News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
COVID-19’s economic impact will be profound, and so too should be our response
Publishing date: 21 April 2020
Op-ed by Dr. Elona Gjebrea Hoxha (MP, Albania): Only time will tell what the greatest impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will be, whether its effects on public health or on the economy are the most significant in the long run, but with unemployment rates soaring and many businesses closing, it is clear that the economic impacts will be profound to say the least...
Parliaments vital for strong democracies in times of crisis, OSCE human rights and parliamentary heads say
Publishing date: 21 April 2020
Warsaw/Copenhagen, 21 April 2020 – A strong role for parliaments is crucial to the transparency and accountability of government measures as the COVID-19 pandemic puts our democracies to the test, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) said in a statement today...
OSCE PA launches COVID-19 response web page, prepares first webinar
Publishing date: 20 April 2020
COPENHAGEN, 20 April 2020 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly published today a new web page covering the Assembly’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic...
Joint Statement on the Role of Parliaments in a Time of Pandemic
Publishing date: 16 April 2020
COPENHAGEN / STRASBOURG / BRUSSELS, 16 April 2020 – The Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE PA) issued the following joint statement:
OSCE parliamentarians endorse UN SG’s global ceasefire call, discuss European response to COVID-19 pandemic and plan PA activities
Publishing date: 9 April 2020
COPENHAGEN, 9 April 2020 – The leadership of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on Wednesday agreed to endorse a call by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a worldwide ceasefire, emphasizing that a number of conflicts continue to rage in the OSCE area even as countries struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
Data can help save lives, but must be managed with great caution, say OSCE PA human rights leaders
Publishing date: 8 April 2020
COPENHAGEN, 8 April 2020 – As countries across the OSCE region are gathering data, including on people’s geographical movements, the leaders of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s human rights committee called for careful consideration to privacy concerns.
Urgent action needed on migrants and asylum seekers at risk of COVID-19, says OSCE PA’s Cederfelt
Publishing date: 3 April 2020
COPENHAGEN, 3 April 2020 – The coronavirus crisis has added new urgency to addressing the deplorable conditions that many migrants and refugees face in camps and detention facilities across the OSCE area, said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President Margareta Cederfelt (MP, Sweden) today. She highlighted in particular the situation of the camps on the Greek Aegean islands, which have long been at a critical point.