News and press releases

From 18 to 24 September, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department held a training course on gender-responsive policing of violence against women and girls in Idrizovo, North Macedonia.

TASHKENT, 25 September 2024- The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission for the 27 October parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan, following an official invitation from the national authorities.

The equipment will increase the weapons and explosives detection capacities of various agencies across BiH, including the BiH Border Police, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), the Police of Brčko District BiH, the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior, the Federal Police Administration, as well as the Ministries of Interior of the Tuzla Canton, Una-Sana Canton, and Zenica-Doboj Canton.

North Macedonia’s 2024 presidential and early parliamentary elections were competitive, and voters had the opportunity to make informed choices. However, while the legal framework provides the basis for democratic elections, it lacks sufficient regulation for a presidential contest, and recent changes introduced without sufficient transparency and public consultation. Election day was assessed positively overall, with voting procedures largely respected, although some election boards did not fully follow procedures during the count. Rules creating a direct link between public financing of campaigns and media opportunities for candidates disproportionately favoured the major political parties.

Mostar, 23 September 2024 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the EU in BiH and the Law School of the University of Sarajevo held the Fourth Media Law School on "Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation (SLAPPs)" from 18 to 23 September in Mostar. During the

Addressing sexual harassment in the workplace was in the focus of the two-day training held in Chisinau on 17 and 18 September for representatives from security sector institutions. The event was co-organized by the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, the German GS-Foundation/Equalforce and Gender Associations, in partnership with the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Moldova.

Recognizing the key role of sports in building a better and fairer society, the seventh youth camp on “Intercultural Competencies in Sports” gathered 15 young Montenegrin athletes from different sport disciplines from 17 to 19 September in Bar.