News and press releases

Recent developments, challenges and achievements in preventing and countering corruption at the border were in focus of the two-day annual meeting of the OSCE-supported Regional Anti-corruption Platform, which concluded on 3 November 2021 in Vienna.

Judges and prosecutors from across the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina worked to improve the efficiency of trials and reduce the length of proceedings during a workshop held on 5 November 2021 in Teslić. The event was organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in co-operation with the Federation’s Judicial and Prosecutorial Training Centre.

Developing and strengthening the engagement between the police and the community in order to prevent and counter violent extremisms and radicalisation that lead to terrorism was the aim of an OSCE training course held from 3 to 5 November 2021 in Skopje.

Modernization of seaport control procedures following the COVID-19 pandemic was the focus of an OSCE-organized online training course that took place from 1 to 5 November 2021.

A four-day national simulation-based training on combating trafficking in persons concluded on 29 October 2021 in Safed-Dara, Tajikistan. The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the OSCE’s Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 204 ceasefire violations, including 20 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 248 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 46 ceasefire violations, including ten explosions. In the previous reporting

How to undertake financial investigations to better assess terrorist threats was in focus during a three-day training course for experts from North Macedonia, which concluded on 3 November 2021.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the State Customs Service (SCS) of Kyrgyzstan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 3 November 2021 in Bishkek. WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya and SCS Chairperson Adilet Kubanychbekov signed the document that grants the status of WCO regional training center to SCS training and specialized canine unit.  

More than 100 representatives of youth and people with disabilities from across Kyrgyzstan attended the first inclusive youth conference “Three Whales” that took place on 29 October 2021 in Bishkek.

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 248 ceasefire violations, including 31 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 524 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 76 ceasefire violations, including three explosions. In the previous reporting

In several European countries, dialogue policing, with its emphasis on the importance of oral and informal communication between the police and event organizers, has proven effective in preventing confrontations and violence during public gatherings, such as demonstrations or football matches. On 2 November 2021, the OSCE Mission to Skopje delivered a workshop to introduce the concept to the senior police management of North Macedonia.

At 10:45 on 2 November, the SMM arrived at its camera site near Hranitne (government-controlled, 60km south of Donetsk) to conduct scheduled camera maintenance. Upon arrival at the camera site, the Mission saw damage to the system...

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 524 ceasefire violations, including 48 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 398 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 66 ceasefire violations and no explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 257

KYIV, 2 November 2021- The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) and OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU), mark the 21st anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which recognizes the important roles of women and girls in peace and security efforts, and calls for their increased and meaningful participation in related decision-making processes.

As part of the long-standing partnership with Parliament, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro provided IT equipment to it on 30 October 2021.

An OSCE-supported regional online conference on human rights protection in Central Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic took place on 29 October 2021. The event was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, in co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

Thirteen specialists from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan completed a three-week regional Explosive Ordnance Disposal course (EOD level 2) at the Regional Explosive Hazards Training Centre (REHTC) in Chimteppa, Tajikistan, on 29 October 2021.

To help female media professionals developing digital safety approaches that will keep them safe online, the OSCE Mission to Skopje launched an e-learning course on digital safety on 2 November 2021.

A ceremony marking the removal of the last batch of mélange, a rocket fuel component, from Novopavlovka area and the Chui valley in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan took place on 2 November 2021.

Summary In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 29 and 31 October, the SMM recorded 988 ceasefire violations, including 139 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 321 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 29 and 31 October, the Mission

A high-level conference on Albania’s achievements under the agenda on Women, Peace and Security and the way ahead took place in Tirana on 1 November 2021. The OSCE Presence, UN Women Albania and the Dutch Embassy organized the event to mark the 21st anniversary of the UN Security Council’s Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS).

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) organized a series of two events from 27 to 29 October 2021 focused on supporting States in implementing passenger data programmes, enhancing coordination between participating States, international organizations and private sector companies, and deepening regional cooperative partnerships.

SKOPJE, 1 November 2021 – The second round of North Macedonia’s local elections was competitive and the election administration took efforts to address some procedural shortcomings from the first round. However, negative rhetoric and allegations of pressure on voters and candidates continued to affect the elections, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today.

The OSCE, together with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), supported the third Annual General Meeting of the Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN) held from 27 to 29 October 2021 in Tirana, Albania.

A two-day training on International Standards and Best Practices on the Adjudication of Corruption Offences organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania concluded on 29 October 2021.

TBILISI, 31 October 2021 – The second round of Georgia’s local elections was generally competitive and organized professionally, but increasing polarization and negative rhetoric, as well as allegations of voter intimidation and the continuing advantage of incumbency, demonstrate the need for further reforms, international observers said in a statement today.

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 321 ceasefire violations, including 90 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 292 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 436 ceasefire violations, including 128 explosions. In the previous reporting

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 292 ceasefire violations, including 56 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 681 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 20 ceasefire violations, including five explosions. In the previous reporting

Ahead of the municipal elections in Cetinje and Petnjica on 5 December 2021, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Association of Youth with Disabilities and the Union of Blind of Montenegro delivered an online training course on 28 October for representatives of the local Municipal Electoral Commissions (MECs) on how to improve accessibilty of polling stations and voting materials.

From 25 to 27 October 2021, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized an online training course on gender aspects in investigative journalism.

A five-day OSCE online training course on the Dark Web and virtual currencies for criminal justice practitioners from the five Central Asian OSCE participating States concluded on 29 October 2021.

In close co-operation with the National Coordinator for Countering Violent Extremism, from 26 to 28 October 2021, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized a series of workshops on prevention of violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism for first responders...

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 681 ceasefire violations, including 192 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 435 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 103 ceasefire violations, including four explosions. In the previous

On 26 October 2021, the OSCE convened the first meeting of the Multi-Agency Committee in Serbia established as part of its project, Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence in South-Eastern Europe.

A conference reviewing the implementation status of Tajikistan’s anti-corruption strategy for 2013–2020 and introducing the new national anti-corruption strategy for 2021–2030, was held on 27 October 2021 in Dushanbe with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe.

On 27 and 28 October 2021, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized an online seminar on legal aspects of the dissemination of information in the digital age.

An OSCE-supported series of webinars for NGOs and crisis centers in Kazakhstan launched on 27 October 2021. The event was organized in co-operation with the Verum Foundation, the Center for Legal Defense “Zan Talaby” and the Eurasia Foundation’s Civil Society Support Program’s office in Almaty. 

The winners of the OSCE-supported green office contest were announced on 22 October 2021 in Nur-Sultan. The contest provided an opportunity for government institutions, private companies, civil society and international organizations to promote sustainable use of resources by focusing on waste reduction and recycling.

On the morning of 27 October at 10:41, an SMM patrol with Deputy Chief Monitor (DCM) Mark Etherington on board arrived at the armed formations crossing point near the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge...

KYIV, 27 October September 2021 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Mikko Kinnunen, made the following statement to the press after the regular meetings of the TCG and its Working Groups held through video conferencing:

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 435 ceasefire violations, including 86 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 205 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 20 ceasefire violations, including three explosions. In the previous reporting

The 2021 early parliamentary elections in Armenia were competitive and generally well-managed within a short timeframe. They were, however, characterized by intense polarization and marred by increasingly inflammatory rhetoric among key contestants. While the legal framework is generally

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFOM) Teresa Ribeiro concluded a five-day official visit to the United States of America on 22 October 2021. She met with representatives of the US Department of State, members of the Helsinki Commission, and media freedom organizations to discuss media freedom and freedom of expression in the United States and across the OSCE region.

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 205 ceasefire violations, including 31 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 241 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded three ceasefire violations. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded seven ceasefire

Summary In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 22 and 24 October, the SMM recorded 406 ceasefire violations, including 60 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 134 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 22 and 24 October, the Mission

The energy sector is facing unprecedented challenges, requiring enhanced international co-operation and dialogue among energy producers, consumers and transit countries; concluded experts at the 4th Vienna Energy Security Dialogue, supported by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, held on 22 October 2021 in Vienna...

Following this year’s elections in Bulgaria, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has published reports on the 4 April parliamentary elections  and 11 July early parliamentary elections. In the April parliamentary elections fundamental freedoms were respected. The

The Government of Sweden has renewed the mandates of or, alternatively, appointed new members to the Court for a mandate of six years starting in October 2021.

TASHKENT, 25 October 2021 – Despite recent welcome reforms, the lack of genuine pluralism and meaningful engagement between candidates or with citizens meant that Uzbekistan’s presidential election was not truly competitive, while significant procedural irregularities were noted on election day, international observers said in a statement today.

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 134 ceasefire violations, including 15 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 169 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 49 ceasefire violations, including 11 explosions. In the previous reporting