News and press releases

SAMARKAND, 6 March 2020- The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, concluded today the second Central Asia Judicial Dialogue in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. During this two-day event, over 40 judges from the region discussed how to protect freedom of expression while combating violent extremism, terrorism and hate speech. The participants also discussed the decriminalization of defamation.

Summary Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. A man died reportedly from injuries caused by an explosive device in non-government-controlled Pionerske. The Mission observed a calm situation in the disengagement

Ahead of International Women’s Day, the OSCE will have dispatched two-thousand posters highlighting the need to stop violence against women to police stations all over Ukraine by 6 March 2020. The posters stress the important role that the police play in supporting and protecting women who have experienced violence. The posters were produced as part of the “End the Silence” awareness-raising campaign which was implemented by the OSCE Secretariat’s Gender Section and supported by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the country’s National Police.

The conference “More Than Quota: Towards Greater Representation of Women in Local Elections 2020” concluded today in Sarajevo. It was organized by Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in partnership with the Gender Equality Commission of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH on the occasion of International Women’s Day...

TIRANA/VIENNA/WARSAW, 6 March 2020- Ahead of the International Women’s Day OSCE leaders urged further action in promoting gender equality and called for intergenerational dialogue to ensure engagement of young people. This year Women’s Day is marked against the backdrop of the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security and the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action for the Advancement of Women, and these occasions provide an opportunity to take stock of progress made, they said.

ATHENS, 6 March 2020 – International humanitarian law must be respected in the response to the situation on the borders between Turkey and Greece, said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative on South East Europe Mark Pritchard (MP, United Kingdom) wrapping up a three-day official visit to Athens today...

On the second anniversary of Serbia’s Interior Ministry’s Anti-Corruption Department, held in Belgrade on 6 March 2020, ten Serbian police officers received diplomas after successfully completing internationally accredited courses in financial crime forensics...