Publications

The overview of 28 small-scale civil society organisations (CSO) projects supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia in the 2010–2015 period explains what activities of CSOs in Serbia influence security policies at the national and local level, and what the contributions of CSOs are to security sector reform.

The publication “Evidence & Objections” provides domestic and international best practices to familiarize experienced lawyers trained in the civil law system with the fundamental principles of the law on evidence and evidentiary objections. Available in English and Macedonian, it is supported by an on-line video course which can be accessed on an e-learning platform of the regional bar associations at www.brrln.org. This publication is printed and distributed by the OSCE Mission to Skopje in its continuous efforts to promote the rule of law in the country and to facilitate the concept of continuous learning for the parties involved in the criminal procedure.

Prosecuting Hate Crimes: A Practical Guide was written in cooperation with the International Association of Prosecutors to improve the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes across the OSCE region. The guide is relevant to different legal systems and legislative frameworks and complements ODIHR’s Prosecutors and Hate Crime Training (PAHCT). This guide aims to explain the impact of hate crimes by highlighting their specific features compared with other crimes. It presents the most common issues that arise for prosecutors in dealing with these crimes, with an emphasis on evidence of bias motivation, which is the distinguishing factor in hate crimes.

On 23 October 2015 in Astana, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana jointly with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies held an international conference entitled “Accomplishments and Challenges for the OSCE on the Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act (1975) and the Astana Summit (2010)”. This compendium, which includes presentations given at the conference by both Kazakhstan’s and foreign participants, explores a broad range of topics related to the OSCE’s main areas of focus, as well as current international security and regional co-operation issues. The edition will be of interest to political scientists, international relations experts, civil servants, scholars, educators, university-level students, and broad sections of the public interested in the contemporary development of the OSCE.

The aim of the Comparative Study is to assist the Agency for Electronic Media in improving the legal framework by producing a comparative analysis of the legal frameworks in seven OSCE and Western Balkan region countries related to the political advertising and media campaign during the pre-election period.

The present publication builds on the Guidelines to Assist National Minority Participation in the Electoral Process by including new material on the development of international standards and good practice in the field of promoting the participation of national minorities in electoral processes.

The publication is comprised of domestic, comparative and international standards. It is further substantiated by an on-line course based on real life scenarios targeting specific ethical dilemmas from attorney’s perspective, which can be accessed on the e-learning platform of the regional bar associations: www.brrln.org. It is available in English and Macedonian.

In this issue: Not Business as Usual; Ministerial Council in Basel; Meet the Chairperson-in-Office; Waging Peace with Water; For a Plurilogue in Ukraine.

Having analysed the media coverage of the floods that affected Serbia in 2014, the booklet sought to shed light on new aspects of media reporting and to draw attention to the topics that should be the focus of media attention. At the same time, through examples seen in other countries that have been dealing with the issue of gender-sensitive reporting for several years, the publication offers recommendations and advice that could be useful in the reporting of future natural disasters and emergency situations. To that end, problems faced by journalists and the media when reporting of an emergency situation, is highlighted. Through concrete examples of good practice, this booklet offers suggestions for the improvement of communication between relevant authorities and the media, which may result in a higher quality of information disseminated to citizens.

This handbook supports OSCE participating States in better protecting critical electrical energy infrastructure from natural hazards. By providing risk management options, tools and case studies, it is designed as a guide for policy-makers, state authorities, transmission networks operators and