Publications

The Commentary to the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (PC.DEC/557), the 2005 Addendum Addressing Special Needs of Child Victims of Trafficking for Protection and Assistance (PC.DEC/557/Rev.1) and the 2013 Addendum to the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings: One Decade Later (PC.DEC/1107/Corr.11) is designed to clarify the most challenging issues addressed by the OSCE anti-trafficking commitments and recommendations and to continue to help in the Action Plan’s implementation by all stakeholders. The Commentary has the goal to provide technical assistance to the participating States, in line with the SR/CTHB’s mandate. It also is to serve as a useful, and much needed, reminder of the so-called “agreed OSCE language”, language that clearly demonstrates basic human rights principles and internationally agreed human rights norms and terminology.

The OSCE Annual Report provides an overview of the Organization's activities in its field operations and institutions, and co-operation with other organizations.

This report is an output of the conference “Working With Youth and For Youth: Protection Against Radicalization”, organized by the Serbia's OSCE Chairmanship together with its Special Representatives on Youth and Security, from 03-04 September in Belgrade, Serbia. The conference aimed to provide a platform for discussion among young people, academia, participating States and civil society looking for a better understanding of the violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism, as well as to offer recommendations in approaching this phenomenon.

The new edition of the Safety of journalists Guidebook chronicles events undertaken by international organizations, governments and nongovernmental organizations to create a safer environment for members of the media since the original Guidebook was published in 2011. It is available in English and in Russian.

This second issue of the Office in Yerevan Newsletter covers its activities in the second half of 2010.

The publication “The State of Media Freedom in Armenia 2013: Core problems and challenges” summarizes the main challenges facing reporters and news outlets in Armenia in 2013, such as physical violence, pressure tactics and legal suits filed against them. Other challenges to the development of the media sector in Armenia have also been looked at – unhealthy competition, a shrinking print media due to technological advances, a lack of professionalism, etc. It is intended for reporters, attorneys, professionals dealing with freedom of speech/media issues, students of journalism, and the general reading public. The book was prepared by the Investigative Journalists NGO with the support from the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Based on the assumption that natural disasters can have different effects on men and women, the OSCE Mission to Serbia supported the development of a publication on the impact of May 2014 flooding in Serbia from a gender perspective. The research was conducted in order to identify and document gender-specific differences regarding flood risk, inform the public, formulate a set of recommendations and offer them to responsible authorities to improve gender sensitive planning in emergency management. Results of the research show that the most vulnerable groups during natural disasters are the elderly, people with disabilities, single mothers and women who live alone in their households. Illiterate residents (mostly women and Roma) are also among the vulnerable categories. The research also reveals that the basis of community vulnerability in emergency situations lies in an undeveloped systemic approach to dissemination of information during natural disasters and lack of community training on practices of effective reactions during floods. The publication is available in both Serbian and English.

An analysis of criminal proceedings before the courts of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Brčko District BiH between 2004 and 2014

The publication contains an in-depth overview of the relationship between the OSCE and its Mediterranean Partners featuring significant historical documents, a table of current and past projects with the Mediterranean Partners, and a compilation of key findings originating from relevant OSCE events that have taken place since the Vilnius Ministerial Council in 2011. Moreover, attention is given to the role of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in fostering OSCE-Mediterranean dialogue. Chapter VII is dedicated to the New-Med Track II Network with academics and think tanks in the Mediterranean region. This is followed by, a selection of OSCE publications of interest to the Mediterranean Partners. The publication concludes with comments on the Helsinki+40 Process insofar as it affects the Mediterranean Partnership.

This analysis of the practical application of pretrial detention, as well as of the theoretical legal framework laid down in the Criminal Procedure Code1 of 2010 (hereinafter referred to as CPC 2010), which introduced conceptual reforms of national criminal procedure legislation, introducing elements typical of accusatorial systems, is the result of the cooperation between the Macedonian Association of Criminal Law and Criminology and the OSCE Mission to Skopje Rule of Law Department. The information in the analysis refer to the first nine months of enforcement of the CPC 2010, namely to the period between 1 December 2013 and 31 August 2014, and to four basic courts (Bitola, Gostivar, Skopje and Shtip). The publication is in English, Macedonian and Albanian languages.