News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
In Kyrgyzstan OSCE promotes understanding of economic factors
Publishing date: 7 October 2011
CHOLPON-ATA, Kyrgyzstan, 7 October 2011- A two-day conference on economic education for stability and poverty reduction supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek started in Cholpon-Ata in northern Kyrgyzstan today...
OSCE Office trains detention facilities staff on rights of suspects and accused
Publishing date: 7 October 2011
Some 20 police and penitentiary officers working in detention facilities participated in a two-day specialized training course on international standards related to the treatment of suspects and accused in custody.
OSCE Centre hosts donor co-ordination meeting on assistance to Kyrgyzstan ahead of elections
Publishing date: 7 October 2011
On 7 October 2011 the OSCE Centre in Bishkek hosted a meeting on co-ordinating donor electoral assistance ahead of Kyrgyzstan's presidential election scheduled for 30 October...
ODIHR expert group formed to advise states on political party regulation
Publishing date: 6 October 2011
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) announced on 5 October the formation of the Core Group of Experts on Political Parties who will help to promote fair and effective regulation of political parties in the OSCE area...
OSCE media freedom representative urges full transparency in Gongadze murder trial in Ukraine
Publishing date: 6 October 2011
VIENNA, 6 October 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, said today that the Ukrainian and international media should have access to information about the ongoing trial related to the murder of Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze in 2000...
Discrimination and negative discourse against Roma and Sinti must stop, say participants at OSCE human rights conference
Publishing date: 6 October 2011
Governments in OSCE participating States urgently need to tackle persistent discrimination and negative public and political discourse targeting Roma and Sinti. They are unfortunately frequent targets of prejudiced portrayals by politicians and public officials, said participants at the OSCE's annual human rights conference in Warsaw on 5 October...
OSCE Mission to Skopje supports national efforts to assist street children
Publishing date: 6 October 2011
The OSCE Mission to Skopje is holding a series of one-day regional workshops to promote co-operation between the Interior Ministry and the Labour and Social Policy Ministry in dealing with and assisting street children...
Tackling cybercrime focus of OSCE conference in Baku
Publishing date: 6 October 2011
BAKU, 6 October 2011 – A two-day OSCE-supported conference on tackling cybercrime opened in Baku today...
OSCE PA human rights chair concerned over anti-Roma violence in Bulgaria
Publishing date: 5 October 2011
COPENHAGEN, 5 October 2011 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly human rights committee chair Matteo Mecacci (Italy) today called for calm and for the respect of the rights of minorities after violent protests targeting the Roma population swept across Bulgaria in recent weeks...
Crimes against journalists must not go unpunished, says OSCE media freedom representative on fifth anniversary of Politkovskaya murder
Publishing date: 5 October 2011
STRASBOURG, France, 5 October 2011 – Commemorating the fifth anniversary of the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today presented her latest assessment of threats and responses to attacks against journalists in the OSCE region.
Local judges and prosecutors visit ICTY as part of War Crimes Justice Project training initiative for Kosovo judiciary
Publishing date: 5 October 2011
PRISHTINЁ/PRIŠTINA, 5 October 2011 – Eleven local judges and prosecutors from Kosovo today started a two-day study visit to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)...
OSCE Office holds training course on anti-corruption strategies in higher education
Publishing date: 5 October 2011
YEREVAN, 5 October 2011 –– An OSCE-supported three-day workshop on the implementation of anti-corruption strategies and action plans at universities started today in Yerevan...
Election observation must be impartial and non-politicized to be credible, ODIHR Director says at high-level discussion
Publishing date: 5 October 2011
For international election observation to be credible and effective, it must be impartial and non-politicized, Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said at a high-level panel discussion...
OSCE Chairmanship, at Geneva Discussions, calls for greater freedom of movement
Publishing date: 4 October 2011
GENEVA, 4 October 2011 –The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Protracted Conflicts, Giedrius Čekuolis, today highlighted the progress in the three years of the Geneva talks, especially through the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanisms, where security issues faced by the people affected by the August 2008 conflict in Georgia are discussed and resolved...
OSCE Centre in Ashgabat supports training course to prevent human trafficking among vulnerable groups
Publishing date: 4 October 2011
ASHGABAT, 4 October 2011 – Twenty-five social workers from Turkmenistan’s regions participated in an OSCE-supported training course on preventing the trafficking of persons with disabilities that concluded in Ashgabat today...
OSCE contributes to Kyrgyzstan’s efforts in preventing extremism and radicalization through community policing
Publishing date: 4 October 2011
BISHKEK, 4 October 2011 – A two-day workshop on how community policing can help counter violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism, organized by the OSCE Secretariat and the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, in co-operation with Kyrgyzstan’s Interior Ministry, started today in Bishkek...
OSCE Mission to Skopje supports national efforts to assist street children
Publishing date: 4 October 2011
The OSCE Mission to Skopje is holding a series of one-day regional workshops to promote co-operation between the Interior Ministry and the Labour and Social Policy Ministry in dealing with and assisting street children...
OSCE Chairperson urges BiH politicians to form government
Publishing date: 3 October 2011
VILNIUS, 3 October 2011 – On the first anniversary of the elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, today urged leading Bosnia and Herzegovina’s politicians and parties to continue their efforts to form a new state government...
OSCE media freedom representative calls on Italian Parliament to protect freedom of expression by amending law on electronic surveillance
Publishing date: 3 October 2011
VIENNA, 3 October 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today called on Italian parliamentarians to further revise a draft law on electronic surveillance to bring it in line with international standards on freedom of expression and OSCE media freedom commitments...
Albanian School of Magistrates begins new academic year with OSCE Presence support
Publishing date: 3 October 2011
The School of Magistrates of Albania held a ceremony on 3 October 2011 marking the start of the new academic year for its current and 17 new students, who will become judges and prosecutors at the end of the three-year training course...
OSCE promotes interactive teaching among police trainers in Kyrgyzstan
Publishing date: 3 October 2011
BISHKEK, 3 October 2011 – An OSCE-supported five-day training course for Kyrgyzstan’s police trainers on dealing with victims of crimes started today in Bishkek...
OSCE, UNODC hold expert seminar on curbing money laundering to combat human trafficking
Publishing date: 3 October 2011
VIENNA, 3 October 2011 – An expert seminar organized by the OSCE and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on leveraging efforts to fight human trafficking through clamping down on money laundering started in Vienna today...
OSCE Centre and Japanese Embassy equip schools in Kyrgyzstan with water assessment laboratories
Publishing date: 3 October 2011
BISHKEK, 3 October 2011- Equipment and mini-labs for water quality analysis were presented to 20 schools, two non-governmental organizations and the Academy of Education in Kyrgyzstan by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek and the Embassy of Japan...
OSCE organizes lectures on human rights in criminal justice in Turkmenistan
Publishing date: 30 September 2011
ASHGABAT, 30 September 2011 – A series of lectures on international human rights standards and their applicability in the administration of criminal justice organized by the OSCE for 30 students of the S.A Niyazov Police Institute concludes in Ashgabat tomorrow...
OSCE media freedom representative calls on Moldova to release Russian writer and journalist blogger
Publishing date: 30 September 2011
VIENNA, 30 September 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, today called upon Moldovan authorities to release Eduard Bagirov, a writer and journalist blogger, who has been held in pre-trial detention since mid-June...
OSCE supports workshop in Kazakhstan on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
Publishing date: 30 September 2011
Ways to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the Central Asian region was discussed at a workshop co-organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre and the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs on 27-29 September in Astana...
OSCE human rights conference examines ways to promote freedom of movement
Publishing date: 30 September 2011
Freedom of movement was the focus of a special day during the OSCE’s annual human rights conference in Warsaw on 29 September, as participants examined ways to help states deliver on their commitments in this area...
OSCE Mission to Skopje supports training on security of public gatherings
Publishing date: 30 September 2011
SKOPJE, 30 September 2011- An OSCE-supported specialized training session for police officers on handling armed offenders in a crowd concluded in Skopje today...
OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issue statement
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
WARSAW, 29 September 2011- The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the United States, and Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, released the following statement today...
Violent anti-Roma protests in Bulgaria show urgent need to combat extremism, OSCE human rights chief says
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
WARSAW, 29 September 2011 – Violent anti-Roma protests that have taken place across Bulgaria over the past days underline the urgency of combating racially-motivated extremism and making progress with the integration of Europe’s Roma populations, Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), said...
OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organizes working visit to Spain on penitentiary system
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
ASHGABAT, 29 September 2011 – Representatives from Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Presidential Administration discussed various aspects related to prison management during a working visit to Spain that concluded in Madrid today...
OSCE human rights chief expresses concern over restrictions in Kazakhstan’s new religion law
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
WARSAW, 29 September 2011- The Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, expressed concern about the passage of restrictive religion legislation by Kazakhstan’s senate earlier today and called for a review of the law before it is signed into force...
Safety of journalists remains top priority, OSCE media freedom representative tells Russian journalists
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
SOCHI, Russia, 29 September 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, said today that urging governments to ensure the safety of journalists, which is threatened by a climate of impunity, will continue to be her top priority...
OSCE helps control export of small arms and light weapons
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
To prevent small arms and light weapons (SALW) from getting into the wrong hands, countries need to ensure that there are sufficient safeguards in the procedures for their export.
OSCE/ODIHR completes trial skills trainings for judiciary handling war crimes cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
SARAJEVO, 29 September 2011- A training seminar on trial advocacy skills for judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers handling war crimes cases in Bosnia and Herzegovina ended in Teslić today. The training was part of the War Crimes Justice Project (WCJP), which is led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, in partnership with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The project is funded by the European Union...
USAID, OSCE team up to help Azerbaijan combat human trafficking, promote access to justice
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
BAKU, 29 September 2011- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Office in Baku today signed a grant agreement to co-operate on combating trafficking in persons and strengthen access to justice in Azerbaijan...
OSCE human rights office presents 2011 death penalty report
Publishing date: 29 September 2011
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented a report on the death penalty in the OSCE region on 28 September on the margins of the annual OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw...
OSCE Chairperson regrets violent incidents in northern Kosovo and calls for resumption of dialogue
Publishing date: 28 September 2011
VILNIUS, 28 September 2011- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, calls for resumption of Belgrade- Prishtinë/Priština dialogue as a way forward in resolving outstanding issues...
Early warning, regional mechanisms key to countering terrorist threat, OSCE anti-terrorism head tells UN committee
Publishing date: 28 September 2011
UNITED NATIONS, 28 September 2011 – Regional organizations have a critical role in putting global strategies to fight terrorism into practice, said Raphael Perl, the Head on Anti-Terrorism Issues at the OSCE Secretariat, at a special meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee today...
OSCE/ODIHR begins observation of presidential and municipal elections in Bulgaria
Publishing date: 28 September 2011
SOFIA, 28 September 2011 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened a limited observation mission to monitor the 23 October presidential and municipal elections in Bulgaria...
Proposals to regulate Internet could threaten freedom of expression, warns OSCE media freedom representative
Publishing date: 28 September 2011
VIENNA, 28 September 2011 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, voiced concern today about Internet regulation policies proposed by several participating States and reminded them of their OSCE media freedom commitments...
Religious communities should be able to register freely and without restriction, say participants at OSCE human rights conference
Publishing date: 28 September 2011
Participants at the OSCE's annual human rights conference in Warsaw urged governments not to use registration procedures to prevent religious communities from exercising their rights to freedom of religion or belief...
Press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Publishing date: 28 September 2011
VIENNA, 28 September 2011- The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on 28 September. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States...
OSCE/ODIHR launches new guides on freedom of assembly and association
Publishing date: 27 September 2011
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented two new guides to promote respect for the freedom of assembly and association in the margins of the annual OSCE human rights conference in Warsaw on 27 September 2011...
OSCE survey: We want to hear your views on security
Publishing date: 27 September 2011
We want to hear your views on security and the role of the OSCE. Please take 5 minutes to complete our short survey. Click here to take the survey.
OSCE/ODIHR opens mission to assess parliamentary elections in Poland
Publishing date: 27 September 2011
WARSAW, 27 September 2011 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election assessment mission for the parliamentary elections to be held in Poland on 9 October...
OSCE Centre in Astana promotes prevention of child trafficking
Publishing date: 27 September 2011
ASTANA, 27 September 2011- Ways to prevent the trafficking of children from orphanages and special schools was the topic of an OSCE-organized discussion held in Astana today...
OSCE trains Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament representatives on legislative process and parliamentary control
Publishing date: 27 September 2011
BISHKEK, 27 September 2011 – A two-day OSCE-supported workshop on legislative process in the Parliament and control of legislation implementation started today in Bishkek...
OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan supports training on access to information
Publishing date: 27 September 2011
TASHKENT, 27 September 2011 – The second round in a series of training sessions for officials in the information services of state agencies and public organizations started in Tashkent today...
Media freedom representative urges governments to keep Internet free, protect journalists against violence
Publishing date: 26 September 2011
The Internet has fundamentally changed societies for the better and should remain free, said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, as she addressed diplomats and representatives of human rights non-governmental organizations at the annual OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting...