News and press releases

VIENNA, 22 August 2024- As we observe the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, we once again express our deep concern at the alarming level of hate crime and acts of violence based on religion or belief across the OSCE region.

WARSAW, 22 August 2024 – Safeguarding the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief protects the inherent dignity of every individual and at the same time helps to build more tolerant and inclusive societies, reducing tensions and allowing our diverse communities to exist together, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said on today’s International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

On August 19-20, 2024, the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, in collaboration with the Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA), held a training seminar in Astana focused on strengthening risk management within the gambling and lottery sectors.

The OSCE enhanced the knowledge and practical skills of 20 criminal analysis officers from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) by providing a training on the use of specialized analytical software in investigating criminal threats. The event took place from 13 to 15 August in Kyiv.

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe organized a five-day training course for lawyers, psychologists from the OSCE-supported Women’s Resource Centres (WRCs), and government representatives on preventing domestic violence and protecting its victims.

Helping Ukrainian media professionals ensure their stories dispel stereotypes, uphold the equality of women and men, and contribute to better protection of their rights is at the heart of a new publication launched in Kyiv on 14 August. “Gender Equality Policy in the Media Content”, was developed by the NGO, Women in Media, in close partnership with the Governmental Representative for Gender Equality and the Commission on Journalism Ethics, a self-regulating body for journalists and editorial boards in Ukraine, with assistance provided by the OSCE Secretariat Extra-budgetary Support Programme for Ukraine (SPU).

On 15 August 2024, the Seized Property Management Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FAZUOI) and the National Agency of Ukraine for the Detection, Tracing and Management of Assets Derived from Corruption and Other Crimes (ARMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening their co-operation in the fight against organized crime and corruption through tracing, detection and management of illegal assets.