News and press releases

On 13 September 2021, the OSCE convened the first meeting of the Multi-Agency Committee in Albania established as part of the OSCE project, Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence — GBV — in South-Eastern Europe.

Good practices in the treatment of foreign terrorist fighter (FTF) returnees, including age and gender-sensitive approaches, was the focus of an expert dialogue organized online by the OSCE’s Action against Terrorism Unit jointly with OSCE field operations in Central Asia from 15 to 17 September 2021.

TBILISI, 20 September 2021 – Recently appointed OSCE PA Special Representative on South Caucasus Kari Henriksen (Norway) and Secretary General Roberto Montella have just completed a visit to Georgia, where they held a series of meetings with government authorities, leaders of political parties and representatives of the international community. The visit on 18-19 September focused on domestic and regional challenges in Georgia and the South Caucasus.

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 113 ceasefire violations, including 39 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 23 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 33 ceasefire violations, including 13 explosions. In the previous reporting

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 23 ceasefire violations, including 13 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 100 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 157

On 16 September 2021, sixteen Kyrgyz customs officers completed a four-day training course on profiling at the Leninskoe Training Center of the State Customs Service under the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Kyrgyz Republic. The event was organized with the support of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 100 ceasefire violations, including one explosion. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 90 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 157 ceasefire violations, including 69 explosions. In the previous reporting

STOCKHOLM, 16 September 2021 — The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde, expressed regret that no consensus could be reached on the extension of the mandate of the Observer Mission at the Russian checkpoints Gukovo and Donetsk on the Russian-Ukrainian border, an important component of the OSCE’s response to the crisis in and around Ukraine.

From 14 to16 September 2021, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat supported an online seminar to promote best practices and standards, and discuss perspectives and challenges of ‘smart cities’. The development of a renewable energy sector was also discussed.

From 14 to 18 September 2021, eleven students from across Kyrgyzstan are taking part in a five-day autumn school on Anti-money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism in Issyk- Kul, Kyrgyzstan.

On 16 September 2021, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina awarded the winners of a school competition aimed at supporting increased recycling in the Central Bosnia Canton (CBC) thus increasing youth engagement in the field of environment protection...

KYIV, 15 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 90 ceasefire violations, including 23 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 88 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded five ceasefire violations, including three explosions. In the previous reporting

OSCE seminar in Turkmenistan promotes best practices in development of capital market

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro strengthened the technical capacities of the Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro with the delivery on 15 September 2021 of three mobile journalism sets, one drone, three laptop computers and two desktop computers with accompanying monitors...

On 15 September 2021, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Law Faculty of the Sarajevo University launched in Sarajevo the Media Law School on online freedom of expression and freedom of assembly on social networks...

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 15 September 2021 – As we mark World Democracy Day, we affirm the principle of the people’s expression of free will, be it at the ballot box, or through media, as a basis of authority for any form of government.

WARSAW, 15 September 2021 – Elections are a central element of the democratic process and on this year’s International Day of Democracy, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) marks its 400th election observation, a key area of its work to help strengthen democracies across the 57 countries of the OSCE region.

TASHKENT, 15 September 2021 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 24 October presidential election in Uzbekistan, its 400th mission since ODIHR was established 30 years ago.

CHISINAU, 15 September 2021 — The Special Representative of the Swedish OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, Thomas Mayr-Harting, has concluded a two-day official visit to the Republic of Moldova.

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 88 ceasefire violations, including 30 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 128 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 67 ceasefire violations, including 12 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded

A two-day online training seminar on facilitation of independent monitoring respecting the rights of persons with disabilities, concluded on 14 September 2021.

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

TASHKENT, 13 September 2021 – The 23rd annual OSCE Central Asia Media conference, organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, ended on 10 September in Uzbekistan, after two days of discussions on public service media, public value of the media and safety of journalists in Central Asia and Mongolia.

A four-day course aimed at further strengthening Albania’s capacity to counter the financing of terrorism concluded on 11 September 2021 in Pogradec, Albania. The course was organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, with the support of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the OSCE Presence in Albania.

Summary In Donetsk region, from the evenings of 10 to 12 September, the Mission recorded 306 ceasefire violations, including 166 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 193 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, from the evenings of 10 to 12 September, the SMM

The OSCE Presence in Albania is making further progress in its efforts to help the Albanian Public Broadcasting Service (Radio Televizioni Shqiptar- RTSH) establish a training centre for young RTSH reporters and journalism students.

On 9 and 10 September 2021, the OSCE convened the first meeting of the Advisory and Co-ordination Board established as part of the OSCE project, Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence — GBV — in South-Eastern Europe.

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 193 ceasefire violations, including 95 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 176 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 348

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 176 ceasefire violations, including 66 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 94 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 348 ceasefire violations, including 37 explosions. In the previous reporting

An OSCE-supported awareness-raising seminar on Kazakhstan’s new Environmental Code took place on 8 September 2021. The event was conducted by online format and was attended by some 90 representatives from the Parliament, municipal ecology departments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

A two-day seminar on promoting e-business and e-commerce and defining the role of government in elaboration of legislation to promote digitalization was held online on 9 and 10 September 2021.

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 94 ceasefire violations, including six explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 1,090 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded six ceasefire violations, including four explosions. In the previous

PRAGUE, 9 September 2021- Promoting women’s economic empowerment and their access to education, social protection and the labour market, particularly in the post pandemic period, is critical to achieving stability and sustainable development across the OSCE area, said participants today at the opening of the 2021 OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum in Prague.

Best practices on modernization of customs and transport procedures as a tool to improve transport management and transport security, especially during emergency situations, were discussed at an OSCE-organized online seminar on 7 and 8 September 2021. Representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Economic Affairs, State Customs Service, State transport agencies and other key ministries and government bodies participated in the event.

From 7 to 9 September 2021, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized an advanced training programme on “Complex International/Joint Investigations on Drug Trafficking” for sixteen officers of Albania’s State Police’s Anti-Drug Units and Security Academy. The training took place at the Albanian Security Academy in Tirana. The training is the continuation of last year’s drug investigation course organized by the Presence in support of Albania’s State Police to improve international co-operation and tackle organized crime...

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 1,090 ceasefire violations, including one explosion. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 114 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 476 ceasefire violations, including 47 explosions. In the previous reporting

Capacity-building initiatives related to fighting cybercrime were the focus of a technical briefing held on 7 September 2021. The briefing was organized online and in-person by the OSCE in close co-operation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC) and INTERPOL.

A two-day online training course to support capacity-building of government institutions to engage with the public and media during health emergencies, organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, started on 7 September 2021.

VIENNA, 8 September 2021 — “Trust has to be earned over and over again. Trust is the ‘sine qua non’ for stability and sustainable security in the OSCE region. We therefore need dialogue, co-operation and transparency,” said Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, Secretary General for Foreign Affairs of Austria, as he opened the Austrian Chairpersonship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) today in Vienna.

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

A two-day online event on the prevention and criminalization of domestic violence in Turkmenistan started today on 7 September 2021.

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 114 ceasefire violations, including three explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 96 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded one ceasefire violation, an explosion. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 31

SKOPJE, 7 September 2020 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 17 October local elections in North Macedonia, following an invitation from the national authorities.

Starting from 6 September 2021 for two-months, Amela Odobašić, Head of Public Affairs at the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will work on further improving of PR crisis skills and public speaking with the Agency for Electronic Media. The activity is part of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro’s support to the Agency, the independent regulatory body for audio-visual media services in Montenegro.  

Summary In Donetsk region, from the evenings of 3 to 5 September, the Mission recorded 172 ceasefire violations, including 11 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 48 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, from the evenings of 3 to 5 September, the SMM recorded

An OSCE-organized week-long live simulation exercise on how to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking started in Issyk-Kul province, Kyrgyzstan on 6 September 2021. More than 70 professionals from law enforcement agencies including the representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Prosecutor General's Office, civil society organizations, independent experts and representatives of social services are taking part in the event.

To support the Police Directorate and the police Forensic Centre in fighting against organized and transnational crime, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro donated specialized equipment and software to the country’s police on 6 September 2021 in Podgorica.

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 48 ceasefire violations, including 12 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 66 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 34 ceasefire violations, including 19 explosions. In the previous reporting

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 66 ceasefire violations, including 22 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 21 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 28 ceasefire violations, including one explosion. In the previous reporting