News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
Strengthening work of ombuds institutions for armed forces focus of OSCE/ODIHR event in Warsaw
Publishing date: 22 March 2017
Strengthening the work of ombuds institutions for the armed forces in the OSCE region was the focus of a three-day event co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw from 20 to 22 March 2017. The event, which started with a conference and was
ODIHR Director calls on Belarus to uphold rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression in protests
Publishing date: 17 March 2017
WARSAW, 17 March 2017 – Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), today expressed concern over the reported fining and detention of dozens of protestors and human rights activists in Belarus over the last week for their participation in peaceful public assemblies...
OSCE supports conference on rights of individual in Kazakhstan
Publishing date: 16 March 2017
ASTANA, 16 March 2017 – Ensuring the rights of the individual and its impact on the rule of law were the focus of an OSCE-supported international conference in the framework of the annual so-called Shaikenov Readings, which took place today in Astana...
New OSCE and UNHCR handbook aims to help states to address statelessness
Publishing date: 2 March 2017
VIENNA, 2 March 2017 – Statelessness, a human rights and security issue affecting hundreds of thousands of people across the OSCE region according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is the focus of a new handbook of international standards and good practices launched in Vienna today by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the UNHCR...
Human rights in times of crisis in focus at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Winter Meeting’s closing session
Publishing date: 24 February 2017
VIENNA, 24 February 2017 – The final session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 16th Winter Meeting on Friday featured a special debate on protecting human rights in times of crisis. Dozens of interventions by members of parliament from more than 20 OSCE participating States addressed issues related to counter-terrorism, radicalization, protracted conflicts in the OSCE region, and challenges to state authority, emphasizing the importance of upholding fundamental rights during periods of heightened security concerns...
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Winter Meeting opens with calls for improving dialogue in times of crisis
Publishing date: 23 February 2017
VIENNA, 23 February 2017 – International terrorism, human rights and combating climate change are among the issues topping the agenda as some 250 members of parliament from more than 50 OSCE countries gather for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 16th Winter Meeting in Vienna...
OSCE supports roundtable discussion on constitutional reform in Kazakhstan
Publishing date: 20 February 2017
The OSCE Programme Office in Astana supported a roundtable discussion on the draft law “On amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, organized by the country’s Constitutional Council and the Charter for Human Rights Public Foundation in Almaty on 18 February 2017...