Publications

The Informative Brochure for Young Voters presents the content of Manual for Young Voters, prepared by the State Election Commission (SEC) of the Republic of North Macedonia and the OSCE Mission to Skopje, in an easy-to-read format. It aims to present the information related to the political and electoral participation of youth in the country, why elections and voting are important for young women and men, the significance of inclusive elections and instructions for the voting process in format accessible to the people with learning disabilities. Not available in English.

The Manual, prepared by the State Election Commission (SEC) and the OSCE Mission to Skopje, aims to encourage political and electoral participation of youth in the country. It explains the models and bodies for youth political participation; why elections and voting are important for young women and men and the significance of inclusive elections. The publication also provides step-by-step instructions for the voting process. The Manual was initially published in 2020. This is second edition amended in accordance with the most recent changes of the Electoral Code. Not available in English.

This newsletter provides a brief overview of efforts of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine to support ongoing reforms, promote dialogue and help the country meet crisis-related challenges. It provides a summary of our communications via Facebook page and this website for the indicated period.

The Manual provides a theoretical overview of the international commitments of North Macedonia related to gender equality, drafting gender sensitive legislation and parliamentary oversight of gender equality. It provides practical examples on best practices from the country and parliaments worldwide on mainstreaming gender in parliamentary operations. The publication is prepared by the OSCE Mission in co-operation with parliamentary staff to support MPs in their work aimed at promoting and advancing gender equality.

An essential part of election processes are election campaigns, in which candidates compete for voter support. During election campaigns political actors energize society, invigorate and mobilize the electorate, but at the same time these are periods when fundamental freedoms are put to the test. Election campaigns provide an opportunity for all election stakeholders, including the authorities, political parties and voters, to demonstrate respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights.

The Master of Sciences in “Transitional Justice” program at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Tirana is established to consolidate the conduct of research and teaching in the field of transitional justice in Albania. Through a comprehensive and integrated curriculum, the Master’s Programme will address those dimensions that are critical for understanding transitional justice in Albania, with specific reference to the social, political, institutional and legal context in which the transition from the communist past took place to the main actors and to what extent justice has been/can be achieved. The programme will draw lessons from comparisons with other societies transitioning from war-to-peace or authoritarianism-to-democracy.

Intolerance and discrimination have affected Roma and Sinti communities for centuries, and continue to be a concern in the OSCE region, including harmful discourse and stereotyping. Too often, this intolerance can morph into anti-Roma hate crimes, ranging from anti-Roma graffiti to racially-motivated violence. Hate crime has a significant, long-lasting impact on victims, perpetuates inequality, and undermines security and social cohesion. Anti- Roma hate crimes send a message of exclusion not only to Roma and Sinti victims and their communities, but society as a whole. Everyone has a role to play in addressing anti-Roma hate crimes and all forms of intolerance and discrimination. This factsheet highlights the impact of anti-Roma hate crime and provides guidance on identifying such crimes.

Online social networking sites have moved election campaigns into a new era of communication, in which voters have wider channels to express their opinions. While social networking sites provide space for voters to enhance their direct participation in campaigns and enable electoral contestants to better mobilize support, the use of social networks, especially during election campaigns, carries a wide array of challenges.

Annex VI of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina envisages the role of the OSCE in monitoring the human rights situation in the country. This provision has served as the basis of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina's (the Mission's) human rights monitoring over the past 25 years.

The report provides insight into the legal and policy frameworks, as well as the establishment, functioning and composition of municipal mechanisms tasked with protecting and promoting the rights and interests of non-majority communities in Kosovo. The report observes that these mechanisms, the communities committee (CC), municipal office for communities and returns (MOCR), deputy mayor for communities (DMC), and deputy chairperson of the municipal assembly for communities (DCMAC), have demonstrated that they can be important advocates for the municipalities where they are operational and have produced clear substantive outputs with benefits to the communities they serve. This report therefore serves as an update to assess the development of these mechanisms since 2014 and provides a set of recommendations for improving the compliance and performance of these mechanisms in promoting and protecting communities’ rights in Kosovo.