News and press releases

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan organized a three-day online seminar to train Kazakh-speaking journalists on using data management tools in their work on 28-30 October 2020...

On 29 October, at about 12:15, at a checkpoint near Olenivka (non-government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk), members of the armed formations delayed the passage of an SMM patrol, comprising four vehicles and seven members, travelling from Donetsk city towards government-controlled areas,

Summary The SMM recorded one ceasefire violation in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded two ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. A man died due to the detonation of a hand grenade in Sievierodonetsk, Luhansk region.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) organized a specialized IT and Cybersecurity Fair on 29 October 2020 focused on the security and vulnerabilities of ICT systems, and aimed at providing a platform for networking between representatives of the private and public sectors. The Fair, which was held online, gathered relevant experts from government institutions, the private sector, educational institutions, and youth...

On 29 October at 06:20 (Moscow time), the ninety-seventh 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 13:23 on 29 October...

KYIV, 28 October 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:

Summary The SMM recorded two ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and again none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 23 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska,

VIENNA, 28 October 2020 – OSCE participating States must do more to systematically implement their gender equality commitments across the politico-military, economic and environmental, and human dimensions of security, said participants of the third OSCE Gender Equality Review Conference, which closed today.

The current global health crisis and associated challenges for border agencies, as well as transnational threats triggered by the pandemic, were the focus of the two-day Annual Meeting of the OSCE Border Security and Management National Focal Points Network, which concluded on 28 October 2020.

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan organized a webinar on 28 October 2020 for young people and members of the general public on career planning and employment opportunities in Kazakhstan...

The Strategic Police Matters Unit of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (SPMU), in co operation with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, organized a workshop on law enforcement agencies’ response to COVID-19 in Uzbekistan and international best practices on 28 October 2020, for representatives of the country’s law enforcement agencies...

The impact of emergencies on violence against women and the need for gender-sensitive crisis responses were in focus at a special event organized on the margins of the third OSCE Gender Equality Review Conference on 27 October 2020.

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

Summary The SMM recorded 23 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded seven ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and ten in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and

COPENHAGEN, 27 October 2020 – In a discussion today with the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum Notis Mitarachi, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Ad Hoc Committee on Migration members heard about the situation following the fires which destroyed the Moria Reception and Identification Centre in early September. Minister Mitarachi also provided an update on the handling of the coronavirus outbreak in the context of migration as well as plans for future reception and accommodation of asylum seekers...

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan supported a series of online discussions as part of the “Newcomer Fest on Human Rights”, which was launched on 27 October 2020. The Fest will see a number of awareness-raising and learning activities held for local community representatives on the importance of human rights and their protection.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan organized a training course for judges from 22 to 24 October 2020 on best practices and challenges in the field of countering gender-based violence, and State and judicial responses to combating domestic violence and human trafficking amid the COVID-19 pandemic...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe launched the second round of the Sustained Field Operation Course for representatives of Tajikistan’s Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence on 26 October 2020. The four-week course aims at improving the rescuers’ skills and capacities to help prepare them for conducting complex rescue operations in difficult field conditions across the country...

Summary Between the evenings of 23 and 25 October, the SMM recorded 38 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded no ceasefire violations in the region. Between the evenings of 23 and 25 October, the Mission recorded ten ceasefire violations in Luhansk

KYIV, 26 October 2020 – Ukraine’s local elections were conducted under a substantially revised legal framework which, despite some improvements, requires further refinement to address remaining shortcomings, international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said in a statement today. The Central Election Commission administered the elections professionally and efficiently, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the work of territorial commissions was often politicized, and was negatively affected by frequent replacements of their members.

Washington D.C., 25 October, 2020- 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 The SMM recorded no ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 45 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and

Summary The SMM recorded 45 ceasefire violations, all explosions, in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 49 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The Mission followed up on reports of a boy killed by an explosive

A three-day online training course for over 70 practitioners from the five Central Asian states on the effective investigation of crimes committed in cyberspace and with the use of digital technologies concluded on 23 October 2020. The event was organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department jointly with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism- UN Centre for Counter-Terrorism (UNCCT- UNOCT), and the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia (UNRCCA) with the support of the OSCE field operations in Central Asia...

COPENHAGEN, 22 October 2020 – Exiled Belarusian opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s International Secretariat today and met with OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella. The visit was on the margins of a broader programme of meetings in the Danish capital and served as an opportunity to follow up on a web dialogue hosted by the PA on 23 September 2020 with OSCE PA Bureau members, Tsikhanouskaya, and Belarusian Head of Delegation Andrei Savinykh...

A training course on the concepts and techniques of crime analysis for the Albanian State Police, organized by the OSCE Presence in Albania, was held from 20 to 23 October 2020 in Tirana...

Summary The SMM recorded 49 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded three ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in co-operation with the civil society organization (CSO) "Zašto ne?" Sarajevo launched a new web platform, www.glasometar.ba, on 22 October 2020, to support the development of a Voting Advice Application (VAA) in Brčko District. The VAA is designed to help voters make informed decisions in the run-up to, and during elections...

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan in co-operation with the Supreme Court, the NGO Legal Media Centre, Internews Kazakhstan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) organized an online seminar on the protection of freedom of expression and the judicial regulation of defamation on 22 October 2020. Fifty-eight judges of the Supreme Court and the city courts of Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent and regions (oblasts) throughout the country participated in the seminar...

VIENNA, 22 October 2020 – The Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) launched today a report on the handling of the media during public assemblies. The report elaborates on the role of both law enforcement agencies and journalists during such public events, and offers observations and recommendations in order for the media to be able to provide coverage without undue hindrance...

Summary The SMM recorded three ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 19 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote

VIENNA, 21 October 2020- The OSCE’s vital role in the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda was the focus of the high-level event “OSCE enhancing the UN Security Council Resolution 1325: Gender equality for a more peaceful world”.

The Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN), which is being supported by the OSCE through an extra-budgetary project, organized online workshops on the management of movable assets seized from criminals, particularly confiscated vehicles, from 6 to 16 October 2020. More than 50 members of the judiciary and law enforcement representatives from some 14 full member, associate and observer jurisdictions of BAMIN as well as participants from Georgia, Greece, Italy and the Netherlands participated in the workshops. The workshops were conducted over an online platform and involved participant engagement in different cases studies...

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized a number of activities to provide support in modernizing journalism education and promoting freedom of expression. The events included an online course on freedom of expression for journalism students and online presentation of a model module on freedom of expression for journalism faculties designed by OSCE experts.

Summary The SMM recorded 19 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 18 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and

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

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) supports the Press Council’s “STOP! Hate Speech” campaign launched on 16 October 2020. The aim of this campaign is to identify and respond to hate speech in online commentary during the 2020 local election campaign...

Summary Between the evenings of 16 and 18 October, the SMM recorded 22 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded nine ceasefire violations in the region. Between the evenings of 16 and 18 October, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), in co-operation with the Public Foundation for Support and Development of National Mass Media, is organizing a training course from 19 to 22 October 2020 to enhance the skills of media trainers and other media representatives in Uzbekistan...

Summary The SMM recorded nine ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and one in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 60 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and three in Luhansk region. Three men were injured due to the explosion of a device while fighting a wildfire near

Summary The SMM recorded 60 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and three in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded one ceasefire violation in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska,

COPENHAGEN, 16 October 2020 – Leaders of the Parliamentary Assembly took part today in a timely event organized by the OSCE to mark the 30th anniversary of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, which was adopted at a summit meeting in November 1990. Declaring that “the era of confrontation and division of Europe has ended,” the Charter envisioned “a new era of democracy, peace and unity,” and provided for the institutionalization of the OSCE...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (OSCE POiD) organized a virtual meeting with representatives of Tajikistan’s civil society organizations on 16 October to highlight their recent major achievements and identify priorities for co-operation in 2021. The meeting with Tajik NGOs followed the Partnership Platform meeting between the OSCE POiD and the Government of Tajikistan to outline strategic co-operation for 2021 held online on 15 October.

PRAGUE / VIENNA, 16 October 2020 – Ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, opening speakers of an online OSCE Security Days event commemorating this historic document called on States to revive the spirit of the 1990 Paris Summit in overcoming today’s challenges, distrust and heightened tensions in European security...

The OSCE Mission to Moldova organized an online public lecture for university students from across Moldova about the human rights challenges that have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100 students from universities in Balti, Cahul, Chisinau, Comrat, Taraclia and Tiraspol attended the public lecture...

The Strategic Police Matters Unit of the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department (SPMU), in co-operation with local field operations, organized a regional training workshop on intelligence-led policing (ILP) on 15 and 16 October 2020 for senior representatives of Kazakh, Tajik, Turkmen and Uzbek law enforcement agencies...

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe started a capacity-building training course on Explosive Ordnance Disposal for 16 mid-to-senior ranking officers of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), Border Troops, the National Mine Action Centre, Norwegian Peoples Aid and the Union of Sappers of Tajikistan on 13 October 2020 in Dushanbe...

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) commends the Brčko District Assembly on its adoption on 14 October 2020 of Laws on Associations and Foundations, and on the Rights of National Minorities...

Students and teachers of the Turkmen State Energy Institute in Mary participated in an OSCE-organized webinar on net energy consumption as a new ecological and energy-saving system. The online event took place from 14 to 17 October 2020.

From 1 to 15 October 2020, political parties, coalitions, and independent candidates participating in the 2020 local elections signed an election pledge in 25 local communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). With the support of the OSCE Mission to BiH, the election pledge was developed by representatives of the municipal/city election commissions, municipal/city administration and civil society organizations...