News and press releases

Challenges posed by the migration and refugee flows and their impact on European security was the focus of an event jointly organized by the OSCE and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) in Athens on 10 May 2016. The security implications of mass movements of people for regional and sub-regional stability, the role of international organizations, and co-operation and co-ordination among relevant actors, were among the issues highlighted...

COPENHAGEN, 9 May 2016 – Members of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s newly formed Ad Hoc Committee on Migration will be in Calais, France, this week to see the conditions for refugees and migrants seeking shelter in encampments there. The visit will serve as a fact-finding mission to enable the parliamentarians to gain a first-hand impression of conditions and to develop policy recommendations to improve the collective response to the refugee and migrant crisis...

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) in co-operation with the OSCE Office in Yerevan held a training course on the rights of migrants on 24-26 March 2016 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia. The overall aim of this training was to support national authorities of OSCE participating States in ensuring that their national migration management practices comply with relevant international legal obligations and OSCE commitments, aiming to respect and protect the human rights of migrants...

On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the heads of Europe’s main intergovernmental human rights institutions call for a strong response to xenophobic attacks against migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and call on governments and state authorities to uphold their international obligations in this regard...

Civic orientation and language support programmes in migrant integration were the focus of the regional expert workshop “Good Practices in Integration of Migrants in line with OSCE Commitments and International Legal Standards” held in Riga on 17 and 18 March 2016.

VIENNA, 4 March 2016 – The challenging refugee situation in Europe also has implications for freedom of the media, not least with regard to the rights and safety of members of the media reporting on this important issue, Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović said today...

Vienna, 4 February 2016 – OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier today discussed trafficking of human beings with Director of Europol Rob Wainwright. The conversation focused in particular on the plight of minors who are the most vulnerable group within the migrant and refugee population.