News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
OSCE PA human rights leaders urge U.S. government to reconsider decision to resume federal executions
Publishing date: 9 July 2020
COPENHAGEN, 9 July 2020 – Responding to reports that executions are set to resume on the federal level in the United States for the first time since 2003, the leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee renewed calls for universal abolition of the death penalty. Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (Cyprus), Michael Link (Germany), and Kari Henriksen (Norway), the Chair, Vice-Chair and Rapporteur, respectively, of the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, regretted the decision and urged the U.S. government to reconsider.
OSCE organizes online discussion on exploitation of COVID-19 pandemic by organized crime groups
Publishing date: 9 July 2020
The OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) and the OSCE Mission to Serbia organized a webinar on the exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic by organized crime groups on 8 July 2020.
Press Statement of Special Representative Grau after the regular Meeting of Trilateral Contact Group on 8 July 2020
Publishing date: 9 July 2020
KYIV, 9 July 2020 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Heidi Grau, made the following statement to the press after the regular meetings of the TCG and its Working Groups held through video conferencing:...
PA Secretary General and Albanian Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs discuss issues facing OSCE Chairmanship
Publishing date: 9 July 2020
COPENHAGEN, 8 July 2020 – OSCE matters ranging from the valuable work of the field operations and conflict resolution efforts to budgetary issues and political deadlock were in focus today during a bilateral meeting between OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General Roberto Montella and Albania’s Acting Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Gent Cakaj...
Youth’s potential in preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization discussed at OSCE-supported workshop in Montenegro
Publishing date: 9 July 2020
Young people represent the most vulnerable group exposed to violent extremism and radicalization, but also have the greatest potential to combat and prevent it. This was the conclusion of a two-day workshop on youth engagement to prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE) and radicalization, organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Ministry of Sports and Youth on 6 and 7 July 2020 in Bečići...
Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre from Ireland named winner of the 2020 Max van der Stoel Award
Publishing date: 9 July 2020
THE HAGUE, 9 July 2020 – Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre from Ireland has been selected as the winner of the 2020 Max van der Stoel Award. The Award recognizes its efforts to strengthen the genuine integration of Ireland’s society by advocating and protecting the rights of the Traveller and Roma communities...
Human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal needs urgent international attention, concludes expert roundtable co-organized by OSCE and partners
Publishing date: 8 July 2020
VIENNA, 8 July 2020 – Despite its high profits and catastrophic harm to victims, trafficking in human beings for the removal of organs is one of the least understood and addressed forms of human trafficking globally and needs urgent attention from the international community, an international group of experts concluded in a two-day online meeting held on 7 July...