News and press releases

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented the final report and recommendations of the observation mission to Serbia’s April 2022 presidential and early parliamentary elections during a visit to Belgrade from 3 to 7 October. ODIHR’s priority

WARSAW/SKOPJE/STOCKHOLM/COPENHAGEN/VIENNA, 10 October 2022- OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, Foreign Minister of Sweden Ann Linde, and Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, representing the OSCE Troika, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Margareta Cederfelt (MP, Sweden), OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Roberto Montella strenuously condemned Russia’s recent attacks against Ukraine’s population in the following statement:

On 7 and 8 October 2022, the OSCE Presence in Albania awarded 20 motivated women members of municipal councils who completed the Women Municipal Excellence Programme (WoMEP), and also organized the second training module for 22 other women councillors, WoMEP’s third generation. WoMEP assists women

VIENNA, 10 October 2022 – OSCE Media Freedom Representative Teresa Ribeiro expressed her concern today regarding the “Draft Bill on the Amendment of the Press Law and Some Laws,” that is currently being debated in the Turkish Parliament. The proposed law aims at criminalising the spread of disinformation in the online sphere with possible jail sentences of up to three years.

WARSAW, 7 October 2022 – The Warsaw Human Dimension Conference concluded today. Over a thousand participants representing international organizations, governments, and civil society from across the OSCE area gathered to examine the implementation of the OSCE Human Dimension commitments at the ten-day event.

From 4 to 7 October 2022, the OSCE-Centre in Ashgabat organized a lecture course on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) aspects within the Economy, Finance and Credit, Jurisprudence and International relations disciplines. The four-day event was held in a hybrid

VIENNA, 7 October 2022 — The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, today strongly condemned the continued sentencing of journalists and media workers in Belarus, following the criminal conviction of former and current employees of independent news agency BelaPAN.

Opportunities and challenges of engaging the Ukrainian diaspora in post-conflict reconstruction and development, including examples of good practices from other countries’ diasporas, were discussed at an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 6

DUSHANBE, 7 October 2022- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, raised several media freedom issues during her official visit to Tajikistan between 3 and 7 October 2022.

On 6 October, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and with the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, organized a train-the-trainer course aimed at improving the skills of officials from North Macedonia to disrupt terrorist groups through the application of financial tools.

WARSAW/VIENNA, 6 October 2022 – The Russian Federation’s illegal annexation of territory in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of Ukraine, which was signed into law earlier this week, was strongly condemned by the Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Matteo Mecacci and OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro.

WARSAW, 6 October 2022- Protecting Ukrainian women and children from risks of sexual exploitation was the focus of an event co-organised by the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the U.S. Mission to the OSCE, held today on the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference.

Criminal justice and technology experts discussed rule of law challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic together with civil society representatives at an event held by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 5 October 2022. The event took place in the margins of

Following an in-house training on live and emergency reporting in May, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized the second round of a training course for journalists of the national public service broadcaster – Radio Television Montenegro (RTCG) to improve their skills and techniques to better report live on developing stories from 3 to 5 October.

GENEVA, 5 October 2022- The Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) welcome the holding of the 56th round of the GID in Geneva on 5 October 2022. As mandated by the Six-point Agreement of 12 August 2008 and the implementing measures of 8 September 2008, the GID process continues to serve as the only platform where the consequences of conflict are addressed and other important issues are discussed.

Combating human trafficking and forced labour in supply chains of companies and public entities was the focus of a forum organised today in Tashkent by the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, in partnership with the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Persons and Forced Labour of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The second in a series of  three-day training courses on raising awareness on the threat of Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism (VERLT) concluded on 5 October 2022 in Ashgabat. The aim of the events is to introduce the basic concepts of VERLT and to raise awareness of

An OSCE Central Asian regional conference on strengthening law enforcement co-operation in combating trafficking in human beings, co-organized by the Programme Office in Dushanbe and the Programme Office in Astana, in co-operation with the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, was held on 4 and 5 October 2022 in Astana.

Crises such as health emergencies and armed conflicts have a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities. This issue and examples of positive practice that ensure disability inclusion amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine were discussed at an event organized

The misuse of counter-terrorism measures against dissenting voices has reached alarming levels in the OSCE region, participants concluded at an event on counter-terrorism and shrinking civic space organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 4 October 2022.

Ensuring quality education for Roma children helps societies curb poverty and exclusion, say ODIHR event participants Access to quality and inclusive education for Roma and Sinti was the topic of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human rights (ODIHR) on 3 October

A three-day course for Tajik governmental experts on designating and imposing targeted financial sanctions pursuant to UN Security Council Resolutions 1267 against individuals and entities associated with terrorist groups concluded on 29 September 2022 in Dushanbe.

From 26 to 30 September, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized three training courses for police officers in Bar, Kolašin and Podgorica on how to conduct interviews with victims of human trafficking, using a Guidance with standardized set of questions to ensure their rights are respected.

The importance of monitoring and addressing racist and discriminatory practices against Roma who have fled Ukraine amid the ongoing military conflict was the focus of an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights on 3 October 2022.  The discussion took place in

SARAJEVO, 3 October 2022 – The general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina were competitive and overall well organised with fundamental freedoms respected during the campaign. However, failed reform efforts, a widespread mistrust in public institutions, and ethnically divisive rhetoric continued to mark the election environment, international observers said in a statement today.

SOFIA, 3 October 2022 – Bulgaria’s 2 October early parliamentary elections were competitive and fundamental freedoms were generally respected, although allegations of vote-buying and pressure on voters negatively affected parts of the process, international observers said in a statement today. Despite a late start to the preparations and the limited technical and administrative capacity of the election administration, the elections were organized adequately, the statement says.

CHISINAU, 3 October 2022 – Ambassador Kelly Keiderling, appointed by the Polish OSCE Chairmanship as the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, takes office today. She will also serve as the OSCE mediator in the Transdniestrian Settlement Process. 

WARSAW/VIENNA/COPENHAGEN, 30 September 2022 – The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Margareta Cederfelt (MP, Sweden), OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Roberto Montella, unanimously and categorically condemn the Russian Federation’s illegal annexation of territory in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts of Ukraine, as well as the continued occupation of Crimea.

WARSAW, 30 September 2022- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, concluded today her participation in the Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, where she and her Office engaged in various discussions with OSCE participating States, civil society organizations, OSCE Institutions, representatives of inter-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders on a range of media freedom issues and challenges.

Addressing intolerance in all its forms requires a collective effort from political and community leaders, policymakers, criminal justice officials, civil society actors and representatives of faith-based organizations, among others, concluded participants in an ODIHR event held in Warsaw on 29

As part of a comprehensive mentoring process the OSCE Mission to Montenegro has been implementing since 2020, five professional staff of the Parliament of Montenegro have been equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge as trainers to deliver in-house training sessions for their peers.

CHISINAU, 30 September 2022 – Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, Dr. Claus Neukirch completes his mandate as Head of Mission and OSCE mediator in the Transdniestrian Settlement Process today.

Creative approaches that harness the power of technology and the arts can strengthen youth engagement in Holocaust education and commemoration activities, agreed participants in an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 29 September 2022. The

For the fourth year in a row, youth engagement in combating violent extremism and radicalization was the focus of a two-day workshop the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Ministry for Sports and Youth organized jointly on 27 and 28 September in Podgorica.

On 27 September, the OSCE held the third workshop on the use and social re-use of confiscated assets in North Macedonia, which gathered government representatives, civil society, and national and international legal experts, to foster public discourse on this highly relevant topic.

WASHINGTON D.C., 29 September 2022 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 8 November midterm congressional elections in the United States, following an invitation from the national authorities.

Challenges and good practices in ensuring the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, including at times of pandemic, were discussed at an event organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on 28 September 2022 on the margins of the Warsaw Human Dimension

Between 26 and 27 September, an international roundtable was held in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, on the topic: "The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda and its relationship with human rights." The event was organized by the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan  jointly with the National

VIENNA, 28 September 2022 – The role of women in peace and security was the focus of today’s Forum for Security Co-operation meeting hosted by Belgium. Delivering remarks to the Forum, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib emphasised the importance of this issue.

Croatia’s vast experience in the investigation and adjudication of cases of enforced disappearances can be useful to Albania’s authorities in advancing with the issue of identification and recovery of remains of missing persons from the Communist past. With this aim, from 21 to 23 September 2022,

SARAJEVO, 27 September 2022- The OSCE Mission to BiH finds that the recent cyber-attack on the BiH Parliamentary Assembly illustrates both the vulnerability of key ICT systems in BiH and the urgency to address cybersecurity gaps. This attack has endangered the transparency of legislative work and

A series of workshops on the effective investigation and prosecution of criminal acts threatening the integrity of elections concluded today in Mostar.

WARSAW, 26 September 2022 – The Warsaw Human Dimension Conference started today, bringing together international organizations, governments and civil society for a 10-day event to discuss the condition of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the OSCE region.

The 8th OSCE Dialogue Academy for Young Women, co-organized by the Mission in Kosovo and the Mission to Serbia, concluded on 25 September in Mauerbach, Austria. Twenty-four participants from Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade attended the Academy.

NEW YORK CITY, 23 September 2022 – OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid concluded her visit to New York City, where she attended the high-level meeting and the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

ERGNETI, 23 September 2022- The 108th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held today in Ergneti, under the co-facilitation of Ambassador Marek Szczygieł, Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Ambassador Viorel Moşanu, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus.

The Second International Tashkent Anti-Corruption Forum, Tashkent, 23 September 2022.

On 23 September 2022, the Office of the Co-ordinator of the OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) participated in the Second Tashkent Anti-Corruption Forum, organized by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) of the Republic of Uzbekistan, jointly with international partner organizations. The event gathered more than 100 participants representing national and foreign anti-corruption authorities, civil-society organizations and other stakeholders to discuss transparency and integrity measures in the public sector, assessing anti-corruption risks, as well as anti-corruption education...

NEW YORK, 23 September 2022- OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Foreign Minister of Poland Zbigniew Rau, Foreign Minister of Sweden Ann Linde, and Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, representing the OSCE Troika and the Organization’s Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid met on the margins of the 77th session of UN General Assembly.

OSCE Mission publishes public opinion survey results on BiH citizens’ perception of elections and electoral processes The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) published its survey findings today following a state-wide survey on citizens’ perception of elections in BiH. The survey aimed to