News and press releases

An OSCE-supported half-day training webinar on prosecution for money laundering and best practices in forensic investigation concluded on 7 September 2020 in Nur-Sultan...

VIENNA/PRAGUE, 7 September 2020 – Preventing and combating corruption through innovation, increased transparency and digitalization while promoting security, stability and economic growth in the OSCE region will be the focus of the first ever “blended” Concluding Meeting of the 28th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, which opens on Thursday, 10 September 2020, in Prague...

BISHKEK, 7 September 2020 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened a limited election observation mission (LEOM) for the 4 October parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan, following an invitation from the national authorities.

Summary The SMM recorded 12 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded five ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and 23 in Luhansk region. A woman was injured by the explosion of an object in Sloviansk, Donetsk region.

Summary The SMM recorded five ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and 23 in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded 13 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and two in Luhansk region. Small-arms fire was directed at an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) near Dovhe,

Ceremonies to inaugurate offices for Public Councils devoted to promoting community policing and to open a third Model Police station took place on 31 August in Dushanbe and on 1 September 2020 in the district of Varzob, respectively.

GENEVA, 4 September 2020- We, the Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions (GID), reiterate our call for co-operation and dialogue, especially across conflict lines, during this global pandemic.

Summary The SMM recorded 13 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and two in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and 63 in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska,

VIENNA, 3 September 2020 – The OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Valiant Richey, wrapped up a series of two-day online consultations with high-level officials of Finland today. He concluded that the Finnish Government is demonstrating strong political initiative to combat trafficking but needs to increase its efforts to counter impunity and identify victims, particularly children and those exploited online.

Twenty-five participants from Uzbekistan participated in a Model OSCE conference from 2 to 4 September 2020. Participants were graduates or current students from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) in Tashkent.

The OSCE Presence in Albania launched a project aimed at strengthening the capacities and increasing transparency and accountability of the public procurement system in Albania, on 1 September 2020...

Some 35 participants from government bodies, academia, civil society and media-related NGOs participated in an online discussion on access to information in Kazakhstan. The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan and the NGO Legal Media Centre jointly organized the event, held on 2 September.

KYIV, 2 September 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 no ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and 63 in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded one ceasefire violation in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska,

The OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities launched an online preparatory training course for certification as a Fraud Examiner and Anti-Money Laundering Specialist on 2 September 2020...

Membership in the World Trade Organization as a balance of rights and obligations is the topic of an OSCE-organized online seminar that opened on 2 September 2020 in Ashgabat...

Summary The SMM recorded one ceasefire violation in Donetsk region (compared with none in the previous 24 hours) and none in Luhansk region (compared with 60 in the previous 24 hours). The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. During evening

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.

Summary Between the evenings of 28 and 29 August, the SMM recorded 42 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region (in the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded one ceasefire violation). Between the evenings of 29 and 30 August, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations in the region.

PODGORICA, 31 August 2020 – While Montenegro’s parliamentary elections were managed transparently and efficiently, the widespread abuse of office and state resources gave the ruling party an undue advantage against the backdrop of an intensely polarized debate over issues of church and national identity, international observers to the parliamentary elections said in a statement today...

Summary The SMM recorded one ceasefire violation 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 Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska,

Summary The SMM recorded three ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded ten ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. The Mission followed up on reports of a man who died from the explosion of

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan held an online event to mark 45 years since the signing of the Helsinki Final Act and the creation of what is now the OSCE on 28 August 2020.

A three-day training seminar on countering cybercrime concluded on 28 August 2020 in Nur-Sultan. The event was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan in co-operation with the Strategic Police Matters Unit and the support from the Action against Terrorism Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s office/Hub to Counter Global Threats...

VIENNA, 28 August 2020 – “To move forward will require mutual understanding and co-operation,” said OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Edi Rama, addressing the OSCE Permanent Council’s special meeting today in Vienna on the situation in Belarus following the Presidential election on 9 August 2020...

Summary The SMM recorded ten ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded ten ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and one in Luhansk region. The Mission lost spatial control of one of its mini-unmanned aerial vehicles,

On 27 August at 06:23 (Moscow time), the ninety-sixth Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of six vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All six vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 11:19 on 27 August...

An OSCE-supported half-day training webinar on the role of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) in investigating suspicious transactions concluded in Nur-Sultan on 27 August 2020.

As Ukraine prepares for local elections scheduled for 25 October this year, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator started to upload materials on the online system Vyborkom to provide training opportunities for people administering electoral process at various levels...

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

VIENNA, 26 August 2020 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Edi Rama, will address a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council on the situation in Belarus, on 28 August, at 10:00, at the Hofburg, Vienna...

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.

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.

Summary The SMM recorded six ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region. In the previous 24 hours, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and one in Luhansk region. The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote

An OSCE-supported six-day online training seminar on electoral rights of persons with disabilities started on 24 August 2020. The event aims to help participants build their capacity to draw up an individual plan on running for elected office.

Summary Between the evenings of 21 and 22 August, the SMM recorded 60 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region (in the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations). Between the evenings of 22 and 23 August, the Mission recorded no ceasefire violations in the region.

Summary The SMM recorded no ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions (in the previous reporting period, it recorded 153 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region). The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and

Summary The SMM recorded 153 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region (compared with one in the previous reporting period) and none in Luhansk region (compared with one in the previous reporting period). The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and

The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has approved new requirements for a Master’s degree programme in law, developed with the assistance of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. The order issued by the Ministry, on 17 August 2020, (link) enacts the use of the Standard of Higher Education for speciality no. 081 “Law” at Master’s degree level, making it applicable starting from the 2020/2021 academic year...

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) concluded a series of online courses on reporting on terrorism, preventing terrorism and countering violent extremism that lead to terrorism (P/C VERLT) on 21 August 2020. The series was developed for representatives of electronic and print media in BiH...

An OSCE-supported online seminar on protecting the private life and personal data was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan on 20 August 2020 in Nur-Sultan...

More than 100 representatives of the Bishkek city's law enforcement agencies took part in the OSCE-supported three-week online training course on 17 August 2020 in Bishkek. The course focused on how to prepare and ensure safety and lawfulness during the upcoming 4 October parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan...

WARSAW, 21 August 2020 – On the eve of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) calls for better use to be made of the advantages that digital technologies can offer, as well as a greater emphasis on countering hatred online...

Summary The SMM recorded one ceasefire violation in Donetsk region (compared with two in the previous reporting period) and one in Luhansk region (compared with none in the previous reporting period). The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina supported the Brcko District Government in developing an online register of public employees and appointees...

KYIV, 20 August 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 (compared with none in the previous reporting period) and none in Luhansk region (compared with three in the previous reporting period). The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and

KYIV, 19 August 2020 – The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine refutes recent media reports falsely alleging that an SMM monitoring officer has tested positive for COVID-19...

WARSAW, 19 August 2020 – Following the large-scale arrests of peaceful protestors in Belarus together with disturbing reports of violent physical abuse, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) calls for the immediate release of all those who have been unlawfully detained and a prompt and impartial investigation into alleged human rights abuses...

COPENHAGEN, 19 August 2020 – In the first OSCE PA election observation activity since the coronavirus outbreak last spring, a limited number of OSCE parliamentarians will deploy to Montenegro for the 30 August parliamentary elections. OSCE PA Vice-President Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) has been nominated to be the Special Co-ordinator of the Special Limited Election Observation Mission (SLEOM), which will include some 12 observers. The PA observers will work closely with the Limited Election Observation Mission deployed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights...