Central Europe

518637 The moot court competition finalists (left to right): Sayeda Kulsoom Hasan, Emma Lapinsky, Mona Faham and Marissa Wong from the University of California, Berkeley; and Ekaterine Subeliani, Mariam Taganashvili and Mariam Taganashvili from the Free University of Tbilisi. Warsaw, 19 May 2022. Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

A team of law students from the Free University of Tbilisi has won the final of the moot court competition on the rights of people with disabilities hosted in Warsaw today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The competition was the first of its kind organized by ODIHR, together with the Centre for Disability Law and Policy of the National University of Ireland, Galway.

The Georgian students were competing against a team from the University of California, Berkeley (United States). In a mock set-up of a Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the competitors argued a fictitious case regarding the rights of people with disabilities to vote and to be part of the justice sector.

The winning team was decided by a panel of judges consisting of Gerard Quinn, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Theresia Degener, Professor of Law and Disability Studies and Director of the Bochum Center for Disability Studies (BODYS) in Germany, and ODIHR Rule of Law Adviser Carolyn Hammer.

“The rights of people with disabilities is a very important topic, both in Georgia and beyond,” said Ekaterine Subeliani, a member of the winning team. “The moot court helps raise awareness about this subject and I am very grateful for the chance to participate. It was also a great opportunity to meet and learn from such experienced judges as well as from our competitors.”

Emma Lapinsky from the University of California, Berkeley team won the “best oralist” title.

“It was a very important hands-on educational experience,” she said. “It can promote students going into the field of disability rights, as well as students who are more broadly interested in human rights law. For me, this opportunity was really incredible all the way through.”

The winning team will be invited to take part in a summer school on the rights of people with disabilities organized by the National University of Ireland, Galway.

The two finalist teams were selected from a total of eleven teams from all over the OSCE region — from North America to Central Asia — which submitted written statements on the competition topic for the first round held earlier this year.

The competition helped the participants learn more about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as the work of ODIHR in promoting inclusive, diverse and gender-sensitive justice sector institutions across the OSCE region and the participation of people with disabilities in political and public life.

Teams from the following universities took part:

Free University of Tbilisi, Georgia

National University of Ireland, Galway, Centre for Disability Law and Policy, Ireland

Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland

South East European University, North Macedonia

Sulkhan-Saba Orbelliani University, Georgia

Tbilisi State University, Georgia

University of Bialystok, Poland

University of California, Berkeley, United States

University of Cologne, Academy for European Human Rights Protection, Germany

University of Niš, Serbia

University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Uzbekistan

518553 Marina Živaljević

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro, together with the OSCE Mission to Skopje, supported the organization of a networking meeting between the Women Police Association of Montenegro and women police officers from North Macedonia, on 17 and 18 May 2022 in Skopje.

As part of the Mission to Montenegro ongoing support to women police officers, seven members from the Women Police Association of Montenegro travelled to Skopje to meet with their colleagues and share experiences in advocating for gender equality in the police service.

Magdalena Nestorovska, State Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs in North Macedonia, highlighted the need for high-level support to gender mainstreaming the police. She commended the mentorship programme implemented with the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje, which provided support to young women employed in the police force to adjust to working within a male-dominated working environment and recognize and overcome professional barriers, identifying opportunities for career advancement.

Biljana Dulović, Head of the Women Police Association of Montenegro, highlighted the results achieved thus far in increasing the number and professional development of women in the police. She thanked the OSCE Mission to Montenegro for its support since the inception of the Association, and highlighted the concrete results achieved through the 2021 campaign “We are the Power of the Team – for More Women in Policing”, which the Police Academy is implementing in 2022 as well. She recalled that last year, out of the total number of candidates admitted to the Police Academy, 38.8% were women, the highest percentage so far.

The OSCE Mission will continue to o assist Montenegro in further advancing the participation of women at all levels of policing.

518538 Munira Shoinbekova, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe Farhod Nabiyulloev Network of Women Resource Centres in Tajikistan

Strengthening co-operation among human rights and women’s organizations providing support services to survivors of gender-based violence to promote the exchange of experience and expertise in Central Asia was the focus of the regional conference held in Dushanbe on 18 and 19 May 2022.

The conference, hosted by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe was followed by a networking and capacity-building event for the Women Resource Centres from Central Asia organized in co-operation with the OSCE Secretariat Gender Issues Programme's project WIN (Women and Men Network for Gender Equality), and with OSCE's field operations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

“The Central Asian Regional Conference provides the opportunity to share and learn from the region’s best practices and tools aimed at fighting the “shadow” global pandemic of gender-based violence,” said Officer in Charge of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, Tea Jaliashvili in her opening remarks.  

The regional conference brought together representatives of Government structures with a key role in the prevention and response to domestic violence in Tajikistan, as well as civil society sector, international organizations and diplomatic missions. The participants discussed the good practices and opportunities for co-operation in the provision of safe and accessible support and protection services for women and girls who face violence.

The representatives of the Committee on Women and Family Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Justice, Parliament, the Executive Office of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan participated in the discussions. The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe shared lessons learnt from its advocacy work focused on promoting effective mechanisms for the prevention and response to domestic violence in Tajikistan, as well as supporting a network of Women Resource Centres that provide psychological, social and vocational support services to the survivors in the regions. The experts from the OSCE Secretariat and the Women against Violence Europe Network shared the relevant best international practices.

The second day of the event facilitated the creation of a networking platform among the Women Resource Centres, OSCE Secretariat and field operations, as well as international non-governmental organizations in Central Asia. The participants discussed the need of maintaining a regular exchange of good practices, as well as the possibility of organizing joint regional activities and campaigns in order to respond to the common challenges related to the fight against gender-based violence.

“Our NGO is a member of the national network of 14 Women Resource Centres and through this two-day event we will expand the network and take action on a regional level to better support the victims of domestic violence,” noted Marifat Khidiralieva, Head of the NGO “Marifat” in Khuroson district of Tajikistan.

“It is very useful to learn from the experience of the women’s rights organizations from other Central Asian countries in using the multidisciplinary approach and referral mechanisms for rapid rehabilitation of survivors of gender-based violence,” said Zulfiya Baisakova, Head of the NGO “Union of Crisis Centers” in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

On 29 April 2022, Almazbek Beishenaliev, Minister of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan, and Alexander Wolters, Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the cooperation in youth crime and drug use prevention.

The MoU states that the OSCE and Kyrgyzstan will work together to prevent and combat transnational organized crime, corruption and drug use. These efforts are meant to complement criminal justice efforts, fostering a culture of lawfulness and integrity among youth through education. It is based on a thorough OSCE needs-assessment among multiple stakeholder in Kyrgyzstan, including government representatives, schools, universities and civil society. The MoU will also form the framework for assistance and cooperation between the OSCE and Kyrgyzstan, to develop trainings for educators and social media awareness campaigns for youth on the topics of organized crime, corruption and drugs.

It will contribute to the successful implementation of strategies and policies aimed at using education and youth involvement to prevent drug use and crime, such as the State Youth Policy, the Anti-Drug Program of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and the State Strategy for Combating Corruption and Eliminating Its Causes.

The Ministry of Education and Science highlighted the importance of the project in strengthening youth resilience against drug use, corruption and organized crime and also expressed readiness to cooperate in implementing the project.

Mr. Alexander Wolters stressed that “We welcome the MoU with the Ministry of Education and Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic which serves as a basis to join efforts to fight organized crime, corruption and the use of drugs and their detrimental effects especially on youth. This collaboration will further enhance Academy’s educational outreach that aims at sustainably improving lives of young people in Kyrgyzstan”.

The activities foreseen by the MoU will be implemented within the framework of the extra-budgetary project “Enhancing youth crime and drug use prevention through education on legality and awareness campaigns addressing threats of organized crime and corruption” funded by Germany and implemented in coordination with  the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The OSCE Academy is the Implementing Partner of this OSCE-wide initiative for project activities in Central Asia.

518514

The social re-use of confiscated assets was the focus of three training events held by the OSCE and the Center for Civil Society Promotion (CPCD) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The events were held on May 13 (Sarajevo), 16 (Tuzla) and 17 (Banja Luka). The 80 participants from civil society organizations had the opportunity to reflect on how they can contribute to the fight against organized crime and corruption and discussed which mechanisms civil society can effectively use to implement projects on social re-use.  

Participants learned about processes included in the confiscation of criminal assets, but most importantly, about the application of social re-use projects. Through various group and interactive exercises, participants were acquainted with project management skills that can be used in social re-use projects, such as project identification, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, communications and visibility, and other topics. The outcome of these events included concrete project proposals.

These exercises were organized within the framework of OSCE’s extra-budgetary project “Strengthening the fight against transnational organized crime in South-Eastern Europe through improved regional co-operation in asset seizure, confiscation, management and re-use”, which aims to promote the social re-use of confiscated assets in South-Eastern Europe and to increase public engagement in combating organized crime and corruption. Through OSCE support, the Agency for the Management of Seized Assets of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has implemented the first case of social re-use in the country.

The project is financially supported by Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

518511 Kunduz Rysbek

On 18-19 May, the OSCE Programme Office (POiB) kicked-off a series of capacity-building activities, within its programmatic efforts to support peacebuilding activities in Kyrgyzstan. The workshop, which was held in Osh city, focused on strengthening Kyrgyzstan’s early warning and conflict prevention institutions, including within the framework of implementing the national civic integration concept “Kyrgyz Jarany” (“Kyrgyz Citizen”).

Relevant staff of the Directorate for Interethnic Policy of the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy, including 23 Executive Secretaries of Public Reception Offices from multi-ethnic districts of the country, as well as the Presidential Administration participated in the workshop. The capacity-building activities during the workshop were jointly developed and conducted by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and a group of POiB-hired national experts.

“The workshop is a continuation and deepening of co-operation with the OSCE, which will allow for a stock-taking of capacities in conflict analysis and resolution, as well as further strengthen the ability to implement Kyrgyz Jarany on the ground and in a comprehensive manner”, said Iskender Eshimbekov, Head of the Directorate for Interethnic Policy of the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy.

Participants enhanced their knowledge of key concepts of Kyrgyz Jarany and its implementation, as well as learnt about theoretical and practical approaches to conflict analysis, prevention, and resolution. Following the workshop, two more capacity-building activities will be held throughout the year, building on gained knowledge and further aspects of Kyrgyz Jarany’s implementation, which will also engage relevant United Nations experts and civil society.

The POiB project “Supporting early warning and conflict prevention institutions of the Kyrgyz Republic” has been coordinated with the Presidential Administration and the Ministry of Culture, Information, Youth, and Sports policy, as well as with the UN Peacebuilding Fund in Kyrgyzstan, thereby combining international co-operation efforts and contributing to strengthening social cohesion in the country as a whole.

VIENNA, 18 May 2022 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro today condemned the attacks on journalists in Dushanbe and expressed her grave worries regarding the safety of media workers in Tajikistan. This comes following reports about two separate attacks in Dushanbe on teams of the Russian-language television and digital news network, Current Time, and the Tajik service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Ozodi after they conducted interviews about recent events in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous region (GBAO).

”I condemn yesterday’s attacks on these journalists in Dushanbe and reiterate my appeal to the authorities to ensure that such harassment is stopped, that media workers can pursue their professional duties and they are able cover events of importance to the whole society’,” the Representative said.

Media reported that on 17 May, a number of unidentified persons in civilian clothes dragged co-workers of Current Time and Radio Ozodi, Anushervon Aripov, Nasim Isamov, Mullorajab Yusufi and Barot Yusufi out of their cars, took away their professional equipment, as well as their duty and private mobile phones. Mullorajab Yusufi and Barot Yusufi were reportedly beaten, with the first receiving several strong blows to the head and torso.

Media workers have reported mounting pressure since civil disturbances erupted in the GBAO on 16 May. In particular, on 17 May, independent news portal and newspaper Asia-Plus declared that it would stop covering the events in the GBAO after having received a warning from the authorities. Also, internet connection and mobile signal in the GBAO have reportedly been barely available since 16 May.

“Access to information is crucial to the public, especially during times of unrest, so I call on the authorities to do all they can to safeguard media freedom, ensure the safety of all media workers and to restore access to all means of communications.”

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

518649 Munira Shoinbekova, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe Farhod Nabiyulloev

The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe supported Tajikistan’s delegation to visit Georgia on 9-16 May 2022. At the study visit, the delegation familiarised with Georgian approach in promoting environmental education in the context of Sustainable Development Goals, implementation of environmentally friendly business strategies and fostering the principles of green economy.

The delegation included 12 representatives of the Parliament, Executive Office of the President, Committee for Environmental Protection, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Education and Science, as well as civil society representatives. The representatives learned about the role of Georgian youth and NGOs in combatting environmental issues, ban on plastic bags at the national level and the practice of using biodegradable bags, waste disposal and recycling and long term national policy on environmental security.

Mr Mukhammadrakhim Yusufi, Chairman of the Ecological Commission of the Majlisi Namoyandagon of Majlisi Olii of the Republic of Tajikistan (Assembly of Representatives) thanked the OSCE for organizing the exchange visit and hoped for further co-operation with the Georgian counterparts in the implementation of mutual initiatives on promoting green policies.

Ms Maia Bitadze, Chairperson of the Committee at Parliament of Georgia welcomed the Tajik delegation to Georgia and stated about the environmental issues in Georgia, including the actualization of the environmental rights. In addition, Ms Bitadze introduced the eight-point plan of the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Committee at Parliament of Georgia with the priorities of circular economic development, urban environmental issues, as well as the air, water and soil pollution control and business facilitation in terms of the improvement of the production cycle. 

The Tajik and Georgian counterparts established a joint platform to exchange expertise and ideas in addressing the environmental related issues. The delegation visited Georgian company producing biodegradable packages in Gori city and familiarized with the technology.

518424 Marina Živaljević

At the invitation of the national public service broadcaster – Radio Television Montenegro (RTCG), the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized a three-day in-house training on live and emergency reporting for journalists of RTCG, from 16 to 18 May in Podgorica.

As live reporting demands specific set of skills, including capacities to recognize the public interest, and balance between the need to inform the public and protect journalists and cameramen in the field, the Mission engaged Adnan Rondić, an international media expert to support RTCG journalists in improving their skills and techniques to better report live on developing stories.

Dominique Waag, Head of the Mission said that strength and sustainability of any media depends on knowledge and quality of work of its journalists. “This burden to provide quality and timely reporting falls especially on RTCG, since the public service exists to inform its citizens in a timely and accurate manner about all events, especially unexpected emergencies,” said Waag.

Boris Raonić, the RTCG General Director said that the mission of the public service is to provide the right to information, with no exception. “Live reporting in emergency situations includes unpredictability and field work in risky conditions. We express special gratitude to the OSCE Mission for its dedicated and reliable partnership in improving the professional skills of the RTCG journalists. Continuous investment in education and training is crucial to achieving professional standards, in relation to the growing challenges of modern society,” said Raonić, adding that the common focus is security and the principle of credible reporting, based on the values of human rights and democracy.

This training course was the first round organized for RTCG this year. A second round will be organized in the fall.

518400 Marina Živaljević

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), in co-operation with the Gender Equality Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro, organised a roundtable discussion on “Achieving gender equality in political life in Montenegro: The role of political parties”, on 17 May 2022 in Podgorica.

Representatives of political parties discussed ways to advance gender balance within their parties. Also considered was the idea to conduct participatory gender audits within selected political parties with a view to encourage them to develop party gender action plans.

Opening the event, Božena Jelušić, Chair of the Gender Committee, said that raising awareness of discrimination is the first condition for a fundamental change, followed by a systematic, not a sporadic response. She added that recent surveys shows that 9 out of 10 women politicians in Montenegro report gender discrimination and 7 out of 10 female respondents experienced some form of violence.

“Quotas preserve the representation of women in Parliament, but this political context can also breed a willingness to obey and have woman MPs seen as only a vote or a number, and not respected for the quality of the contribution that they can make. It is important that both men’s and women’s  voices are heard within our political parties, voices to change things together, and to act, not just say that we disagree with something,” said Jelušić.

Yulia Netesova, ODIHR Chief of the Democratic Governance and Gender Unit, presented “Realizing Gender Equality in Parliament: A Guide for Parliaments in the OSCE Region,” designed to support the parliamentary actors in making their parliament to better deliver for all women and men. She acknowledged the Parliament of Montenegro as an example of continuously working towards gender equality as demonstrated in today’s event.

Saša Gavrić, ODIHR Associate Gender Officer, presented international standards, trends and good practices in the field of women’s political participation and gender equality, as well as the ODIHR’s Gender Audit Methodology, which emphasized the importance of regular gender audits of political parties. “Political parties are the gatekeeper of political life. By transforming parties we contribute in making all political institutions more responsive to the diverse needs of women in our societies,” said Gavrić.

The round table followed the 14th session of the Women’s Parliament on 16 May 2022. One of the speakers at the session was Dominique Waag, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro.

518376

The OSCE has concluded a five-day visit to Kyrgyzstan to assess the ongoing police development and reform. The visit was a joint effort from the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

During the trip, the OSCE team met with the Minister of Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic, Ulan Niyazbekov, and other interlocutors in the Ministry, including the Academy, Regional Training Centre, Service for Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking, and the Bishkek Main Police Directorate.

“The Ministry attaches great importance to this visit and the assessment of the state of the Kyrgyz Interior Ministry. We believe this will lead to possible assistance in supporting police reform in Kyrgyzstan, as it is aimed at promoting democratic change in the country,” Niyazbekov said.

“We will carry out the reform processes on the basis of the principle ‘police is out of politics, police is for the people’. This means transforming all police activities by focusing on building mutual trust and partnership with our inhabitants.” he continued.

“The purpose of our visit is to take stock of the needs of the Kyrgyz law enforcement system and the OSCE’s ability to meet them. The more detailed and thorough information we can gather, the better we can prepare an assessment report to inform OSCE participating States on our possible support for police reform in Kyrgyzstan,” said Sami Ryhänen, Head of Strategic Police Matters Unit/TNTD.

The OSCE team received information on the legal framework and practical activities in the field of police reform, accountability and integrity of the Kyrgyz police, gender perspective, and staff training in the educational institutions of the Ministry of Interior. Human rights issues in law enforcement, including in places of detention, was a particular focus for the discussions.

The Kyrgyz interlocutors reported on their plans to improve crime prevention and investigations, develop forensic services, strengthen community policing and the partnership between the police and the public.

The OSCE experts informed about their intelligence-led policing events, projects on combating organized crime and illicit drug trafficking as well as addressing gender-based and domestic violence, which are planned for the OSCE Central Asian participating States, including Kyrgyzstan, and could contribute to police reform in the country.

The OSCE team also visited the Office of the Prosecutor General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and met with representatives of the Kyrgyz Association of Women in Security Sector as well as the Public Council of the Ministry of Interior.

518343 Kunduz Rysbek

The Jogorku Kenesh is the national parliament of Kyrgyzstan, it consists of 90 members of parliament, including 19 women MPs.

Some 50 newly elected parliamentarians and staff of the administration of the Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan took part in a series of orientation seminars during April and May, organized with the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Kyrgyzstan and the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

The seminars aimed to enhance professional knowledge and skills of the newly elected MPs and the staff, thereby strengthening the institutional capacity of the Jogorku Kenesh.

“Over the past many years, our Office provided expert and technical assistance to improve the institutional and human capacity of the Parliament to increase its efficiency, transparency and strengthen public relations”, - shared Alexey Rogov, the Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek.

The participants discussed in depth about the Parliament’s role in the state, its responsibilities before the people, oversight mechanisms and effective interaction with the Government, issues related to achieving gender equality, and promoting fundamental rights and freedoms of the people.

The work of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek aims to advance democratic principles of governance such as openness, accessibility, and accountability, for the benefit of sustainable and democratic development of the host state.

518301 OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

An online workshop on fostering media laws and practices that protect freedom of opinion and expression was organized by the OSCE Center in Ashgabat on 16 and 17 May 2022. The event aimed to share expertise in support for the implementation of the provisions of the National Human Rights Action Plan for 2021-2025 (NHRAP) related to the freedom of the media and freedom of expression.

The event brought together representatives of institutions involved in the implementation of media-related provisions of the NHRAP, including the Mejlis (lower chamber) of the Milli Gengesh (parliament), the Ombudsperson's Office, the Supreme Court, the Bar Association, and the Institute for State, Law and Democracy as well as journalists from national media and lecturers from institutions of higher education.

Two international experts from Moldova and Georgia presented international standards for freedom of opinion and expression and shared experiences of their countries and other OSCE participating States in protecting freedom of the media and freedom of expression.

The seminar also addressed the scope of protection and conditions for restriction of freedom of expression online, as well as Internet content regulation and liability for online content.

Opening the seminar, Rune Castberg, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat mentioned the 1997 Permanent Council Decision establishing the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, which emphasized that "freedom of expression is a core internationally recognized human right and a fundamental element of a democratic society," and the 1999 Istanbul Summit Declaration of the heads of the OSCE participating States, which noted "the need to ensure freedom of expression, which is an essential element of political dialogue in any democratic society.”

“It is our hope that the seminar will facilitate the exchange of experiences in implementing international standards and OSCE commitments in the area of the media freedom and will contribute to the implementation of the provisions of NHRAP related to the freedom of the media and freedom of expression,” added Castberg.

518289

Promoting women’s participation in the Uzbek energy sector was at the centre of an event organized by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, jointly with the Kazakh-German University and the Tashkent State Technical University on 28 April in Tashkent.

More than 40 female students attended the event, where they had the opportunity to connect with female representatives from government, industry, academia, civil society and other international organizations.

The participants listened to real-life experiences from those already working in the energy industry in Uzbekistan and discussed current challenges and opportunities for women in energy. They also had the chance to connect with peers that share similar interests as well as with potential employers and mentors.

The participants noted that the energy sector is opening up and more opportunities for women are being created, especially in renewables. However, they highlighted cultural norms and stereotypes that still act as obstacles to the advancement of their careers, along with a general lack of information and entry-level opportunities. The importance of organizations such as the OSCE was recognized for their potential to bring access to the right tools needed to connect with professionals and enterprises and gain first-hand experience in the energy sector.

Following the roundtable, the students visited the Parkent Sun Institute, which consists of a complex of heliostats, a solar laboratory with an impressive solar energy concentrator, and a solar furnace, the second to be built in the world. This was a great opportunity for the students to gain practical insights about career opportunities in the renewable energy sector and to learn how to use renewable energy sources for business purposes.

The event was organized in the framework of the OSCE Project on Promoting women’s economic participation in the energy sector for energy security and sustainability in Central Asia. This extra-budgetary project, financed by Germany and Italy, aims to empower Central Asian women as change agents in the energy transition and support Central Asian governments and companies as they integrate women’s needs and gender equality targets in their energy policies.

VIENNA/WARSAW, 16 May 2022 – Human rights and democratic principles must continue to be the bedrock of societies across the OSCE region even as the Russian Federation’s military attack on Ukraine is creating unprecedented challenges to democratic institutions across the region, OSCE leaders said at the opening of a two-day conference today.

Some 275 people from across the OSCE region registered for the meeting in Vienna, which will discuss the importance of effective democratic institutions and the right to form and join associations to protect and promote human rights in times of crisis. Participants will include representatives of OSCE states, international organizations, civil society, and the media. Participants will also seek to identify good practices and concrete recommendations to strengthen local and central government, parliaments, independent media and civil society, which has been recognised by all OSCE countries as key to conflict prevention and resolution.

“The unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine has shaken the foundations of international and European security order causing thousands of unnecessary deaths and suffering of civilian population. The scale of egregious violation of international law, including humanitarian and human rights law is enormous,” said Ambassador Artur Dmochowski, Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office opening the conference on behalf of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister, Zbigniew Rau. “Against this background, we have proposed to discuss the role of fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of expression and of association, and the functioning of democratic institutions in the times of crisis.”

While national and local institutions are at the forefront of guarding democracy through crises, these are often the times at which they find themselves under greater pressure. Participants will therefore focus on how the potential of democratic institutions, from parliaments to local authorities, can be harnessed and contribute to effective crisis prevention and response. Another area of focus will be the right to form, join and participate in public associations and the fact that over recent years this right has been increasingly curtailed in some OSCE countries. Such restrictions on freedom of association weaken civil society, limit its oversight role, reduce the space for dialogue, and affect the ability of marginalized communities to make their voices heard just when this is most needed.

“Civic engagement is the biggest commitment any individual can make to our societies, and one that should be treasured,” said ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci. “But unfortunately, that is not always the case. On the contrary, we are seeing restrictions on freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and access to information undermining the work of civil society and even exposing human rights defenders to intimidation and persecution. I’m therefore particularly looking forward to the recommendations that come out of today’s discussions and looking at how ODIHR can best assist OSCE countries in making them a reality.”

In the face of a clampdown on media freedom in many parts of the OSCE region, the final topic will be the value of independent and free media for democratic societies and their security. While access to reliable information and quality media is important at all times, it becomes crucial in times of crisis.

“Independent, free and pluralistic media are an indispensable part of democratic societies, it is rightly considered as one of the key institutions in any democracy,” said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro. “Nowadays, we are facing an unprecedented regress in media freedom and a severe clamp down on independent reporting across the entire OSCE region. At the same time, professional journalism is relied on more than ever to provide fact-based information and unbiased reporting on evolving crisis situations. A vibrant media landscape and favourable conditions for independent reporting greatly contribute to more security. This is why we need more media freedom, not less.”

Supplementary Human Dimension Meetings are a platform for the OSCE’s participating States and OSCE institutions, as well as international organizations and civil society, to exchange views and good practices in order to find common solutions for the challenges facing societies across the OSCE region. Today’s discussion follows the first SHDM of the year on international cooperation to address violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. One more meeting is planned for 2022.

518232 Marina Živaljević

In co-operation with the Secretariat to the Competitiveness Council of Montenegro and the Ministry of Finance, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized the training course for six ministries on gender-responsive budget analysis on 11 May 2022 in Podgorica.

The workshop supported the Ministries of: Defence; Finance; Economic Development; Human and Minority Rights; Science and Technological Development; Culture and Media and of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management to conduct gender analysis in the budget process.

More than 20 participants learned about gender-responsive budgeting; its impact on budgetary policies and methods to conduct gender analysis. Emphasis was on practical work that included data collection, defining and reporting on indicators.

Aleksandra Crvenica, Mission’s Democratization Senior Programme Assistant, said that the Mission is committed to integrating a gender perspective into policies, including the budget, to create a more equal and just society and correct inequalities.

Natasa Obradović, a consultant for gender responsive budgeting, said that gender-responsive budget analysis in five steps is the basis for developing gender-responsive budgeting. “Its development creates preconditions for improving fiscal and sectoral policies as well as planning budget programmes, to respond to the needs of different genders and social groups,” said Obradović.

The Mission will continue to support the government and its institutions in their efforts to adopt and implement gender-responsive policies.

Strengthening North Macedonia’s capacity to identify, investigate and prosecute the financing of terrorism was the focus of a four-day training course, which concluded on 13 May 2022 in Ohrid. The OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly organized the training course with the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

Twenty-four experts of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Customs Administration, the Financial Police Office, the Intelligence Agency, the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Justice, Financial Intelligence Office, and the Agency for National Security learned about techniques and methods to assist in the successful conduct of counter-terrorism investigations. The course particularly aimed at strengthening interagency co-operation through joint work on localized scenarios.

A team of eight local trainers, supported by lead experts, delivered the course. The trainers completed a train-the-trainer course held in March in Vienna where the co-produced scenarios were tailored to the North Macedonian context.

To strengthen links with international partners, a representative of the EUROPOL European Counter Terrorism Centre presented their work during an online session.

The training course, organized with the financial support of the United States, is part of a progressively advanced training programme for North Macedonia on countering terrorist financing, jointly implemented by the OSCE in co-operation with the UNODC since June 2021.

The multiyear programme aims at building up North Macedonia’s counter-terrorism financing framework and increasing the country’s capacity to detect and combat terrorist financing. In addition, it will aid in strengthening compliance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, Financial Action Task Force standards, and OSCE commitments.

Therese Abrahamsen Edita Buçaj

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo in co-operation with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) conducted on 10 and 11 May 2022 a two-day workshop on gender-responsive local governance and the role of women in municipal decision-making processes.

The workshop targeted newly elected women officials and those appointed to municipal government posts, and focused on how women in decision-making positions can leverage their authority to advance gender equality in their communities. It included concrete tools and best practice models to further frame the conversation, such as illustrations on how gender-responsive budgeting can be used to produce more inclusive, gender-sensitive municipal governance practices.

In his address, the Deputy Head of Mission Kilian Wahl, said that there is clear evidence that gender-responsive governance is more effective, leading to better decisions and making municipalities more successful. Mr. Wahl pledged that the OSCE Mission in Kosovo will continue to support municipal officials, both women and men, to further enhance their skills and capacities in this field.

“During the workshop, it was confirmed to us that it is essential to use gender equality tools and mechanisms in order to enhance a more effective and gender-responsive governance, for instance through drafting and implementing municipal gender action plans and gender budgeting,” said Marqe Selmanaj, the Deputy Mayor of Viti/Vitina municipality.

Discussions revealed challenges women face in their daily work, such as superiors’ lack of trust in assigning meaningful responsibilities or growth opportunities to women decision-makers and lack of solidarity amongst women, with participants noting that greater unity among women officials could lead to positive change.

“Including women’s voices in policy and planning contributes to the sustainable building of local communities that allows all to thrive equally, as gender-sensitive policies benefit both women and men by creating transformational potential where perceptions, practices and values are developed to serve local communities’ wellbeing,” said Dr. Yulia Netesova, ODIHR Chief of the Democratic Governance and Gender Unit.

518163 Munira Shoinbekova, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe Farhodjon Nabiyulloev

On 5 May 2022, journalists and media experts from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Lithuania, Germany and the United Kingdom gathered in Dushanbe for an international conference to celebrate World Press Freedom Day.

The conference held in-person and online, gathered some 150 Tajik and international journalists, high-ranking representatives of the governments, parliaments and civil society from ten countries with the majority able to attend and participate in Dushanbe. 

The event was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe with the support of the European Union Delegation to Tajikistan, the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Tajikistan, the UNESCO Almaty Office and the Public Organization Khoma. Also supporting the event were the Tajik Media Council, Internews Network Tajikistan and the embassies of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States of America in the Republic of Tajikistan.

After a two-year gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference participants focused on issues of media freedom and journalistic community aimed at celebrating the achievements of media professionals from Tajikistan, and the wider region. The conference also provided an action platform for partners and stakeholders to come together and propose solutions for the most pressing challenges of the digital era. 

One of the most important outcomes of the conference was a set of recommendations adopted by participants regarding freedom of the media in the country, advocating for, inter alia: Offering comprehensive, institutional solutions to media community challenges such as tackling misinformation and the, overall, declining trust in media; Improving media literacy amongst the population of the Republic of Tajikistan; Encouraging government agencies, public and commercial organizations to strengthen co-operation with governmental and non-governmental media, to better inform the public of Tajikistan about important events in the political, social and economic spheres; Strengthening the capacity of press offices of government bodies by raising qualifications and expanding skills of their professional staff;  and, Ensuring open access to information about legal entities.

The conference in Dushanbe was included in the framework of UNESCO’s global World Press Freedom Day celebrations.   

518055 OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

On May 11, 2022, the Centre in Ashgabat organized an online roundtable to discuss the pilot project of the roadmap for the development of green hydrogen energy in Turkmenistan. The event is a continuation of a series of events aimed at the development of hydrogen energy in the country. The event aims to review and identify the main objectives and priorities of the pilot project, and to discuss the further development of the Roadmap. 

Representatives of key ministries and government agencies, including members of the interdepartmental working group on development of hydrogen energy in Turkmenistan, state concerns “Turkmengas” and “Turkmenoil,” state corporations “Turkmengeology” and “Turkmen chemicals,” as well as higher education institutions attended the event.

Opening the session, Rune Castberg, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat said, “Today’s round table is an important step to support Turkmenistan in elaboration of a roadmap for the development of green hydrogen energy.

Two international experts from Belarus facilitated discussions on hydrogen production using renewable energy sources and natural gas as part of the Roadmap development, providing legislative support for "green" hydrogen production, intensification of international cooperation in the field of "green" hydrogen energy development and entering foreign markets.

Based on the outcomes of the roundtable discussion the Centre will develop the first draft Roadmap in consultation with governmental partners and prepare its final version upon their feedback and comments.

"This document will provide a platform for the introduction of advanced technologies for the development of alternative low-carbon energy and the practical use of its sources, as well as forming the basis for the formation of the National Hydrogen Energy Development Strategy," added Castberg.