News and press releases

On 4–5 December, the OSCE Presence in Albania, in conjunction with the Albanian School of Magistrates, conducted a specialized training session on human trafficking, with a particular emphasis on child trafficking. The training adopted an interactive mock trial format, providing 15 magistrate

On 6 December, on the margins of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council, the Maltese OSCE Chairpersonship, in collaboration with the incoming Finnish Chairpersonship of the OSCE and the Danish Chair of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), hosted a high-level side event to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a study visit to Albania for eight representatives from various state institutions responsible for preventing and responding to domestic violence. This visit took place from 3 to 6 December 2024, and was facilitated by the OSCE Presence in Albania.

The conference, held on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, was hosted by the Faculty of Law at the "Džemal Bijedić" University in Mostar with support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Science and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission). It served as a vital platform for legal professionals, academics, and policymakers to tackle pressing issues in the effective administration of justice. Through in-depth discussions, participants identified gaps in criminal legislation and its implementation, fostering reform through targeted and evidence-based solutions.

A high-level side event held on 5 December on the margins of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council in Malta focused on the vital role of free and independent media in fostering democracy and security in the OSCE region.

A high-level side-event held on 5 December on the margins of the OSCE Ministerial Council marked 20 years of the OSCE Action Plan for the Promotion of Gender Equality (GAP). Adopted in 2004, the GAP sets a firm political commitment and objectives to advance gender equality across the Organization and in participating States, as an essential prerequisite for peace, security, and sustainable development across the OSCE region.

Titled "Parliaments in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Citizens: The Path to Successful Partnership – Civic Initiative in Parliaments in Bosnia and Herzegovina," the conference brought together over 60 participants, including representatives from BiH parliaments, international organizations, NGOs, the academic community, and guests from the region.

On 5 December, the awarding ceremony for youth start-ups in the Khorezm province was held in Urgench. The event marked the conclusion of the capacity-building programme for youth start-ups in the Khorezm province, co-organized by the OSCE PCUz and IT-Park Uzbekistan and launched in September. The

VALLETTA, 5 December 2024 — “In times of war and multiple crises, the OSCE is needed more than ever as one of the last open channels of communication in Europe,” said OSCE Chair-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta Ian Borg at the opening of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council in Malta today. He reminded the assembled foreign ministers, state secretaries and high-level officials from the 57 OSCE participating States and 11 Partners for Co-operation that the pressing security challenges in the region can only be resolved through diplomacy and political will.

From 2 to 5 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe facilitated a visit for five representatives from the Association of Women’s Councils within the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Tajikistan to Chișinău, Moldova.

VALLETTA, 4 December 2024 — The 2024 OSCE Parallel Civil Society Conference, held today in Malta, underscored the important role of civil society in promoting peace, security and democratic resilience across the OSCE region. Civil society representatives from across the region discussed ongoing challenges and presented actionable recommendations to OSCE leaders and participating States ahead of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council from 5 to 6 December.

On 4 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD) collaborated with the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan to organize the International Scientific and Practical Conference titled "The Prevention of Corruption as a Mechanism for Protecting Human Rights and Ensuring the Efficiency of Governance: Current Status and Prospects."

Today’s joint session of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) parliamentary committees continues the dialogue on institutional responses to domestic and gender-based violence, emphasizing victim-centered services and strategies for managing perpetrators.

From 26 to 28 November, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), in collaboration with the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Montenegrin Police Academy, organized three training courses for police cadets in Danilovgrad.

The second session of the Youth Parliament, hosted by the Parliament of Montenegro and organized by the Youth Network of Montenegro with the support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, was held on 2 December in Podgorica.

Two OSCE-supported surveys on the role of youth organizations in Ukraine in times of war were presented at the Youth Work Forum "United by the Light", held from 28 November to 1 December 2024 in Kyiv. The event, organized in partnership with the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine, gathered around 300 youth representatives from across the country to discuss current challenges and exchange best practices.

From 29 November to 1 December 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (POiD), in collaboration with the Agency of Land Reclamation and Irrigation, successfully held a three-day training focused on developing strategic documents for water governance and management.

WARSAW, 30 November 2024 – The action of law enforcement officials while policing peaceful protests in Georgia is of deep concern and a serious breach of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said today after police used

From 25 to 29 November, the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the French Gendarmerie, the French Ministry of the Interior, and other key institutions, brought participants from the Moldovan General Police Inspectorate, General Inspectorate of the Border Police and the Customs Service to the French Gendarmerie for a study visit focused on canine (K9) capabilities.

On 29 November, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department organized a workshop on cyber incident classification for 14 cyber security policy and technical experts comprising 6 men and 8 women in Chisinau.

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) brought 19 young innovators and start-uppers from the Western Balkans to Graz, Austria from November 27 to 29 to participate in the European Young Innovator’s (EYI) festival.

In November 2024, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Financial Monitoring Agency of Kazakhstan hosted two specialized training sessions on the criminal use of virtual assets and blockchain technology. Organized by the OSCE in collaboration with national agencies, these workshops underscored the importance of mitigating money laundering risks and enhancing investigative capacities in the digital financial realm.

On 29 November 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a one-day training course in Dushanbe titled “Perspectives and Development of Psychological Assistance to Victims of Natural and Technological Disasters,” in collaboration with the Committee for Emergency Situations and Civil Defence of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan.

From 25 to 28 November, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the Border Troops and Customs Committee of Uzbekistan held a national training course for border and customs officers to identify suspected foreign terrorist fighters and other criminals at border crossings.

The 2024 European Parliament elections were genuinely competitive, with fundamental freedoms respected. The elections were run professionally and effectively, and the bodies administering them enjoyed a high level of confidence. Aspects of electoral legislation needing further review related primarily to insufficient efforts to involve under-represented groups to form a fully inclusive parliament, differences in voting and candidacy rights across Member States that created unequal conditions for universal suffrage, disinformation and instances of political violence and threats during the campaign both against politicians and journalists, an absence of provisions allowing both citizen and international observers to access the process, and limited transparency and scope of campaign finance regulations.

From 3 to 5 December, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, organized a targeted training session to support the launch and implementation of a pilot youth crime prevention programme in the Kamza municipality, Albania.

On 6 and 7 November 2024, more than 50 regional stakeholders gathered in Peshkopi to discuss joint approaches to reducing illegal logging in the four protected areas of Korab-Koritnik, Mavrovo, Shar Mountain and Sharri/Šara. The meeting was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania and the think tank adelphi.

BELGRADE, 28 November 2024 – The OSCE Mission to Serbia awarded the 2024 Person of the Year award to Ivana Stevanović, Executive Director of the Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation, Veran Matić, President of Association of Independent Electronic Media and member of the Permanent Working Group for Safety of Journalists, and Nemanja Nenadić, Program Director of Transparency Serbia at a ceremony held in Belgrade today.

On 27 and 28 November 2024, 22 officials from various government institutions in Turkmenistan, including the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Central Bank, the Ministry of Finance, the Financial Monitoring Agency, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, participated in a specialized workshop on preventing and investigating the criminal use of virtual assets and blockchain-based finance. The event took place in Ashgabat and was organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA).

Croatia’s 2024 early parliamentary elections were competitive, offering voters a broad range of political choices. The legal framework generally provided a sound basis for holding democratic elections, and the election administration enjoyed full confidence in managing all stages of the process. While the media landscape is diverse, concerns remain about the concentration of media ownership and the political affiliation of many media outlets, including the public broadcaster, as well as the high volume of pending litigation against journalists.

On 26 and 27 November, the OSCE trained 14 staff from the Moldovan People’s Advocate Office (Ombuds institution) on the effective handling of human rights cases and inquiries into the security sector during a workshop held in Chisinau. The participants explored good practices in processing complaints related to the security sector, conducting investigations and producing reports.

On 28-29 November 2024, the expert roundtable titled “Gender-Sensitive, Child-Friendly, and Trauma-Informed Justice: Best Practices, Challenges, and Needs” was held in Tashkent. The event was organized jointly by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor

On 22 November 2024, 25 government officials from Central Asia gathered in Ashgabat for a Regional Conference on “Critical Infrastructure Protection in Central Asia: Strengthening Resilience, Enhancing Security”. The event was organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in co-operation with the Government of Turkmenistan.

On 25-26 November, 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana (the Office), in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) and the “Union of Crisis Centers of Kazakhstan” organized a regional conference titled “Domestic Violence Counteraction Systems in Central Asia: Correctional Programs for Aggressors” in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

WARSAW, 27 November 2024 – An 18-month joint project to support the integration of migrants and refugees in Poland, which has demonstrated the power of collaboration in addressing one of society’s most pressing challenges, ended today with a closing event to celebrate its achievements.

On 27 November 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized the National Forum of Civil Society Organizations- Gender Movement Activists, titled "United Against Violence," in Dushanbe. This important event brought together 84 gender activists, government representatives, and international organizations to discuss strategies for advancing gender equality and combating violence against women and girls.

The report “ Co-operation in North-west Azerbaijan and Eastern Georgia ”, which tackles joint co-operation in the areas of climate change, landscape fire management and wildfire risk reduction, was officially launched on 19 November during a side event at the 29th United Nations Climate Change

On 27 November, more than 40 representatives from Central Asia, OSCE structures, UN agencies, and civil society organizations gathered for the second meeting of the Central Asia Regional Expert Council (REC) on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returnees. Launched in Tashkent in May 2024 at

On 27 November, over 40 representatives from Central Asia, OSCE executive structures, UN entities and civil society organizations gathered for the Second Meeting of the Central Asia Regional Expert Council (REC) on the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Returnees.

On 27 November 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a half-day roundtable to evaluate the implementation status of the "State Complex Environmental Education Program (2021–2025)." The event attracted around 31 participants, consisting of 7 women and 24 men, including representatives from relevant institutions, Parliament, and civil society.

From 19 to 21 November 2024, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized its second simulation-based training on human trafficking. Over three days, about 50 participants worked through complex trafficking cases involving vulnerable girls and women exploited for sexual purposes and children exploited for criminal activity.

On 25 November, the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking of Human Beings and the Money Laundering Reporting Office of Switzerland (MROS) launched Switzerland’s first dedicated anti-trafficking guide for financial institutions and intermediaries.

Joining the international 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, on 25 November the OSCE Mission to Montenegro launched the 2024 campaign “See for Yourself, You’re Not a Small Boy”. This initiative is supported by the Basketball, Handball, and Water Polo and Swimming sports associations of Montenegro together with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demographics, and the NGO Women’s Safe House.

From 15 to 21 November 2024, the OSCE actively participated in the 29th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

VALLETTA, 25 November 2024- Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of the annual 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, OSCE Chair-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta Ian Borg called on participating States to increase efforts and resources to combat all forms of violence experienced by women and girls, including online violence.

24 November: OSCE flagship event: “Violence against young women and girls: sexual harassment, stalking and controlling behaviour”   Time and location: 12:00- 14:30, Laboratorium, Skopje This event aims to identify and address the practical challenges in preventing and prosecuting violence against

Between 21 and 22 November and 25 and 26 November 2024, the OSCE PCUz, in close collaboration with the Law Enforcement Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, is conducting training events on the topic of improving the efficiency of prosecutorial control over the investigation of human-trafficking

On 22 November 2024, thirteen officers of the Tajik Border Troops, including eleven men and two women, completed a comprehensive three-week Training of Trainers (ToT) course, marking another significant step in the OSCE's commitment to enhancing border security education in Tajikistan.

Representatives of more than 30 international election observation organizations from around the world, which have committed to upholding the highest methodological standards and ethical practices, concluded a three-day meeting today in Gdansk, Poland, hosted by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

From 18 to 21 November 2024, the OSCE Presence in Albania organized a series of joint training sessions aimed at strengthening the capacity of prosecutors, police officers and environmental inspectors in tackling environmental crimes. The training, attended by 52 participants from Shkodra, Lezha, Kukës, Berat, Korça and Elbasan, focused on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting environmental offenses.