News and press releases
News and press releases from the OSCE's global activities.
New Director named for Kosovo Law Centre
Publishing date: 22 May 2003
PRISTINA, 22 May 2003- With the appointment of Dr. Haki Demolli as Director of the OSCE-established Kosovo Law Centre (KLC), the team which will work to transform it into a fully independent body is now in place. "The KLC is now ready to face...
OSCE's human rights office welcomes progress in Kazakhstan prison reform
Publishing date: 22 May 2003
WARSAW, 22 May 2003- The OSCE/ODIHR welcomes progress made in reforming Kazakhstan's prison system. Since the recent adoption of legislation to reduce the country's large prison population, the number of inmates has fallen from 66,000 to 58,000...
UN and OSCE to move onto second phase of joint initiative on environment and security
Publishing date: 21 May 2003
PRAGUE, 21 May 2003- A joint United Nations-OSCE initiative to promote co-operation in environmental matters and security questions will receive a major boost today when the OSCE Economic Forum, taking place in Prague, will be linked via video...
OSCE Mission organizes training programme for trial observers in Skopje
Publishing date: 21 May 2003
SKOPJE, 21 May 2003- More than 60 advocates, lawyers, law students and human rights activists will join a training programme in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on the background and the techniques of trial observation. The training...
OSCE Envoy urges Kyrgyzstan to become example of good governance for Central Asia
Publishing date: 21 May 2003
BISHKEK, 21 May 2003- The OSCE Chairman's Personal Envoy for Central Asia, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, urged the Kyrgyz government to renew dialogue with civil society and opposition forces in order to secure a peaceful transition...
Chairman-in-Office urges OSCE States to take concrete steps in fight against trafficking
Publishing date: 20 May 2003
PRAGUE, 20 May 2003- The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, the Netherlands Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has called on OSCE States at the 11th OSCE Economic Forum to identify concrete steps to better fight trafficking...
Kosovo's witness protection system- in need of review
Publishing date: 20 May 2003
PRISTINA, 20 May, 2003- The OSCE's latest review of Kosovo's criminal justice system has pinpointed the crucial importance of a more secure and effective witness protection system to help combat crime in the province, in particular organised crime..
OSCE Centre in Almaty and Eurasia Foundation announce cross-border initiative between Kazakhstan and Russia
Publishing date: 20 May 2003
ALMATY, 20 May 2003- A new cross-border initiative aimed at expanding opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses was announced today. The initiative seeks to ease trade restrictions across the Kazakhstani-Russian border...
Serbia returning to normality, says OSCE Mission Head
Publishing date: 20 May 2003
BELGRADE, 19 May 2003-- In an article published this week in Serbia's Vreme magazine, the OSCE Head of Mission to Serbia and Montenegro, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, outlined that Serbia's priority must be to fully return to a normal situation...
OSCE Presence welcomes electoral reform agreements signed between Socialists and Democrats
Publishing date: 20 May 2003
TIRANA, 20 May 2003- A second, clarifying protocol agreement on the remaining issues related to electoral reform in Albania has been signed by the Socialist and Democratic Parties at the offices of the OSCE Presence in Albania...