Central Europe

VIENNA, 4 April 2021 – Protecting victims of human trafficking and upholding their rights is the focus of the 22nd high-level OSCE Alliance Conference against Trafficking in Persons, which opened today in Vienna with over 850 registered participants.

Estimates suggest that less than 1% of victims of trafficking are ever identified, leaving millions of victims without the assistance and support they need to recover and any access to justice for the harm they suffer.

In light of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the urgency of protecting vulnerable persons is only more acute. Earlier migration crises have shown that criminal groups and individuals will take advantage of large flows of people to exploit the most vulnerable among them. State authorities need to renew their focus on the risks of trafficking in human beings and on strengthening identification and protection systems.

The 2022 Alliance Conference offers an opportunity to reflect on how to better identify and support victims; how to recognize and address their vulnerabilities; how to tailor social interventions when the victims are children; and how to improve current protection systems.

“The next three days are about victims of trafficking”, said OSCE Special Representative Valiant Richey in opening the conference. “And about the actions States must take to identify them, to protect them, to uphold their rights, to assist them in recovering from the trauma they have suffered, and to empower them to regain their agency and contribute to society with their talents and aspirations.”

“We must always protect the most vulnerable. Today’s reality is a sobering reminder that we need to do more,” said OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid. “We all know we need to act, but no country can defeat trafficking on its own. Together we can make a real difference in addressing human trafficking, protecting victims’ rights, and strengthening assistance.”

“Sadly, while this conference takes place, the full-scale Russian military aggression against Ukraine continues,” said the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau. “Every day brings new reports on killed, injured and displaced civilians. Millions of them, mostly women, children and the elderly, have already left Ukraine and arrived in the neighboring countries, mostly in Poland. The Polish Border Guard, Police and other authorities have taken steps to prevent and counter human trafficking. Preventing and countering trafficking in human beings is a responsibility of all the OSCE participating States,” he added.

BELGRADE, 4 April 2022 – Fundamental freedoms were largely respected in Serbia’s 3 April presidential and early parliamentary elections, and voters were presented diverse political options, but a number of shortcomings resulted in an uneven playing field, favouring the incumbents, international observers said in a statement today. The combined impact of unbalanced access to the media, undue pressure on public sector employees to support the incumbents, significant campaign finance disparities and misuse of state resources resulted in unequal conditions for contestants, the statement says.

Recent legislative changes, adopted following extensive dialogue among the ruling parties and some of the opposition, included some welcome improvements, but key aspects of the electoral process require further reform and implementation, the statement says. While media covered all electoral contestants, most public and private broadcasters with national coverage favoured the incumbent president and the ruling coalition, limiting the opportunity of voters to make a fully informed choice, the observers said.

“This was a competitive campaign and, importantly, included opposition candidates this time, but the pervasive influence of the ruling parties gave them undue advantage,” said Kyriakos Hadjiyianni, special co-ordinator and leader of the OSCE short-term observers.

The elections took place against the backdrop of intense polarization between the ruling coalition and opposition parties, which had been reflected in an opposition boycott of the 2020 parliamentary elections and numerous public protests between July 2020 and January 2022.

“The recurring cycle of early parliamentary elections led to the creation of a ‘culture’ of early elections, which impacts the efficient functioning of the Parliament, no matter which political forces are in power,” said Aleksander Pociej, Head of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. “It is regrettable that the public broadcaster and the majority of media outlets were not balanced in their coverage during the campaign.”

During the campaign period, some key challenges limited voters’ ability to choose free from pressure or inducement. Along with pressure on public sector employees and the misuse of state resources by state and municipal actors, the observers were also told that excessive budgetary allocations were made to certain categories of voters prior to the elections. The war caused by the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine largely overshadowed the campaign, especially early on, and shifted the public discourse to European security developments and their impact on Serbia.

Eight presidential candidates, including 3 women, and 19 parliamentary lists totalling 2,912 candidates (42 per cent women, including in winnable positions), were registered. Party platforms and campaign messages rarely addressed issues related to gender equality.

“We welcome the return to a more pluralistic and diverse Parliament in Serbia following yesterday's elections, where voter turnout was higher. However, we condemn the violent attack on election day against one opposition leader,” said Thijs Reuten, Head of the delegation from the European Parliament. “We regret that the campaign was held in a highly polarized political environment, marked by limited media freedom and pluralism and government pressure on voters. We look forward to working together with the newly composed Serbian Parliament on concrete measures to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in Serbia on its EU path.”

“While I wish to emphasize that parties that previously boycotted elections participated this time, after extensive inter-party dialogue that led to a set of reforms, this should be seen as only the starting point for a more transparent dialogue towards broader and much needed further reform,” said Bryndis Haraldsdottir, Head of the delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. “This approach through dialogue, the core of democracy, has to be the way forward, as part of restoring trust in the system.”

Most opposition representatives cited a long-standing lack of opportunity to present their views on both public and private national broadcasters, and many journalists highlighted prevailing self-censorship and, often, their vilification. During the campaign, the public broadcasters covered the campaign activities of all election contestants in line with the law, but provided uncritical news coverage to some candidates in their capacities as state officials. The Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (REM) did not address these issues, and the effectiveness of the temporary authority established to supervise media compliance in coverage of the campaign was significantly undermined by its lack of enforcement powers.

Overall, the legal framework provides an adequate basis for the conduct of democratic elections, but effective implementation and additional measures are indispensable to fully ensure a level playing field. Positively, the February 2022 legislative changes addressed some prior ODIHR and the Council of Europe Venice Commission recommendations, but a number of these remain, including on access to media, campaign finance, measures to tackle pressure on voters, and the public scrutiny and audit of voter lists.

The election administration carried out its duties efficiently and, for these elections, all election commissions included representatives of the non-parliamentary opposition. There were varying levels of confidence in the election administration bodies, and concerns were voiced about the technical capacity of lower-level commissions to cope with new responsibilities. Election day was smoothly conducted and peaceful overall but, despite solid preparations, was marked by a number of systematic procedural deficiencies related to polling station layout, overcrowding, breaches in secrecy of the vote and numerous instances of family voting.

The transparency and effectiveness of campaign finance regulation is limited and, while the February 2022 legislative changes addressed ODIHR and Venice Commission recommendations on donation limits and interim reporting, some issues remain, including on a campaign expenditure limit and on improvement of the oversight mechanism. Many political party representatives raised concerns that the late disbursement of public funds for the campaign undermined the ability to campaign effectively, and opposition parties asserted that the newly introduced tax audit of donors to political parties discouraged financial support for their campaigns. The Anti-Corruption Agency did not respond effectively to potential violations.

“A number of welcome changes to electoral legislation and practice were introduced recently, some addressing previous ODIHR recommendations.” said Douglas Wake, Head of the election observation mission from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. “However, much more fundamental reform in such areas as media access, accountability for campaign offences, and campaign finance regulation – and their effective implementation – are indispensable to ensure that all contestants can compete in elections on an equal basis, civil society and media can contribute effectively to political debate, and all voters have the opportunity to make fully informed choices.”

BUDAPEST, 4 April 2022 – Hungary’s parliamentary elections offered voters distinct alternatives and were well run, but while competitive, the process was marred by the pervasive overlapping of government and ruling coalition’s messaging that blurred the line between state and party, as well as by media bias and opaque campaign funding, international observers said in a statement  today.

The joint observation mission from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) found that the legal framework forms an adequate basis for democratic elections to be held, but a number of key aspects fall short of international standards.   Election day passed peacefully, with observers assessing the process as well-organized, orderly, and smooth. At the same time, the secrecy of the vote was often compromised, particularly in overcrowded polling stations.

The legal framework for the referendum held on the same day as the elections was largely inadequate for a democratic process and did not provide equal opportunities for referendum campaigns. Voters were not provided with objective and balanced information on the choices they had and their binding effect, which goes against established international good practice.  

Following an inclusive candidate registration process, candidates were largely able to campaign freely. However, the campaign itself was characterised by a pervasive overlap between the ruling coalition’s campaign messages and the government’s information campaigns, amplifying the advantage of the ruling coalition and blurring the line between state and party. In a highly negative campaign, the war caused by the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine moved to the top of the agenda, with both the ruling and opposition parties using the situation to launch personal attacks.

“For voters to be able to make an informed choice, it is fundamental that contestants have equal access to the media and run informative campaigns rather than focus on polarizing messaging and personal attacks, as has unfortunately been observed here,” said Kari Henriksen, special co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission. “We also observed that women were underrepresented in the campaign, as well as in political life overall. I would like to encourage political parties to include more women at all levels, and make sure they participate in developing the political decisions that have such an influence on their lives.”

Election preparations were managed professionally and efficiently. The election administration, however, did not enjoy the full trust of all candidates. Some 8.2 million people were registered to vote. While political parties and civil society expressed confidence in the accuracy of the voter register, recent legislation weakened important safeguards, and different rules for out-of-country voting undermined the principle of equal voting rights for all.

“It was good to see that election day was so well managed. However, we also see many flaws in the election process, with numerous prior recommendations to strengthen legislation still unaddressed,” Mark Pritchard said. “I encourage the incoming government to be more ambitious in improving its election legislation, at the very least by allowing citizens to engage in independent election observation. That would do much to improve the trust in the election process.”

The transparency and accountability of campaign finance were adversely affected by the lack of disclosure requirements, extensive, unregulated spending through third parties and limited enforcement of the regulatory framework. At the same time, the observation mission noted that widespread government advertisement campaigns paid from the state budget reinforced the main ruling party campaign messages, providing an undue advantage. While some election disputes were properly handled, in many cases no effective legal remedy was provided.

Hungary’s media is sharply divided in an increasingly concentrated market. Ahead of the elections, biased and unbalanced news coverage permeated the public and many private media outlets, mostly to the benefit of the ruling party. Voters’ ability to make an informed choice was limited by this as well as by the absence of debate between the main contestants.

“While it was good to see that yesterday went smoothly in most polling stations across the country, an election is far more than voting day,” said Jillian Stirk, head of the ODIHR election observation mission. “Numerous shortcomings already became clear in the period running up to the vote, from the biased media through to the all-pervasive linkage of state and party. I very much hope that the government takes the opportunity offered by the presence of our observation team to work towards improving the democratic process for the future of all citizens.”

The international election observation mission to the Hungarian parliamentary elections and referendum totalled 312 observers from 45 countries, consisting of 221 ODIHR-deployed experts and long-term and short-term observers, and 91 parliamentarians and staff from the OSCE PA.

For more information, please contact:

Katya Andrusz, ODIHR: +48 609 522 266 or katya.andrusz@odihr.pl

Anna Di Domenico, OSCE PA: +45 601 08380 or anna.didomenico@oscepa.dk

515030 Munira Shoinbekova, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe

Eight prominent women politicians from the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians of Tajikistan have helped promote the issue of gender mainstreaming in a study visit to Skopje, North Macedonia. The event was part of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe’s support to gender mainstreaming, and was jointly organized with the OSCE Mission to Skopje from 29 March to 1 April 2022.     

In Skopje the participants met with the Women Parliamentarians' Club of North Macedonia, the Committee on Equal Opportunities and other relevant government and civil society organizations working in the area of gender mainstreaming in politics.

The delegation learned about their experiences in establishing the women’s parliamentary caucus in their country, its co-operation with civil society and the value of such an initiative can contribute in Tajikistan, as well as gender mainstreaming in law making and gender budgeting. 

Lolita Ristova, Chair of the Women Parliamentarian's Club of North Macedonia, explained how the Club had developed, since it began in 2003 as: “an informal consultative body for the promotion of the rights and positions of women, which includes women MPs with a current mandate. Over the years, the Club has focused on uniting women from different political parties to find common solutions and address gender equality in a political arena.”

Describing the establishment of the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians of Takijistan, Dilrabo Mansuri, Deputy Chairperson of MajlisiNamoyandagon of MajlisiOli from the Lower Chamber of Tajikistan’s Parliament, explained that the Alliance was now: “at a new stage of development and the main goal of our study visit was the exchange of experience on its further functioning.” Mansuri emphasized that: “the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians of Tajikistan as a new platform fully reflects the desire of the country's Parliament to make a worthy contribution to increasing women's participation in all spheres and in introducing a gender dimension in legislative acts”.

The aims of the study visit were to help in further motivating women politicians, to exchange experiences and contacts and to discuss challenges many face in their societies.

Highlighting the success of the visit Rezart Mehmet, from the Human Dimension Department of the OSCE Mission in Skopje said: "We hope that our shared knowledge and expertise in gender mainstreaming by different institutions of North Macedonia will be utilised by counterparts in Tajikistan and that our co-operation will continue.” 

WARSAW, 2 April 2022 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau, concluded his visit to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. The trip focused on existing security challenges and efforts towards sustainable peace as well as strengthening the co-operation between the OSCE and the three states in the South Caucasus region. Throughout the visit from 29 March to 1 April, Minister Rau noted the impact Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has exerted on the security situation in the region. In all capitals he paid particular attention to the situation of the conflict-affected populations.

In Georgia, the OSCE Chairman met with President Salome Zourabichvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani, and First Deputy Chairman of the Parliament of Georgia George Volski joined by other parliamentarians from the ruling party and opposition.During his talks in Tbilisi,, Minister Rau reiterated the OSCE’s support for Georgia in resolving its internal and external challenges, including through the OSCE’s continued efforts in the Geneva International Discussions and meetings of the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism.

“We will continue our substantive support for Georgia in meeting its commitments in all three dimensions of the OSCE. The conflict context remains a priority and I am hereby represented by my Special Representative Ambassador Viorel Moșanu,” said Minister Rau. “Our goal will be to sustain diplomatic processes, maintain open communication channels and avoid deliberate or accidental escalation,” he added.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office  also thanked his Georgian partners for Tbilisi’s engagement in the peace processes in the South Caucasus, including the Peaceful Neighbourhood Initiative. He also held a visit, organised with the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, to the administrative boundary line in Odzisi.

During his visit to Azerbaijan, the OSCE Chairman met with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. The talks focused on the OSCE’s engagement towards lasting and sustainable peace, and finding solutions to outstanding issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia. “We hope to make headway, particularly in urgent humanitarian issues, such as the release of detainees, exchange of information about missing persons, demining, and protection of historical and cultural sites,” he stressed.

In Baku, as well as in Yerevan, Rau highlighted the role of his Personal Representative Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and offered that his involvement could be enhanced: “His work can bring added value by promoting security, building trust, facilitating humanitarian access and contributing to other vital issues”.

In Armenia, Minister Rau met with President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. “Poland’s Chairmanship of the Organization strongly supports all initiatives aimed to facilitate dialogue, which is indispensable to deescalate the persisting tensions on the ground. We are calling on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage in negotiations in good faith in order to come up with a comprehensive solution to all unresolved issues,” he stressed.

Minister Rau emphasized the OSCE’s positive contribution to reform efforts through the “Armenia Co-operation Programme”. He also proposed ideas on how the Organization could consolidate its efforts in and with Armenia and assist the country in dealing with current challenges.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office furthermore welcomed the diplomatic initiative to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey, underling that “this process could help improve stability in the wider region.”

BELGRADE, 1 April 2022 – International observers will hold a press conference to present their preliminary conclusions following the presidential and early parliamentary elections in Serbia.

NB Due to physical distancing requirements, only a limited number of journalists can attend the press conference in person. All others will have the opportunity to watch and ask questions via Zoom. Broadcast media wishing to film the press conference will be prioritized for personal attendance.

What:

• A press conference of the international election observation mission for the presidential and early parliamentary elections in Serbia
• The press conference can be attended in person or via Zoom (details below)
• You can also follow the livestream on www.facebook.com/osce.odihr, www.oscepa.org and on the European Parliament website

Who:

• Kyriakos Hadjiyianni, Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observers
• Aleksander Pociej, Head of the delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
• Thijs Reuten, Head of the delegation from the European Parliament (EP)
• Bryndis Haraldsdottir, Head of the delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA)
• Douglas Wake, Head of the ODIHR election observation mission

When:

• 15:30 local time  (GMT +2) on 4 April 2022

Where:

• Metropol Palace Hotel, Ivo Andric Ballroom A, 69 Bulvar Kralja Aleksandra, Belgrade.

Registration:

• No registration is necessary if you are attending the press conference in person, but only questions from journalists will be taken.
• To take part via Zoom, please register with Thomas Rymer, ODIHR election observation mission spokesperson, thomas.rymer@odihr.rs, and Marek Mracka, media analyst, marek.mracka@odihr.rs, by 11:00 local time on 4 April.

BUDAPEST, 1 April 2022 – International election observers will hold a press conference to present their findings following the parliamentary elections in Hungary.

NB Due to social distancing requirements, only a limited number of journalists can attend the press conference in person. All others will have the opportunity to watch and ask questions via Zoom. Broadcast media wishing to film the press conference will be prioritized for personal attendance.

What:

• A press conference of the international election observation mission to the parliamentary elections in Hungary
• The press conference can be attended by journalists and invited guests only (see below)
• You can also follow the livestream on www.facebook.com/osce.odihr and www.oscepa.org

Who:

• Kari Henriksen, Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission
• Rt Hon. Mark Pritchard, Head of the OSCE PA delegation
• Ambassador Jillian Stirk, Head of the ODIHR election observation mission

When:

• 14:30 local time (GMT +2) on 4 April 2022

Where:

• Liz Ballroom, Budapest Marriott Hotel, Apáczai Csere János u. 4

Registration:

• To take part via Zoom, please register by 11:00 local time on 4 April using the following link.

The international election observation is a joint mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA). The mission totals 316 observers from 45 countries, made up of 221 ODIHR experts and long- and short-term observers, and 95 parliamentarians and staff from the OSCE PA.

For more information, please contact:

Katya Andrusz, ODIHR: +48 609 522 266 or katya.andrusz@odihr.pl

Anna Di Domenico, OSCE PA: +45 60 10 83 80 or anna.didomenico@oscepa.dk

515027 Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Ton van den Brandt

On 28 and 29 March 2022, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) Teresa Ribeiro visited the institutions of the European Union in Brussels.

The Representative had a hearing before the Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament (DROI). She also met with the Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), with its Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group, and with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Michael Šimečka.

Additionally, Ribeiro met with European Commission Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Competition and Digital Agenda Margrethe Vestager, with Vice-President and Commissioner for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová, and with Commissioner for Equality Helen Dalli.

Ribeiro also met with the Permanent Representative of France, currently holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, and with the Chair of the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA). She also met with several representatives of media freedom and digital rights organizations.

Ribeiro discussed current challenges to media freedom in the context of the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, and the overall situation related to media freedom and media pluralism across EU Member States. In addition, Ribeiro and her EU interlocutors discussed upcoming and currently negotiated EU legislation, including the Digital Services Act, the AI Act, the Anti-SLAPP directive and the Media Freedom Act. They discussed strengthening co-operation and synergies to promote independent and pluralistic media, to ensure the safety of journalists, on the rule of law, on independence of media regulators, and on the support to journalists working in Ukraine, under the extreme and challenging conditions during the ongoing war, and those fleeing the Russian Federation.

The Director of the Office of the OSCE Representatives on Freedom of the Media and other team members also met with the European Data Protection Supervisor and Directors General and Heads of Units at the European Commission, discussing issues including fundamental rights in the digital context, strategic litigations against public participation, the prevention of radicalization, and media and information literacy. They also met with the Managing Director for Human Rights, Global and Multilateral Issues and Head of Unit for the OSCE at the European External Actions Service, and with the Vice-Chair of EPRA, the European Platform of Regulator Authorities.

It was agreed that the RFoM will meet virtually with additional Commissioners (for the Internal Market, Neighborhood and Enlargement, Justice, and International Partnerships) and the EU Special Representative on Human Rights.

WARSAW/VIENNA, 31 March 2022 - OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau and Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid expressed their sincere regret that no consensus was reached on the extension of the mandate of OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, the Organization’s largest field presence and a key component of its response to the crisis in and around Ukraine.

“I deeply regret that we could not reach agreement on the extension of the Special Monitoring Mission’s mandate due to the position of the Russian Federation. For the past eight years, the Mission has been playing crucial role by providing objective information on the security and humanitarian situation on the ground and relentlessly working to ease the effects of the conflict on the civilian population,” Chairman Rau stressed.

“The crucial tasks the Mission has carried out, including facilitating localised ceasefires for the repair of critical infrastructure and being our eyes and ears on the ground cannot be overestimated,” he said.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the brave men and women of the Mission. I had the privilege to see their work first hand during my visits to Ukraine. I am extremely proud and impressed by the professionalism, commitment and dedication they have demonstrated – and continue to demonstrate - in often tense and volatile situations,” Secretary General Schmid said.

She also underscored that “In this challenging time, duty of care for our staff is Organization’s first and foremost priority.”

“We will continue to support international and national mission members, both those evacuated from Ukraine and remaining in the country,” she underscored.

Foreign Minister Rau underlined that Polish Chairmanship will continue consultations with the participating States on the OSCE’s future role and presence in Ukraine.

While those discussions continue, the SMM will maintain its administrative status as an OSCE field operation, and continue to carry out functions including ensuring the safety and security of mission members, assets and premises. Chairman Rau and Secretary General Schmid once again reiterated their call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and engaging in constructive dialogue. Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine must stop.

The Special Monitoring Mission was established in March 2014, following a request by the Ukrainian government to the OSCE, and a consensus decision by all 57 participating States.

With 1,291 mission members (814 international and 477 national staff), the SMM is by far the biggest mission in the OSCE.

Since its deployment in March 2014, the Mission issued 2432 daily reports and 242 spot reports.

In 2021 alone, the monitoring teams carried out nearly 18,000 patrols and facilitated close to 400 “windows of silence”, enabling the repair and maintenance of critical civilian infrastructure facilities such as water, gas and electricity networks benefitting civilians on both sides of the contact line in eastern Ukraine.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine continues to fulfil its mandated tasks, including a focus on educational activities on significantly increased risks to civilians in Ukraine from mines, abandoned ordnance and other explosive remnants of war. Upon a joint Chair and Secretary General’s instruction, the Project Co-ordinator has developed plans for the possible re-establishment of a limited physical presence in western Ukraine.

514922 Marina Živaljević

From the very beginning of the European Youth Card programme, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro has strongly supported the development of this initiative in Montenegro, was the conclusion of the meeting of Siv-Katrine Leirtroe, Deputy Head of the Mission and Jugoslav Radović, Director of the Centre for Youth Education and Programme Director of European Youth Card Association (EYCA) on 31 March 2022 in Podgorica.

The meeting, which discussed previous and future co-operation with the EYCA, was also attended by Josep Moline, Director of the Department for International Co-operation and Vice President of the EYCA, and Nuria Ramon Perez, Director General of the Youth Agency in the Government of Catalonia.

Leirtroe said that OSCE’s focus on youth and their involvement in democratic processes reflects the commitments made by 57 participating states of the OSCE and the current and previous Chairpersonships.

“The work of the Mission targets strengthening of youth engagement in policy development, sustainable peace and creating a prosperous future. The Mission has provided continuous support to the EYCA since its foundation and we are satisfied that the OSCE contributed to better positioning and stronger development of EYCA in Montenegro,” said Leirtroe, adding that within last four years, the EYCA Montenegro distributed more than 20.000 cards, providing thousands of possibilities for discounts for young women and men on travel, accommodation, culture, education, products and other services in over 30 countries.

After presenting the work and results within the EYCA programme, Radović said that they are proud of the partnership with the OSCE Mission. “We see today’s meeting and visit of our colleagues from Barcelona as another proof of the quality work of our project team. We look forward to future joint activities within the EYCA programme,” said Radović.

In recognition for the longstanding and successful co-operation, Ivana Vujović, Mission’s Democratization National Programme Officer, received the certificate of appreciation for continuous contribution and support to implementation of EYCA project in Montenegro.

Communication and Media Relations Section Alexandra Taylor

A three-day train-the-trainer course on countering terrorist financing (CFT) through investigations for North Macedonia concluded on 31 March 2022 in Vienna. The course was organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, jointly with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and with the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje. It aimed at strengthening the capacity of officials from North Macedonia to co-operate in conducting efficient CFT investigations.

Eight trainers from the Republic of North Macedonia’s Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Financial Intelligence Office, and the Intelligence Agency and Customs, worked together with lead experts to further tailor scenarios and course material for local participants. This review based on areas considered a priority threat will allow experts from North Macedonia to understand and apply a number of analytical and investigative techniques in a practical environment and further their skills to identify, investigate and disrupt the financing of terrorism.

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

The multiyear programme aims to build up North Macedonia’s CFT framework and increase the country’s capacity to detect and combat terrorist financing and strengthen compliance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, Financial Action Task Force standards, and OSCE commitments.

514892 Communication and Media Relations Section Alexandra Taylor

On 30 March 2022, 11 practitioners from Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe took part in an interactive, online OSCE workshop on inclusive youth engagement in preventing and countering violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism (P/CVERLT).

It was the second part in a workshop series in which P/CVERLT practitioners discussed challenges and good practices for meaningful outreach to youth who are or feel isolated from society, their community and/or peers and often are not reached by P/CVERLT programmes.

At the first workshop held on 15 July 2021, facilitators and participants jointly probed what it might feel like to be young and alienated, and identified practical steps towards effective and inclusive youth engagement.

In this second part, participants examined how to successfully work with a diverse group of young people in ways that allow for meaningful and equal participation. Central questions included: how do I engage with young people beyond my usual networks? How do I ensure that the learning environment remains inclusive and positive for all participants? How can I be mindful of my privilege? Techniques for inclusive dialogue and the engagement of credible and trusted peers were examined. Participants were invited to share relevant case studies of their own youth activities for their review and leveling up on youth inclusion.

The workshop is part of the OSCE Leaders against Intolerance and Violent Extremism (LIVE) initiative, a flagship training programme that seeks to strengthen the resilience and capacity of communities. LIVE promotes context-specific efforts against violent extremism developed and led by women, youth and community leaders.

The workshop was designed for graduates of the LIVE training programme to further build their skills and to provide expert support in implementing inclusive P/CVERLT programmes and initiatives. The workshop drew on expertise and facilitation by a facilitator of Human Security Collective, an OSCE partner in the LIVE initiative.

The OSCE’s LIVE initiative consists of three different training courses tailored to youth, women and community leaders across the OSCE area. From 2018, the Action against Terrorism Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE field operations, has delivered a series of regional LIVE train-the-trainer seminars for South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and supports OSCE field operations in their implementation of national LIVE training courses.

THE HAGUE, 30 March 2022 – OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov is deeply concerned about the appeals he has received from Ukraine, including from representatives of national minorities, about the humanitarian situation in the country.

Abdrakhmanov joined the international community in calling for an end to hostilities. “I, like many representatives of the international community, am alarmed by the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine. The human rights of children, women and men must be protected, and there should be no distinction on the basis of ethnicity, language, religion or culture.” He said that he is closely following the situation of national minorities within Ukraine, as well as in the wider region. “In any war, national minorities are often among those who suffer the most,” he added, recalling experiences from previous conflicts globally.

He recalled the situation in the OSCE region 30 years ago, which led to the establishment of the institution of High Commissioner on National Minorities. “As we have seen time and again, national minority issues are intimately connected to security. When these issues are well managed, we have the conditions for peace, stability and prosperity in Europe,” he said.

As part of suggestions on the way ahead from the perspective of his mandate, Abdrakhmanov warned against the dangers of instrumentalizing and politicizing minority issues. “It is important to refrain from this at all times, including for future reconciliation and recovery efforts in Ukraine, but also for the preservation of peace and security in other participating States,” he said. “At this moment, there is the potential for misunderstandings or even the deliberate misuse of minority issues for political gain. We must guard against this,” he added.

He pointed out that now, more than ever, there is a need to strengthen the social cohesion of all participating States. “Balanced, pragmatic and inclusive policies that are the result of inclusive dialogue with all of the relevant stakeholders are the best recipe to strengthen social cohesion,” the High Commissioner said. In this context, he reminded the participating States that his institution has published nine sets of Recommendations and Guidelines that can help governments implement policies that support the integration of society.

Abdrakhmanov also called on representatives of participating States to ramp up their efforts to monitor, prevent and combat hate speech and discrimination against national minorities in their own States.

The High Commissioner on National Minorities also commended the efforts made by Ukraine’s regions and neighbouring countries to respond to the ongoing displacement of millions of people. “Host communities have opened their arms to refugees. That is admirable, and I urge relevant authorities to also pay due attention to supporting the social cohesion of host communities when designing an overall response to the refugee crisis,” he said.

Abdrakhmanov stressed that his interactions with national minorities highlighted specific vulnerabilities that those communities face during times of conflict and while in displacement. “Access to humanitarian assistance should be provided without any discrimination. Host countries and the organizations assisting them should help address the specific needs of the Roma community, including those associated with lack of documentation,” he added. The High Commissioner recalled that most of the people fleeing the conflict are women and children, some of whom have a minority background. “The response should also meet their specific needs,” he said.

Abdrakhmanov said he is ready to support dialogue through quiet diplomacy, as per his mandate and in co-ordination with other OSCE offices and international partners. He also pledged to make his office’s expertise available in thematic areas such as language, education and overall integration policies, in support of a peaceful settlement as soon as clear contours and the potential for progress appears on the horizon, and on the request of the OSCE participating States.

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The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, co-organized together with the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, workshops on 9, 29 and 30 March 2022 in Tashkent on best practices and challenges in the field of youth crime and drug use prevention. The workshops also addressed the need to strengthen educational programmes to foster youth’s understanding of these threats.

The workshops brought together representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry for Public Education, the Ministry for Higher and Specialized Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry for Support of Mahalla and Elders, the Agency for Youth Affairs, the Anti-Corruption Agency, the Center on Drug Control, the Prosecutor General’s Office for Combating Economic Crimes, and school teachers, university professors and civil society experts.

Upon the request from Uzbek authorities, a tailored training-of-trainers programme will be developed. The programme will focus on training state actors, teachers, professors, and members of civil society on the use of the UNODC Education4Justice and Global Programme on Prevention materials. These training manuals introduced during these workshops provide guidance on effective ways of educating youth on the threats of organized crime, corruption and drug use.

In his opening remarks, Akbar Tagaev, Head of Department of the Ministry of Public Education emphasized: “The Uzbek government recognizes that investing in prevention of crime, corruption and drug use among youth is more effective than fighting its consequences. To effectively prevent these threats among youth, we need to expand the knowledge of young people, to strengthen their immunity against organized crime, corruption and drug use”.

Project managers from the OSCE Secretariat Transnational Threats Department and from the Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities  emphasized that the OSCE stands ready to assist the Republic of Uzbekistan in fostering prevention of organized crime, corruption and drug use by improving youth education on these threats.

The workshops were held in the framework of the OSCE-wide project “Enhancing youth crime and drug use prevention through education on legality and awareness campaigns addressing threats of organized crime and corruption”. The project, financed by Germany, aims to prevent transnational organized crime, corruption and drug use, by complementing criminal justice efforts and promoting respect for the rule of law through education.

VIENNA, 29 March 2022 – From 4 to 6 April 2022, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe will be hosting the 22nd Conference of the Alliance against Trafficking in Persons. The Alliance will focus on protection and assistance – and specifically, the application of a victim-centred approach to support victims of trafficking and to uphold their rights. 

Speakers include: OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Valiant Richey, OSCE Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Matteo Mecacci, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Violence against Children Dr. Najat Maala M’jid. High level anti-trafficking authorities from Albania, Canada, Finland, France, Israel, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Poland, Turkey, the UK, and the USA, together with survivors of trafficking and other experts, will also be speaking at the Conference. 

The Conference will be conducted in person in Vienna and via Zoom. Registration for online participation will be open until Wednesday, 30 March, 17:00 CEST (UTC/GMT+2) 

For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Lilia Rotoloni (Lilia.Rotoloni@osce.org) or OSCE Communication and Media Relations Section (press@osce.org.)

514798 OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

On 29 March 2022, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized an online seminar on the tasks and functions of non-profit organizations (NPOs) and their supervising agencies in the implementation of the 2021-2022 national Risk Management Action Plan (RMAP) in preparation for the Eurasian Group’s (EAG) anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) mutual evaluation process.

Representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, the Financial Monitoring Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Bar Association, legal assistance licensees, and representatives of NPOs involved in the EAG evaluation process attended the seminar.

An international expert from Lithuania elaborated on the roles of NPOs and government agencies in the implementation of RMAP and provided an overview of the roles and tasks of identifying and mitigating AML/CFT risks. The session also presented best practices and necessary measures for NPOs to provide quality information on technical compliance, effectiveness and statistics, as well as recommendations on how to successfully prepare NPOs for the EAG mutual evaluation. 

“Governance problems such as corruption and money laundering deprive states of the ability to effectively ensure sustainable economic, social and environmental development and undermine social cohesion, stability and security,” said Ivana Markovic-Boskovic, Economic and Environmental Officer of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“The OSCE is fully committed to countering money laundering, as well as terrorist financing, putting it as a priority policy task. In particular, protecting NPOs from terrorist financing abuse is both a critical component of the global fight against terrorism and a necessary step to preserve the integrity of NPOs and the donor community,” added Markovic-Boskovic.

The seminar is a continuation of the Centre’s long-term support to the Government of Turkmenistan in advancing its AML/CFT system in compliance with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards.

VIENNA/WARSAW, 28 March 2022 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau will visit Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia from 29 March to 1 April for meetings with high-level officials.

In Georgia, Minister Rau will meet with President Salome Zourabichvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and First Deputy Chairman of the Parliament Giorgi Volski.

During his visit to Azerbaijan, he will meet with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

In Armenia, Rau will meet with President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. 

The trip will focus on promoting peaceful cooperation, dialogue, and stability in the South Caucasus region.

For more information about Poland's 2022 OSCE Chairmanship, please visit the OSCE website: https://www.osce.org/chairmanship.

VIENNA/WARSAW, 28 March 2022 – To achieve progress on implementing the commitments made by all OSCE countries to resolve disputes peacefully and ensure stability in the region, urgent consultation is needed to increase co-operation to protect civilians and investigate and prosecute violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, OSCE leaders said at the opening of a two-day conference today.

Some 250 people from across the OSCE region registered for the meeting in Vienna, the first time it has been held in person since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives of OSCE states, civil society, international organizations and national human rights institutions will discuss the legal obligation to safeguard civilian populations, as well as the need to document violations wherever they take place, and to find innovative tools to assist human rights defenders on the ground.

“Initially, we have planned the first human dimension meeting during Poland’s Chairmanship-in-Office to be focused on general aspects of the promotion and protection of human rights. However, Russia’s invasion on Ukraine dramatically changed the situation, as it has changed the world we live in,” said Polish Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Zbigniew Rau. “Every day of this invasion we see with horror the Russian forces attacking civilians, including women and children. I condemn in the strongest terms the unprovoked Russian military aggression against Ukraine. I will spare no efforts to mobilize international community to stop the war. This is the only way to restore a respect for international humanitarian and human rights law in the invaded country. This is also the only way to maintain comprehensive security in the OSCE area.”

International humanitarian law expressly prohibits deliberate attacks against civilians, and requires states to protect  all those who are not directly participating in the hostilities from attack, violence or terrorist acts. They also need to allow rapid and unimpeded access of humanitarian relief to civilians in need, including food and medicine, and create humanitarian corridors when necessary. Countries are obliged by international humanitarian law to take every effort to prevent violations from taking place, as well as later investigating and prosecuting war crimes.

“It is vital that obligations under both international humanitarian and human rights law are upheld, and civilians are protected from harm during armed conflicts. But whenever bombs fall, human rights and democratic guarantees are under threat,” said ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci. “We are currently bearing witness to the suffering of innocent civilians and the denial of human rights to millions of people, making our discussions today all the more important.”

In order to ensure the accountability of perpetrators, it is important to discuss how information about potential abuses can be investigated and documented in the context of international armed conflict, which tools and methodologies have been developed to this end, and what the greatest challenges are in collecting and compiling information.

In today’s digital world, technology offers innovative opportunities for human rights defenders to document human rights violations during armed conflict, with their work relying to a great extent on digital technologies to improve fact-finding missions. At the same time, human rights defenders have themselves increasingly become the target of threats, including from states using high-tech surveillance software. Providing tools for defenders to avoid internet disruption, hacking, cyberbullying, or even life-threatening danger, is therefore ever more important.

All OSCE countries have committed to “respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law including the protection of the civilian population” in the event of armed conflict taking place. In the same document, they recalled “that those who violate international humanitarian law are held personally accountable”.

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 is the first such meeting of 2022, with two more planned for this year.

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On 24 March 2022, the OSCE organized an online regional workshop on developing a training curriculum for law enforcement and judiciary on gender-based violence. The curriculum will be delivered during a regional train-the-trainers course, as part of the project Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence in South-Eastern Europe (2021-2024). Tailored workshops to further adapt the curriculum to the national contexts will be organized for each project beneficiary country: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

The event was attended by the members of the regional Advisory and Co-ordination Board and national Multi-Agency Committees, established as part of the project. In total, 55 representatives of law enforcement, judiciary, civil society, social welfare, health and educational institutions, as well as OSCE field operations and regional and international partner organizations attended the event and contributed to the sessions.  

The project, run by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department’s Strategic Police Matters Unit, aims to increase the public’s trust in criminal justice responses and the level of reporting of cases by enhancing the capacities of criminal justice systems to prevent and combat gender-based violence.

The main goal of the workshop was to agree on the content of a regional state-of-the-art curriculum for law enforcement and prosecution services on gender-based violence. This curriculum aims at covering gaps in training identified during a mapping conducted in South-Eastern Europe by the OSCE Gender Issues Programme.

514768 OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

An OSCE-organized regional workshop on the Lapis Lazuli transit and transport corridor started in Ashgabat on 28 March 2022.

Held in a hybrid format, the two-day workshop served as a platform to introduce the strategy on the implementation of the Lapis Lazuli transit and transport corridor. The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat commissioned the development of the strategy and an action plan of its implementation in an effort to support the signatory countries of the Lapis Lazuli transit and transport agreement in operationalizing the corridor. The strategy aims to contribute to enhancing regional economic integration and transport, drastically reducing geographical distances by the smart use of all modes of transport.

More than sixty representatives from the four signatory countries of the Lapis Lazuli Agreement: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Turkmenistan attended the workshop. In addition, the Secretary General of the Permanent Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Commission TRACECA, the Leader of Component 3 of the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia and OSCE experts participated in the event, presenting best practices of trade and transport facilitation.

During the opening session, John MacGregor, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, noted a number OSCE commitments addressing economic connectivity and transport facilitation. “Clearly, there is a strong correlation between increased co-operation and connectivity at borders, increased trade, and improving economic growth,” he said. “This joint work on the Lapis Lazuli corridor will absolutely benefit the peoples of all of the signatory countries through economic growth,” added MacGregor.

Representatives from the four signatory countries shared their comments and suggestions for updating the strategy and the action plan. The Centre will facilitate a review process, making the strategy and its action plan an integral part of the signatory countries’ national development strategy, thus nationally driven and owned. To this end, the workshop enabled the participants to identify the next steps to further support national partners across the corridor realize fully their transport and transit potential.

The workshop was organized within the framework of the Centre’s extrabudgetary project “Strengthening State Border Service Capacities of Turkmenistan” and supported financially by the Government of Norway.