News and press releases

As part of activities to preserve the cultural and media heritage of Montenegro, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro provided technical equipment to Pobjeda, Montenegro’s oldest daily print newspaper, in Podogrica on 28 December 2020...

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan handed over 25 devices for verifying travel document authenticity during the signing of a donation agreement with the Border Academy of the Committee for National Security of Kazakhstan on 25 December 2020 in Almaty. The Academy will use the devices to train its current and future border controllers to identify forged travel documents.

Summary The SMM recorded 41 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 46 ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded seven ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 116 ceasefire violations in the

Damir Gnjidić, Head of the Tuzla Office of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, met with Fahreta Brašnjić, Minister of Education and Science of Tuzla Canton on 24 December 2020, to discuss adoption of the “Rulebook on principles and procedure for protection of students from discrimination in primary and secondary schools in Tuzla Canton”.

Summary The SMM recorded 46 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 97 ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded 116 ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded no ceasefire violations in the

Recommendations on how to improve correspondent banking relations between Tajik commercial banks and banks based in the European Union and the United States were presented at an online event organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe on 23 December 2020.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) conducted an international roundtable discussion on “Developing and Implementing the National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security: Good Practices and Lessons Learned” on 18 December 2020.

Summary The SMM recorded 97 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded at least 91 ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded one ceasefire violation in the region. The

The OSCE held an online national workshop for Bosnia and Herzegovina on the social re-use of confiscated assets on 21 December 2020. More than 20 representatives from prosecutions’ offices, law enforcement, asset management agencies and civil society organizations participated in the event.

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 increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

SARAJEVO, 22 December 2020 – The Press Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), with the support of the OSCE Mission to BiH, published today the analysis of the “STOP! Hate Speech” campaign. The analysis finds that while still present in media sphere, hate speech has declined in comparison with prior analyses focusing on the same web-portals conducted during previous election cycles...

Summary Between the evenings of 18 and 20 December, the SMM recorded at least 98 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 232 ceasefire violations in the region. Between the evenings of 18 and 20 December, the SMM recorded one ceasefire violation in

On 20 December 2020, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) concluded a series of training courses on how to set up an online culinary business as a means of economic rehabilitation following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and the government of Turkmenistan presented the plan for projects intended for joint implementation in 2021 during an online briefing on 21 December 2020.

On 20 December 2020, training for the management and teachers in 13 pre-school education organizations concluded the OSCE Project Co-ordinator’s in Uzbekistan (PCUz) series of activities in 2020 aimed at introducing environmental education in pre-school education in Uzbekistan...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan co-organized a webinar to discuss drafting of the National Action Plan (NAP) on the implementation of the Recommendations of the UN Committee Against Torture (CAT). The event took place on 17 December 2020.

On 18 December 2020, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) held an online seminar on open data for anti-corruption. The event was organized in co-operation with the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on statistics and the Anti-corruption Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan along with the International Open Data Charter (ODC).

Summary The SMM recorded 232 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 63 ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded two ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 21 ceasefire violations in the

Summary The SMM recorded 63 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 28 ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded 21 ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 18 ceasefire violations in the

VIENNA, 18 December 2020 – On the occasion of the International Human Solidarity Day, 20 December, the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons' Expert Co-ordination Team (AECT) calls on States to increase their support to anti-trafficking civil society organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic...

No activities of the OSCE executive structures, including contracts for goods and services, should ever contribute to any form of trafficking in human beings- was the base of the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Being pilot training course. Focused on the prevention of human trafficking and labour exploitation in supply chains, including OSCE’s, the course was held from 3 to17 December 2020...

SARAJEVO, 18 December 2020- On 20 December the citizens of Mostar will, finally have the opportunity, after waiting 12 long years, to vote in local elections for the City of Mostar...

COPENHAGEN, 18 December 2020 – Marking International Migrants Day, Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Migration Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) highlighted the contributions of migrants to society and recalled the difficulties that they face, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. She noted that COVID-19 travel restrictions, border closures and lockdowns have created new challenges for migrants while exacerbating their existing vulnerabilities.

WARSAW, 18 December 2020 – In a year that has made our common humanity so clear as the world struggles to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, greater efforts must be taken to safeguard and promote the human rights of all migrants, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said on the occasion of International Migrants Day...

Summary The SMM recorded 28 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 31 ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded 18 ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded eight ceasefire violations in the

The winners of the essay competition for students on the topic of “Ecological incidents in Bosnia and Herzegovina and their possible solutions”, which was organized by the Banja Luka Field Office of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), were awarded on 17 December 2020...

On 17 December at 06:34 (Moscow time), the ninety-ninth Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of seven vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All seven vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 14:54 on 17 December.

Experiences of local governments where migrants contribute successfully to the economic growth of hosting communities, was the focus of the OSCE webinar hosted on 16 December 2020, ahead of International Migrants Day on 18 December...

KYIV, 16 December 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:

The First Forum on the Role of Women Parliamentarians in the Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan took place on 14 December in Tashkent. The event was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) in partnership with the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Gender Equality Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan and UN Agencies such as UNDP and UNFPA.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) conducted a training course on “Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in accordance with the Istanbul Protocol”. The event was held from 14 to 16 December 2020.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz) held an online seminar on the outcomes of studying a number of international conventions of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) on 14 December 2020. The event was organized in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, the non-governmental organization “Legal Problems Research Center”, and the Hague Conference on Private International Law.

Summary The SMM recorded 31 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded no ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded eight ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 21 ceasefire violations in the

The importance of promoting youth political participation was the focus of a joint online event ‘Advancing Political Participation of Young People across the OSCE region’, hosted by the 2020 Albanian OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Participants discussed the necessity to better understand the needs and contributions of young people to political and public life across the OSCE region.

A two-day workshop on organized crime, asset confiscation and social re-use, organized jointly by the OSCE and UNODC, took place on 15 and 16 December 2020 for beneficiaries in South-Eastern Europe...

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) organized an online roundtable discussion titled, ‘Mostar: Youth and Elections’, on 16 December 2020 involving representatives of the Youth Council of the City of Mostar, the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections Pod Lupom, and the OSCE Mission’s Youth Advisory Group, as well as other youth organizations.

Co-operation among forensic centres is vital in the fight against transnational and organized crime, particularly in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, was the conclusion of ‘Regional Forensic Days in Danilovgrad’, an online conference organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the national Forensic Centre of the Police Directorate on 16 December 2020.

COPENHAGEN, 16 December 2020 – Taking note of increasing violations of media freedoms in Belarus, the leadership of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee today called on authorities in Minsk to end prosecutions and harassment of media professionals for their journalistic activities...

Summary The SMM recorded no ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous 24 hours, the Mission recorded 34 ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded 21 ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded one ceasefire violation in the region. A

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 increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week...

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, together with the Association of People with Disabilities of Uzbekistan co-hosted an online event to discuss the Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities: Foreign Experience and National Practice on 14 December 2020

Moldovan law enforcement officers strengthened their capacities and knowledge to identify and investigate hate crimes at an OSCE-led training of trainers from 9 to 11 December 2020. The Joint Law Enforcement Training Centre of the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs Academy collaborated with the OSCE Mission to organize the event...

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) released the following statement today.

Summary Between the evenings of 11 and 13 December, the Mission recorded 36 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 13 ceasefire violations in the region. Between the evenings of 11 and 13 December, the SMM recorded nine ceasefire violations in Luhansk

COPENHAGEN, 14 December 2020 – Following the 31 October parliamentary elections and the new convocation of the Parliament of Georgia on 11 December, George Tsereteli stepped down as President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. As the most senior Vice-President of the Assembly, Peter Lord Bowness (United Kingdom) took over as President...

More than 60 lawyers, NGO and media representatives from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River participated in three online webinars on non-discrimination, inter-ethnic relations and national minorities, held in late November and early December 2020. They were organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova and delivered by Professor Frederick John Packer, Director of the Human Rights Research and Education Centre at the University of Ottawa...

The OSCE Presence in Albania and the University of Tirana launched an Executive Master’s Programme in Criminology, the first of its kind in Albania, at an event on 14 December 2020...

Summary The SMM recorded 13 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 284 ceasefire violations in the region. The Mission recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded six ceasefire violations in the

The 2020 Scholarship for Peace and Security training programme, jointly organized by the OSCE and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), held its concluding event on 10 and 11 December 2020...

GENEVA, 11 December 2020- The 51st round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place in the Palais des Nations on 10-11 December 2020., 11 December 2020- The 51st round of the Geneva International Discussions (GID) took place in the Palais des Nations on 10-11 December 2020...