News and press releases

In support of an ongoing transformation of the national public service broadcaster – Radio Television Montenegro (RTCG), the OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported the development of the RTCG’s Development Strategy and Digital Transformation Strategy for the period 2023-2027, presented on 5 May in Podgorica.

PODGORICA, 5 May 2023- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an observation mission for the 11 June early parliamentary elections in Montenegro, following an invitation from the national authorities.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina has recently published a report analyzing 433 domestic court decisions in anti-discrimination cases rendered between mid-2018 and mid-2021. The Mission report shows an increase in lawsuits and judgments under the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination. This

NEW YORK CITY, 4 May 2023 – The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, addressed the United Nations (UN) Security Council today to reflect on 30 years of co-operation between the two organizations.

The future of security in the Black Sea region was the focus of the first Security Dialogue organized by the Bulgarian Chairpersonship of the Forum for Security Co-operation, held on 3 May. Drawing on the gravity and long-term consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the meeting provided an opportunity for in-depth discussions about the state of play of security in the wider Black Sea region and its role as an integral part of European security.

The OSCE Moscow Mechanism mission of experts undertaken by Professor Veronika Bílková, Dr. Cecilie Hellestveit and Dr. Elīna Šteinerte presented their findings to the OSCE Permanent Council on 4 May 2023, collected in the report entitled ‘Report on Violations and Abuses of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, related to the Forcible Transfer and/or Deportation of Ukrainian Children to the Russian Federation’.

In celebration of 30th anniversary of the World Press Freedom Day, Dominique Waag, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, met with Mihailo Jovović, President of the Commission for Monitoring the Actions of Competent Authorities in Investigations of Cases of Threats and Violence against Journalists, Murders of Journalists and Attacks on Media Property.

On 27 April, a three-day course aimed at strengthening the skills of local entities in conducting effective financial investigations in counter-terrorism concluded in Pejë/Peć. The course was organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department, with the support of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

BANJUL/GENEVA/VIENNA/WASHINGTON D.C./NEW YORK CITY, 2 May 2023 — Commemorating the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day and the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of expression mandate holders* from the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the African Commission of Human Rights (ACHPR), and the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) issued a Joint Declaration on Media Freedom and Democracy.

From 24 to 28 April 2023, gender-responsive policing of violence against women and girls (VAWG) was the focus of a national specialized training course organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) in co-ordination with the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo

TASHKENT, 1 May 2023 – Uzbekistan’s constitutional referendum was technically well prepared and widely promoted as a move to enhance various rights and freedoms, but it took place in an environment that fell short of genuine political pluralism and competition, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today.

The OSCE and the Italian Guardia di Finanza delivered a training course on asset recovery for criminal justice practitioners from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia from 26 to 28 April. The three-day training course aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of participants related to financial investigations and asset recovery, with a focus on regional and international co-operation in joint investigations.

The Espoo Convention on the Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and experiences of its implementation were in focus of a two-day OSCE-organized online seminar, which took place on 27 and 28 April 2023.  The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the two-day event to raise

President Decaux and Vice-President Kourula of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, presented the Court and its features at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s (PA) International Secretariat in Copenhagen on 25 April.

ERGNETI, 27 April 2023 – The 112th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti today under the co-facilitation of the Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM), Dimitrios Karabalis, and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus, Viorel Moşanu.

As part of the OSCE project Addressing Security and Safety Risks of Illegal Possession, Misuse and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and their Ammunition in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the OSCE Mission to BiH donated 11 new vehicles for transport of K9 police dogs to law enforcement

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina supported the Bosnia and Herzegovina High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council conferences of chief prosecutors and of court presidents, organized in Sarajevo on 26 and 27 April.

On 17 April 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe launched its first training course on Operational Planning for twenty border officers of the Tajik Border Troops in Dushanbe. The course is a key activity of the Patrol Field Capacity Building of the Tajik Border Troops- Phase II project which will run through 2023 and 2024.

The need to reflect on both the immediate and long-term consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine was highlighted by Ambassador Emilia Kraleva, Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to the OSCE, at the Opening Session of the Bulgarian Chairpersonship of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC).

SARAJEVO, 26 April 2023 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) today launched a report on learning and teaching on the period of 1992-1995 in primary schools throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, “History Teaching Materials on 1992-1995 in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Building Trust or Deepening Divides?”.

How police officers should conduct interviews with persons suspected of being trafficked was the focus of a two-day workshop organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Ministry of Interior’s Department for Combating Human Trafficking on 24 and 25 April in Budva.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the Information and Privacy Agency (IPA) concluded a series of five regional workshops for over 100 municipal officials from municipalities across Kosovo on the topic of balancing the right to privacy and access to public documents. The discussions focused on the

From 17 to 20 April 2023, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) organized a study visit to Estonia and Finland for a delegation of the Anti-Corruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ACA). The five-member Delegation was headed by the Director of the Agency, Mr. Akmal E. Burkhanov.

VIENNA, 24 April 2023 – While all countries of the OSCE have expressed their determination “to resolve by peaceful means any related issue, individually and collectively, on the basis of mutual respect and co-operation”, violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law are a reality in the region today, OSCE leaders said as a two-day conference began today.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro provided the MINA News Agency with technical equipment on 24 April to support its further development as the only Montenegrin news agency.

The OSCE organized an intensive in-person and online training course from 17 to 21 April 2023 on renewable energy for around 100 young women from Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Mongolia, to help them kick-start careers in the sustainable energy sector.

Preventing non-profit organizations (NPO) from being abused for terrorism financing was the focus of a seminar organized in Astana from 18 to 20 April 2023 by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Programme Office in Astana.

Elections experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented the final report of ODIHR’s Election Assessment Mission to the 2022 parliamentary elections in Slovenia during a visit to Ljubliana on 18 and 19 April 2023. The experts discussed the report’s

VIENNA, 19 April 2023 – Anti-trafficking leaders at the 23rd Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons urged the 57 participating States of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to strengthen their response to prevent and eradicate human trafficking, by generating the necessary political will to tackle the issue.

Building a career in the police means building yourself, a team and a community that works for the safety of Montenegro and its citizens. In order for as many young people as possible, especially girls, to see themselves in this role, the Ministry of Interior’s Police Directorate and the Police Academy, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, are launching the "I choose the police" campaign.

Towards the implementation of police reform and community policing, between the 28 March and 12 April the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe joined with Tajikistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) in a series of one-day meetings with heads of MIA departments and members of Public Councils on Police Reform (PC), throughout the the Khatlon region of Tajikistan.

Denmark’s November 2022 early general election campaign was competitive and pluralistic with contestants able to convey their messages to the electorate in diverse ways. Freedoms of expression, assembly and association were respected. Despite limited regulation of political financing, election

SKOPJE, 14 April 2023 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, concluded his visit to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Between 3 and 8 April 2023 the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe in close collaboration with Tajikistan’s Border Troops organized awareness-raising meetings in seven border communities of the Darvoz district in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.

Mostar, 12 April 2023- Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Brian Aggeler, visited Mostar today where he met with range of Cantonal, religious, media and NGO partners.

TIRANA, 7 April 2023 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 14 May local elections in Albania, following an invitation from the national authorities.

The October 2022 parliamentary elections in Latvia were competitive and pluralistic, according to the ODIHR election assessment mission, with stakeholders expressing confidence in the administration of the electoral process. The legal framework is suitable for organizing democratic elections, and

On 4 April 2023, the meeting of the Advisory and Co-ordination Board established in 2021 as part of the OSCE project “Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence in South-Eastern Europe” took place.

WARSAW, 6 April 2023 — Greater efforts are needed at all levels to combat the intersecting and overlapping discrimination suffered by Roma and Sinti women, compounded by long-standing social and economic exclusion, said the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) ahead of International Roma Day on 8 April.

From 27 to 31 March, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in co-operation with the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation Support Section and the French Gendarmerie, organized an assessment of the capacities of the Montenegrin police in terms of use of K9 – police dogs to detect small arms and light weapons (SALW), ammunition, explosives, illegal drugs and currency.

GENEVA, 5 April 2023- The 57th round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place on 4 and 5 April 2023 in two working groups meeting in parallel, in line with the Six-Point Agreement of 12 August 2008 and the Implementing Measures of 8 September 2008.

On 4 April 2023, the University of Tirana and the Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) signed a co-operation agreement, facilitated by the OSCE Presence in Albania, in the premises of the Greek university. The memorandum of understanding aims at regulating the co-operation between the two

On 30 March 2023 and following consultation with Ukraine, 45 OSCE participating States invoked the Moscow Mechanism in order to “ address the Deportation of Children amidst Human Rights Violations and Humanitarian Impacts of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine”. More specifically, the tasks

PODGORICA, 3 April 2023 – The second round of Montenegro’s presidential election was competitive and as in the first round candidates were able to campaign freely with fundamental freedoms respected, but the tone was increasingly negative and the gaps in the legal framework became ever more apparent, international observers said in a statement today.

SOFIA, 3 April 2023 – Bulgaria’s 2 April early parliamentary elections were competitive and well-managed but, while the legal framework is adequate for holding democratic elections, frequent changes erode trust, undercut efficiency and create challenges to making timely preparations, international observers said in a statement today. In particular, controversial amendments that reduced the use of voting machines reignited concerns about the secrecy and integrity of the ballot and undue influence on voters in socially vulnerable communities, the statement says.

The identification of potential foreign terrorist fighters at the borders was the focus of a two-week train-the-trainer course and curriculum development workshop for border security officers, organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department. Twelve participants, who are

The OSCE organized two training courses in Vienna from 27 March 1 April for Ukrainian law enforcement and financial supervision agencies on basic techniques to investigate money laundering conducted through cryptocurrencies and virtual assets. Almost 30 representatives of specialized agencies of Ukraine attended the courses to improve their skills in tracing crypto transactions.

“Constitution – the Priority of Human Rights” is title of the International Roundtable co-hosted today by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, in co-operation with the Authorized Person of the Oliy Majlis (National Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights (Ombudsperson), in Samarkand and via video-teleconference. The event had special significance in view of the 30 April nationwide referendum to adopt a new version of the Constitution.

SKOPJE, 30 March 2023 — The OSCE Mission to Skopje facilitated the signing of a Protocol between the Public Prosecutors Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Protocol on co-operation was prepared with the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje and will help enhance co-operation between the police and prosecution toward a more effective and efficient criminal justice system.

STOCKHOLM, 29 March 2023 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Valiant Richey, and UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, expressed their grave concern about the harm of sexual exploitation, and sexual violence and its cost for the whole of society, as a result of the ongoing war against Ukraine.