Publications

The OSCE Office in Baku developed this report based on the findings collected by the trial monitoring team over the period from July until December 2013. The team assessed and analysed the collected data based on the applicable national legislation and international standards. The monitoring activities were carried out in line with the trial monitoring methodology developed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

This publication was prepared as part of the Organization for Security and Co-operation’s (OSCE) Gender Issues Programme project “WIN for Women and Men: Strengthening Comprehensive Security through Innovating and Networking for Gender Equality”, in co-operation with the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This mapping is based on a combination of a desk review and interviews with key stakeholders in each of the five countries in Central Asia. The results of the mapping are presented first as regional trends and tendencies, followed by findings per country. Programs aimed at changing the violent behaviour of perpetrators are important elements in preventing gender-based violence and ending impunity. The aim of this document is to look into existing programs and trends and offer set of recommendations for further engagement in Central Asia.

This report is based on the outcomes of an International Election Standards Programme, which the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) launched in 1998, with the purpose of outlining best practices in resolving election disputes.

In 2017, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina began systematically monitoring and assessing the prosecution and adjudication of corruption and organized crime in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Based on this monitoring, the Mission determined that the failure by judicial institutions to repress corruption and organized crime effectively has led to a state of de facto impunity. This remains one of the most salient and pressing issues affecting BiH, as corruption and organized crime threaten long-term stability and prosperity in BiH and the broader region.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mission) monitors and reports on domestic war crimes proceedings to provide an objective and accurate assessment of the capacity and willingness of the judicial system to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate war crimes in an effective, human rights compliant and expedient manner. In addition, the Mission has begun increasing its focus on transitional justice as an essential complement to judicial proceedings. Related Mission programming includes capacity-building, promoting transparency, targeted advocacy and technical support.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina monitors and reports on hate crimes and bias-motivated incidents, advocates for the effective application of legal provisions on hate crimes, raises awareness amongst institutions and the public and builds the capacity of domestic institutions to prevent and process such cases.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina demonstrates its clear commitment to combating trafficking in human beings (CTHB) by strengthening domestic authorities’ capacity to counter this heinous practice. The Mission’s CTHB efforts draw on its comprehensive trial monitoring programme, which covers all criminal cases related to human trafficking adjudicated by the judiciary across Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The data gathered through this monitoring, combined with long-standing relationships with key counterparts, informs the Mission’s work to enhance the applicable legislative and policy frameworks as well as the capacity of judicial officials, and judicial and other relevant stakeholders.

The Guide for Municipal Officials on Personal Data Protection and Access to Public Documents is intended for municipal officials who manage access to public documents and the protection and processing of personal data. In 2024, the OSCE and the Information and Privacy Agency in Kosovo launched an initiative to enhance the capacities of these officials through a series of regional workshops. These efforts culminated in the creation of this publication.

Education is crucial for the development of sustainable peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), as it contributes to shaping the views and attitudes of young people. Despite changes over the past two decades, the teaching process remains based on outdated curricula and teaching materials. Combined with a heavy ethnic, religious, and gender bias, this means that schools often fail to equip students with the competencies they need for life in a dynamically changing and diverse society. Current education practices hinder reconciliation and jeopardize long-term stability, because they do not foster competencies, such as critical thinking, multiperspectivity, inclusivity, and respect of diversity, innovation and collaboration among the young generations.

This strategy presents a set of ideas for regional co-operation to jointly address climate-related security risks in Central Asia’s high mountain areas. It is an output of the extra-budgetary project “Strengthening responses to security risks from climate change in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia”, implemented by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in partnership with the Berlin-based think-tank adelphi.