News and press releases

As the war displaced millions of Ukrainians or pushed them to the verge by destroying homes and businesses, the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, marked on 30 July each year, provided yet another occasion for the OSCE Secretariat Extra-Budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU) to join efforts of state agencies, civil society and international organizations in campaigning to warn people about growing risks to fall victim of human trafficking.

SKOPJE/VIENNA/WARSAW, 28 July 2023 – Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, and Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Matteo Mecacci called for renewed efforts across the OSCE region to combat human trafficking and prevent exploitation.

From 24 to 28 of July 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office) conducted a five-day exchange visit to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan for Tajik border agencies on good practices in cross-border co-operation.

The April 2023 early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria were competitive and well managed by the election administration, and fundamental freedoms were respected. The legal framework was adequate for the conduct of democratic elections, however, frequent changes eroded trust, undercut efficiency and complicated timely preparations.

The OSCE Programme Office (Office) in Dushanbe conducted a three-day workshop on project proposal writing with regard to water governance and management from 19 to 21 July in Dushanbe.

On 17 to 21 July, OSCE organized a 5-day workshop aimed at bolstering the National Bank of Georgia's regulatory framework for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs). The workshop, held in Tbilisi and hosted by the National Bank of Georgia and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Georgia, focused on enhancing the regulatory compliance of VASPs operating within the country.

From 19 to 21 July, the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), in close co-operation with the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek (POiB) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, conducted an OSCE Training-of-Trainers course on implementing intelligence-led policing in Kyrgyzstan.