News and press releases

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro congratulates journalists on the Day of Journalists, 23 January, commemorating this day in 1871 when a weekly magazine for politics and culture, “Crnogorac” was first published in Cetinje.

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Skopje, delivered a training course on improved interagency co-operation for effective financial investigations on 21 and 22 January.

HELSINKI, 17 January 2025 — OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu concluded his visit to Helsinki today, marking his first official visit as OSCE Secretary General.

CHISINAU, 9 January 2025 — The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, concluded her first official visit to the Republic of Moldova as OSCE Chairperson today.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) urges Republika Srpska to uphold the rule of law and abide by the final and binding decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Mission further condemns the glorification of war criminals and all demonstrations of

WARSAW/COPENHAGEN, 9 January 2025 – The decision of the Belarusian authorities not to invite OSCE participating States to observe the country’s presidential election on 26 January is deeply regrettable and prevents an impartial and independent assessment of the election process, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) said in a statement today.

KYIV, 8 January 2025- The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, completed her first visit to Ukraine as the OSCE’s Chair.

HELSINKI/VIENNA, 1 January 2025 – Today, Finland takes over the OSCE Chairpersonship with a focus on upholding OSCE principles, supporting Ukraine, and strengthening the Organization’s resilience in order to address complex security challenges.

From November to December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a series of informational sessions for local state authorities under the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade across various regions. These sessions took place in Darvoz, Garm, Kulob, Bokhtar, and Khujand, attracting approximately 150 participants (119 males and 31 females) representing 12 subsectors defined in the Green Economy Strategy.

On 30 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe hosted a one-day workshop focused on the implementation of the Green Economy Strategy and its accompanying Action Plan. This event marked a logical continuation and conclusion of the activities planned for 2024, following a series of regional information sessions that had recently taken place.

Despite increased efforts to combat domestic violence and violence against women, this latest tragedy underscores the urgent and ongoing epidemic of such unimaginable brutality, destroying families and scarring communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

VALLETTA/VIENNA, 30 December 2024 – OSCE Chair-in-Office, Malta’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ian Borg, today announced the selection of Switzerland to chair the OSCE in 2026.

The OSCE in partnership with the thinktank adelphi has recently published a strategy paper aiming to foster cross-border co-operation between Georgia and Armenia in tackling climate-related security risks, improving landscape fire management, and reducing wildfire risks. Developed in close

Statement of the OSCE Mission to BiH following the femicide in Ključ

Statement of the OSCE Mission to BiH following the Republika Srpska National Assembly conclusions adopted at the 16th special session

Between August and December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, in collaboration with the Committee for Women and Family Affairs (CWFA) of the Government of Tajikistan, conducted a series of three-day training sessions for trainers throughout the country.

On 9 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (the Office) hosted an event to mark the culmination of the first stage of a two-year project aimed at supporting the Tobol-Torgay River Basin Council. The project aims to strengthen the Council's capacity in developing a strategic basin plan for integrated water resource management.

From 21 to 23 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a three-day training session focused on implementing the SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) system, a crucial technology aimed at enhancing conservation efforts in specially protected natural areas.

On 17-18 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in collaboration with key national agencies, held a training workshop focused on detecting the financing of terrorism during the fundraising phase. The workshop aimed to strengthen Kazakhstan’s capacity to counter the complex challenges posed by financial crimes linked to terrorism.

WARSAW, 20 December 2024 – In its final report on the observation of the 26 October parliamentary elections in Georgia, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) reiterates its earlier findings and conclusions. The elections took place amidst serious concerns about the impact of recently adopted legislation on fundamental freedoms and civil society, steps to diminish the independence of institutions involved in the election process, and pressure on voters, which combined with election day practices compromised the ability of some voters to cast their vote without fear of retribution. In its assessment of post-election developments and complaints, ODIHR found that cases were not considered sufficiently, limiting legal remedies, and the forcible suppression of protests and numerous arrests caused grave concerns about compliance with international commitments to freedom of peaceful assembly.

On 20 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, organized a one-day roundtable on "Standard Regulatory Requirements for Wastewater Quality Control."

On 17 and 18 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities hosted the Tenth Annual General Meeting of the Permanent Conference of Organized Crime Prosecutors (PCOCP) at the Hofburg in Vienna. The event brought together senior prosecutors, judges, legal experts, and representatives from 14 participating States from across Europe and South-Eastern Europe to enhance informal and formal international collaboration against transnational organized crime.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a five-day training course focused on Project Development, Management, Reporting, and Fundraising Skills, which took place from 16 to 20 December 2024. A total of 14 Heads of OSCE-supported Women's Resource Centres (WRCs) attended the course, including 9 women.

19 December 2024, SARAJEVO – Recognizing the critical role of K9 units in detecting and preventing crime, law enforcement teams from across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) showcased their expertise in a competition organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission). A total of 14 teams

On 18 December 2024, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), in partnership with the Children’s Ombudsperson, hosted a roundtable at which experts shared good international practices in preventing crimes against minors. The event was opened jointly by Children’s Ombudsperson Surayyo

On 6-7 December 2024, the 10th Annual Conference of the Kyrgyz Association of Women Judges took place in Aral village, Chui Province, Kyrgyzstan. Themed “Strengthening Legal Justice: Access to Free Legal Aid, Support for Women in the Judiciary, and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence”, the conference convened legal professionals and experts from Central Asia to address pressing issues related to justice reform and gender equality.

On 17 and 18 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan held a training course on media and information literacy in preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (P/CVERLT) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

On 6 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana presented results of a two-year project dedicated to developing interactive maps and safety passports for Kazakhstan. This initiative, implemented in partnership with the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan and the Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction aims to enhance capacities to monitor, model, and ensure early warning for natural disasters, measures to prevent and counter the effects of such, and ensure safe and sustainable communities.

On 17 and 18 December, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) conducted an introductory workshop in Bishkek on the prevention and investigation of the criminal use of virtual assets and blockchain-based finance. The workshop was opened by Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, and gathered representatives from relevant investigative authorities, including from the Prosecutor’s General Office, the State Financial Intelligence Service, the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Committee for National Security.

From 16 to 17 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe hosted a two-day workshop focused on the findings of the “Baseline Report from the Fifth Round of Monitoring of Anti-Corruption Reforms in Tajikistan. The Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan”.

Between October and December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe supported the OSCE Youth Network for Gender Equality in organizing ten awareness-raising sessions across Dushanbe and rural areas of Tajikistan. Over 25 Network members traveled to Norak, Panjakent, Khujand, Ayni, Isfara, Garm, Kulob, Bokhtar, and Levakand, engaging 283 participants—91 men and 192 women—including youth, educators from schools and universities, and community leaders.

On 17 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, in co-operation with the Centre for Combatting Trafficking in Persons under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, hosted the second Dialogue Platform on Counteracting Trafficking in Human Beings (CTHB) for the year. The event brought together government officials, members of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on CTHB, representatives from civil society, and international organizations.

On 2 December, the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration hosted its first-ever simulation of conciliation proceedings within the Court at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana and with the support of Professor Vasilka Sancin, Head of the Department of International Law and member of the Bureau of the Court.

From 11 to 13 December 2024, the OSCE PCUz organized a visit to Helsinki, Finland, to study good practices in fighting violence against minors. The delegation, comprising the Interdepartmental Working Group charged with improving relevant legislation on crimes against minors, was headed by Surayyo

With the aim to enhance school safety and security through preventive actions, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a series of soft skills training events for school security officers in Korça, Tirana and Shkodra, from 7 to 9 December 2024.

On 16 December 2024, the OSCE Presence in Albania facilitated a peer exchange meeting at the Italian Embassy in Tirana, focusing on financial investigations related to money laundering through cryptocurrencies. This event was designed to foster the exchange of experiences and best practices between

Mongolia’s 2024 parliamentary elections were well run, although their competitiveness was undermined by an uneven playing field caused by campaign restrictions and biased media coverage favouring the ruling party. The short campaign period, combined with government-promoted salary and benefit increases, provided the ruling party with an undue advantage, blurring the line between party and state. Allegations of pressure on civil servants further raised concerns about the freedom of voters to make their own choices. Despite these challenges, the election administration operated professionally and implemented a comprehensive voter information programme.

From 9 to 12 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Police Academy in Banja Luka conducted four one-day basic training courses for police cadets on gender-based violence (GBV) in Banja Luka. The training sessions were delivered by national police officers, a prosecutor, a judge, a psychologist and other local experts.

Migration is becoming an increasingly important area of diplomatic relations. Recently, the adoption of bilateral and multilateral agreements of migration governance has intensified globally, and references to migration diplomacy have recurred systematically in political and public debates.

From 11 to 13 December, the OSCE brought together 27 members of the OSCE Pool of Young Experts (18 women and 9 men) in Vienna for an in-person training course focusing on professional competences in the field of peace and security.

On 11 December, over 100 representatives of Ukrainian authorities, international organizations, diplomatic missions and civil society participated in the Second National Conference on Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking of Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives (WAE) in Kyiv.

WARSAW, 13 December 2024 – The human rights situation in Ukraine has continued to worsen amid increased aerial attacks that include systematic strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure, as well as intensified hostilities on the front line, leading to a surge in civilian casualties.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized an exchange visit for five leading specialists from the Headquarters of the Main Directorate of Border Troops of the State Committee of National Security of the Republic of Tajikistan. This visit took place from 9 to 13 December 2024 in Minsk and Brest, Belarus.

VIENNA, 13 December 2024 — Today, the OSCE Troika- Malta, North Macedonia and Finland- made the following statement:

On 4 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, hosted the second expert-level meeting on requesting electronic evidence across borders in Tashkent.

On 5 and 6 December in Tashkent, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) held a Central Asia regional workshop on developing strategic and structured approaches to the training and education of police officers and prosecutors working on cybercrime and electronic evidence.

On 12 December 2024, the Presence and Tirana University hosted a closing ceremony, bringing together around 100 academic staff, students and donors to reflect on the project’s achievements and its ongoing impact.

OSCE welcomes FBiH Government decision to endorse the Proposed Law on Protection from Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women of the FBiH

From 18 to 21 November 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (Office), in partnership with the German Foundation for International Legal Cooperation (IRZ), organised a study visit for representatives of Kazakhstan’s judiciary to the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) and the German Federal Office of Justice in Bonn.

From 2 to 7 December 2024, two in-person workshops on women’s leadership in humanitarian response were held in Lviv, Ukraine. The workshops, organized by the OSCE Gender Issues Programme, through its WIN Project, aimed at equipping 54 participants from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) with tools to expand their leadership roles during and after the ongoing war.