News and press releases

On 6 September 2023, The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) supported the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in organizing the second meeting of the Working Group on Regulation Mechanisms to Prevent Domestic Violence. The event was attended by 28 (16 men, 12 women) representatives of Tajikistan's government and civil society organizations with roles in the field of preventing and combatting domestic violence, and providing support services to victims.

The scourge of domestic violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina demands an urgent response. On August 29, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted a distinguished gathering of ministers and other key leaders from across the country. We were pleased to host the Speaker of the BiH Parliament, the President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH, the Federation Minister of the Interior, Cantonal Ministers of Justice and Interior, police representatives from relevant agencies and others together around one table. Their joining us in such numbers reflected our shared recognition of a serious problem facing this country: the terrible scourge of domestic abuse. We spoke not as bureaucrats but as people facing a challenge that harms many among us.

From 28 August to 1 September 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) organized a five-day training of trainers for the Institute for advanced training under the General Prosecutor’s Office in Dushanbe. The training brought together 8 participants, including seven management and teaching staff of the Institute for advanced training of prosecutors in Tajikistan and a representative from the General Prosecutor’s Office.

With compassion for the families of the victims of recent tragic events in Gradačac, Živinice and Bijeljina, the OSCE Mission to BiH hosted today in Sarajevo the Speaker of the BiH Parliament House of Representatives, ministers and representatives from the state, entities', Brčko District of BiH and cantonal levels, the President of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, justice and interior ministries, and gender institutional mechanisms to address the pressing issue of gender-based violence.

Following the recent tragic cases, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Brian Aggeler, conducted a series of meetings in Tuzla, aimed at discussing the alarming situation related to the ongoing challenge of gender-based violence.

From 21 to 25 August 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (the Office) conducted a Gender Equality and Leadership Skills Summer School in Bahoriston, Sughd region. The event brought together 26 young women nominated by the Committee of Women and Family Affairs, the Committee of Youth and Sport and the seven registered political parties.

SARAJEVO, 22 August 2023- The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina is deeply saddened by the incident of attempted femicide in Bijeljina. The Mission is alarmed by the growing number of such cases and the overall gender-based violence situation.