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier emphasized today in Jeddah the importance of increased dialogue between the OSCE and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address key security issues...

UNITED NATIONS, 3 April 2012 – Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the ODIHR Director, today welcomed the launch of the Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations at a ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters in New York...

Research on water quality and fish fauna in the Dniester River, supported by the OSCE Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities in partnership with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), was published on 27 March 2012. The research points to declining water quality towards the mouth of the Dniester, while fish species have halved over the past decade...

The OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek visited Lithuania from 27 to 28 March and Poland from 29 to 30 March 2012...

Advanced-level training on “Techniques and Tactics for Maintaining and Restoring Public Peace and Order” for 30 participants from the Interior Ministry’s Special Units Department was organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje, in co-operation with the French Embassy in Skopje, from 2 to 6 April 2012...

ASHGABAT, 2 April 2012 – Prevention of money-laundering by applying international mechanisms, tools and best practices is the focus of an OSCE-supported workshop for experts and civil servants that opened in Ashgabat today...

VIENNA, 2 April 2012 – Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today strongly condemned the attack on Leonids Jakobsons, a journalist and owner of the Latvian news website Kompromat and urged the authorities to carry out a swift and transparent investigation...

YEREVAN, 2 April 2012- A two-day training workshop for media representatives on responsible, accurate and balanced reporting on elections was launched today in Yerevan, ahead of the 2012 parliamentary elections...

VIENNA, 2 April 2012- Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, today presented an updated analysis on imprisoned journalists in Turkey and called for immediate reform of the nation’s media laws...

Senior border officials from four OSCE participating states completed a five-day training course in Dushanbe on 31 March 2012. The course focused on human rights-based approach to countering terrorist threats along and at borders...

Five days of training for 48 Bulgarian police officers on dealing with hate crime concluded in Sofia on 30 March 2012. The course was part of Training against Hate Crimes for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) – a new programme designed by ODIHR to improve police skills in recognizing, understanding and investigating hate crimes...

VIENNA, 27 March 2012 – The Permanent Mission of Hungary to the OSCE and the Delegation of Canada to the OSCE co-hosted a Commemorative Event today to mark the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Open Skies, and the 10th Anniversary of its entry into force...

On 30 March 2012 the OSCE published its Annual Report, giving an overview of the Organization’s work and activities in 2011...

Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, in a report of her Office’s work to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 29 March 2012, highlighted the important role of safeguarding free media and free Internet while ensuring security...

DUBLIN, 30 March 2012- Ambassador Erwan Fouéré, the Special Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office for the Trandniestrian settlement process, welcomed today’s agreement allowing the resumption of full rail traffic through the region...

ASHGABAT, 30 March 2012 – An OSCE-organized training course on airport and aviation security management concluded in Ashgabat today...

YEREVAN, 30 March 2012 – Fifteen police officers were awarded certificates of completion for an OSCE-supported train–the-trainers course on community policing that ended today in Yerevan...

Further reforms to the process for selecting judges in Kyrgyzstan are needed to ensure an independent judiciary, according to an OSCE report presented in Bishkek on 30 March 2012...

A one-day international conference on environment, innovation and sustainable development was held in Almaty on 30 March 2012...

GENEVA, 29 March 2012 – Speaking today at the 19th round of the Geneva International Discussions, Pádraig Murphy, the OSCE Chairmanship’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus, appealed to the participants to urgently address the problems faced by refugees and internally displaced populations.

The new Kosovo community policing strategy and action plan were finalized in an OSCE-supported workshop held from 27 to 29 March 2012 in Prevallë/Prevalac, Prizren. Kosovo police management, front line officers and representatives of local and international organizations involved with public safety contributed to the effort...

YEREVAN, 29 March 2012 – Thirty six computers and printers were given today to the Armenian police by the OSCE Office in Yerevan with EU financial support to help prepare for the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections...

VIENNA, 29 March 2012 – The Council of Europe Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, called on the 56 OSCE participating States today to strengthen co-operation with the Council of Europe...

Measures to increase transparency and public participation in the lawmaking process were the focus of a workshop in Belgrade on 26 and 27 March 2012, organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Legislative Committee of the National Assembly of Serbia...

COPENHAGEN, 28 March 2012 – Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the first major meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Assembly today unveiled a web video highlighting its work to strengthen commitments on human rights, energy, environmental and security commitments through parliamentary dialogue and democratic action...

The Deputy Co-ordinator of the Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ruth Freedom Pojman, addressed the Global Stakes in Human Rights Roundtable on “The OSCE, Human Rights, and Human Trafficking” at the Council on Foreign Relations, on 27 March 2012 in Washington DC...

BELGRADE, 27 March 2012 – Serbia’s Security-Information Agency (BIA) launched a new website today, developed with support from the OSCE Mission to Serbia...

Reform of Albania’s election administration as well as international good practices in new voting technologies was the topic of an OSCE- supported meeting in Tirana on 26 and 27 March 2012...

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo organized a workshop on programme quality for Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) directors, editors and journalists on 24 to 25 March 2012 in Prevallë/Prevalac...

DUSHANBE, 27 March 2012 – The OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier in a meeting with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon today emphasized the need to further develop the strategic partnership between Tajikistan and OSCE in politico-military, economic and environmental, and human areas, and shared views on the OSCE engagement with Afghanistan...

TIRANA, 27 March 2012- The OSCE Presence in Albania is marking its 15th anniversary today with an event organized in the Albanian Assembly, co-hosted by the Speaker of the Assembly, Jozefina Topalli and the Head of Presence, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth...

The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, called for anti-trafficking efforts at borders to prioritize human rights protection at a conference on “The Politics & Policy of Border Security” in Berlin on 23 March 2012...