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The Opinion raises key issues and provides indications of areas of concern. In the interest of conciseness, it focuses more on areas that require amendments or improvements than on the positive aspects of the Draft Amendments. The ensuing recommendations are based on international standards, norms and practices as well as relevant OSCE human dimension commitments.

Forty-Fifth Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Financial Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2019 and the Report of the External Auditor. Annual Report of the Audit Committee. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1373 on the Financial Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2019 and the Report of the External Auditor. The Permanent Council adopted Decision No. 1374 on the extension of the OSCE Information Security Enhancement Fund. Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and illegal occupation of Crimea. Situation in Ukraine and the need to implement the Minsk agreements. Violations of human rights in the Baltic States. Persistent violation of the linguistic and educational rights of national minorities and other ethnic communities in Ukraine. Violence against the diplomatic missions of Azerbaijan in France, Sweden, Poland, the United States of America, the Netherlands and Belgium, and the need to implement obligations under international law and OSCE commitments (Azerbaijan, Annex 1). Promotion of hate crimes by Azerbaijan in the OSCE participating States (Armenia, Annex 2). Turkey’s aggressive policy and military posturing as a destabilizing factor in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Annex 3; Turkey, Annex 4; Azerbaijan, Annex 5). Human dimension violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Passing of human rights defender Mr. Azimjan Askarov. World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, observed on 30 July 2020. Farewell to the Permanent Representative of Latvia to the OSCE, Ambassador J. Zlamets. Farewell to the Permanent Representative of Canada to the OSCE, Ambassador N. Cayer.

1277th Plenary Meeting of the Permanent Council

1277th Plenary Meeting of the Permanent Council

The COVID-19 pandemic created new risks and challenges to victims of trafficking (VoTs) and survivors of trafficking, as well as having exacerbated the vulnerabilities of at-risk groups to trafficking. To analyze emerging trafficking in human beings (THB) trends and dynamics and to develop a response based on empirical data to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, ODIHR and UN Women conducted a global survey of (1) survivors of trafficking and (2) frontline stakeholders. Based on the survey findings and empirical data collected, a set of policy recommendations were developed.

Online side-events Programme of the 20th Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons: "Ending Impunity. Delivering justice through prosecuting trafficking in human beings" 20-22 July 2020 Hofburg (Vienna, Austria) and via teleconference (upon registration)

Address by the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Heidi Grau. Report by the Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Ambassador Yaşar Halit Çevik. Racism and police violence in the United States of America. Recent sentencing of human rights defenders in Turkey. Twenty-fifth anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Extension of the appointments of the Secretary General and of three heads of institution (Azerbaijan, Annex). Parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan, to be held on 4 October 2020. The United Kingdom’s Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020.

Report by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Mr. Harlem Désir. Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and illegal occupation of Crimea. Situation in Ukraine and the need to implement the Minsk agreements. International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Neo-Nazism in the Czech Republic. The death penalty in the United States of America. Recent developments in Belarus in the context of the upcoming presidential elections. Trial of journalist Ms. Svetlana Prokopyeva in the Russian Federation. Constitutional plebiscite in the Russian Federation. Parliamentary elections in Montenegro, to be held on 30 August 2020. Release of the 2020 Trafficking in Persons Report by the United States Department of State. Parliamentary elections in Mongolia, held on 24 June 2020. Joint proposal for a draft declaration on solidarity and co-operation in the face of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

1273rd Plenary Meeting of the Permanent Council