News and press releases

Best practices in environmental management in oil and gas sector were the topic of an OSCE-Centre in Ashgabat-organized seminar that took place on 8 and 9 July 2021 in a video conference format.

KYIV, 09 July 2021 – “The security situation in eastern Ukraine is not improving and challenges are becoming acute”, said Ambassador Y. Halit Çevik, the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine, in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council yesterday.

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 75 ceasefire violations, including 63 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 136 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded ten ceasefire violations, including nine explosions. In the previous reporting

At 11:25 on 7 July, the SMM arrived at a site about 1.5km south-west of the southern edge of Vilkhivka (non-government-controlled, 40km east of Donetsk) to conduct an announced mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight to monitor the security situation in the area. At 11:30 while conducting the flight, a light utility vehicle, carrying two armed members of the armed formations, approached the SMM from a southerly direction. One of them requested the Mission to land the UAV, delete its imagery and leave the area or the aircraft would be shot down. The same member of the armed formations told the SMM to wait until he called his “superiors”...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe completed two and a half-week training course on “Rescue on Water” for representatives of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence (Committee) in Dushanbe on 7 July 2021.

PRISTINA, 8 July 2021 — OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde concluded her visit to Kosovo together with the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Åsa Regnér, today. The programme included meetings with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Kosovo authorities and civil society. Linde encouraged authorities to focus further on gender equality and women’s and girl’s enjoyment of human rights, in particular the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The Swedish Chairpersonship aims to integrate the Women, Peace and Security agenda into the daily work of the OSCE structures...

The OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department released a Russian-language version of its new e-learning course on OSCE cyber/ICT security Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) on 8 July 2021.

KYIV, 8 July 2021 — 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.

The Generation Equality Forum is the largest global gathering on gender equality since the landmark “Fourth World Conference on Women” in Beijing in 1995. The Forum aims to generate urgent action and accountability for gender equality, and to accelerate the implementation of the commitments made in Beijing. It is convened by UN Women and co-hosted by France and Mexico in partnership with youth and civil society.

Summary In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 136 ceasefire violations, including seven explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 114 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 328 ceasefire violations, including 161 explosions. In the previous

VIENNA, 7 July 2021- OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro expressed her outrage at the shooting of prominent Dutch investigative reporter, Peter R. de Vries.

Developing small business ideas for women in Turkmenistan, a precondition for sustainable economic growth, foreseen challenges and opportunities, were the focus of an OSCE Center in Ashgabat-hosted seminar on 6 and 7 July 2021 in Ashgabat...

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 114 ceasefire violations, including 27 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 204 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 220 ceasefire violations, including 101 explosions. In the previous 24 hours, it

VIENNA, 6 July 2021 — OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro denounced today the mass violence against journalists reporting on protests in Georgia.

On 5 July 2021, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a cross-border meeting of Albanian and North Macedonian officials to discuss co-operation against violent extremism, in Pogradec, Albania...

Summary In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 2 and 4 July, the SMM recorded 261 ceasefire violations, including 58 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 164 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 2 and 4 July, the Mission recorded 78

On 5 July 2021, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, Pierre von Arx, met with Akmal Burkhanov, the Director of the Anti-corruption Agency in Uzbekistan, to discuss co-operation on implementation of a joint 2021-2022 project and to sign a joint work plan.

On 2 July 2021, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro, met with Ambassador of Iceland, Kristín A. Árnadóttir, to discuss the current state of media freedom and freedom of expression in Iceland and the OSCE region...

OSCE Men for Gender Equality, an informal group of staff from the OSCE Secretariat, conducted a fundraiser from March 8 to April 7 in support of efforts to respond to gender-based violence that raised EUR 3,000.

From 24 June to 2 July 2021, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized an online training course for businesses on whistleblowing and whistleblowers protection. The course highlighted whistleblowing as a relevant mechanism in maintaining integrity and controlling corruption. The event was organized in collaboration with the High inspectorate for Declaration and Audit of Assets and Conflict of interest (HIDAACI).

VIENNA, 5 July 2021 – Thirty years on from the 1990 Bonn Document, the OSCE hosted a conference reviewing how to continue contributing to European peace, security and prosperity through a market-based economy and environmental protection...

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 164 ceasefire violations, including 136 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 927 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 52 ceasefire violations, including eight explosions. In the previous

At 15:45 on 2 July, the SMM arrived at its camera system at the Oktiabr mine (non-government-controlled, 9km north-west of Donetsk city) to conduct scheduled maintenance of a malfunctioning camera. During the maintenance, the Mission saw a hole in the front and the back of the housing of one of the cameras which was assessed as caused by a recent impact of a bullet from small-arms fire...

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 927 ceasefire violations, including 40 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 78 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 111 ceasefire violations, including 17 explosions. In the previous reporting

PARIS, 2 July 2021 – Valiant Richey, OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, concludes his five-day visit to France today. He highlighted that France has demonstrated strong commitment to fight trafficking in human beings, while noting that more efforts in implementation are needed.

On 2 July 2021, the OSCE Presence in Albania, in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to Albania, organized a kick-off event with civil society organizations introducing a European Commission funded project titled “Supporting a more effective administration of justice in corruption and organized crime cases in Albania through trial monitoring”.

The OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek organized a three-day roundtable discussion on updating the 2021–2025 National Action Plan (NAP) on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540 on Effective Measures against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. The event took place from 1 to 3 July 2021 in Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul province.

A new OSCE publication on the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine’s (SMM) first five years of operation was launched on 2 July 2021.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited the Russian Federation for the first time since taking up his mandate from 23 June to 1 July 2021. Abdrakhmanov met with the authorities to discuss the situation of national minorities living in Russia as well as Russia’s

SARAJEVO, 2 July 2021- The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Delegation of the European Union to in Bosnia and Herzegovina organized today an online kick-off event with representatives of civil society organizations and journalists to present the EU funded regional project “Supporting a More Effective Administration of Justice in Corruption & Organized Crime Cases in the Western Balkans through Trial Monitoring”...

On 1 and 2 July, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a concluding workshop with the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians and the Subcommittee on Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women, in view of the end of the current Albanian legislature...

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 78 ceasefire violations, including 43 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 90 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 84 ceasefire violations, including 36 explosions. In the previous reporting

PARIS, 1 July 2021 – The OSCE has pledged to improve gender equality by taking action on Gender Based Violence, Economic Justice and Rights and Technology & Innovation.

On 29 June at 21:00, an SMM long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) took off and conducted a flight over government-controlled areas of Donetsk region. While attempting to land around 23:30-23:35 at its base in Stepanivka (government-controlled, 54km north of Donetsk), the UAV experienced dual GPS signal interference, assessed as caused by jamming, resulting in an intermittent loss of spatial control...

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 90 ceasefire violations, including 47 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 394 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 135 ceasefire violations, including nine explosions. In the previous reporting

GENEVA, 30 June 2021- The 53rd round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place on 29 and 30 June 2021, with requisite COVID-19 pandemic measures in place.

An OSCE-supported training seminar on methodology for the supervision and support of public prosecution in criminal cases related to trafficking in human beings concluded on 30 June 2021 in Kokshetau, Kazakhstan. Some 16, prosecutors of the Akmola region, including 11 men and 5 women, participated in the two-day event. The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, in co-operation with the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office, organized the seminar.

The OSCE organized a second workshop on social re-use of confiscated assets in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 29 June 2021. Representatives of asset management agencies and civil society organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as experts on social re-use of confiscated assets from international civil society organizations participated in the workshop.

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 394 ceasefire violations, including one explosion. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded one ceasefire violation in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 48 ceasefire violations. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 46 ceasefire violations

To support further organizational development of the Regional Youth Co-operation Office (RYCO), the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized of a meeting for six RYCO Local Branch Offices and RYCO Headquarters from 21 to 25 June...

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 slightly decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.

The OSCE Presence in Albania organized a workshop, in hybrid format, on “Prevention and Investigation of Cybercrimes” on 29 June 2021 to support the country’s efforts in the fight against cyber crime.

Summary In Donetsk region, between the evening of 25 and 27 June, the SMM recorded 73 ceasefire violations, including 26 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 83 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, between the evening of 25 and 27 June, the Mission recorded 81

VIENNA, 28 June 2021 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, expressed her concerns today over the latest physical attacks against journalists in Turkey.

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 83 ceasefire violations, including 59 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 363 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 17 ceasefire violations, all explosions. In the previous reporting period, it

Summary In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 363 ceasefire violations, including 122 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 179 ceasefire violations in the region. In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 1,491 ceasefire violations, including 253 explosions. In the previous

VIENNA, 25 June 2021- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Teresa Ribeiro, concluded today the Third Central Asia Judicial Dialogue. During the two-day online event, about 45 participants including judges from all five Central Asian countries and international experts, discussed how to protect freedom of expression and freedom of the media while taking into account other human rights and encouraging the exchange of best practices among the judiciaries in the OSCE region.

Experiences and lessons learned when implementing intelligence-led policing (ILP) in South-Eastern Europe were the focus of a workshop organized online by the OSCE on 23 June 2021.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov visited Serbia from 14 to 17 June 2021. This was his first official visit since taking up his mandate at the OSCE. In meetings with President Aleksandar Vučić, President of the National Assembly Ivica Dačić, Foreign Minister Nikola

MOSCOW, 25 June 2021 — OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid concluded her four-day visit to Moscow. Throughout the visit, she highlighted the value of the OSCE as a bridge-builder and a platform for dialogue between the East and the West...