OSCE

Communication and Media Relations Section

On 15 January 2023, reports with video footage and images appeared on social media showing OSCE-branded vehicles being transported on trucks through the Russian Federation border checkpoint of Izvaryne into the Luhansk region of Ukraine.

These vehicles had been temporarily stored in a parking facility in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. They were stored there after OSCE personnel drove the vehicles from non-government-controlled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk to Rostov-on-Don — the safest and quickest evacuation route at the time — following 24 February 2022.

While those personnel were able travel onward, however the vehicles were held back for customs processing. Since then, the OSCE has persistently worked with the Russian Federation in order to retrieve the vehicles, but despite numerous efforts and proposals, including at the level of Secretary General, the Russian Federation had not yet authorized the OSCE to retrieve its property.

Upon seeing the reports of the vehicles being moved from Rostov-on-Don, the OSCE immediately has sent a formal request to Permanent Delegation of the Russian Federation to the OSCE seeking an explanation as to the vehicles’ whereabouts.

The Secretary General provided an overview of the current state-of-play to the Permanent Council on Thursday 19 January.

The OSCE has not had a presence in areas outside of the Ukrainian government’s control since March 2022. As such, the OSCE cannot independently verify the physical location of the vehicles. Any use of OSCE-marked vehicles in the Donbas region is unauthorized and is not undertaken by the OSCE.

536142 Communication and Media Relations Section

Amidst the continuing aggression against Ukraine, the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) must do all it can to help stop the war and diminish its impact on Ukraine and the region, said Josip Brkić, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in opening the country’s FSC Chairmanship on 18 January 2023.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina, given its tragic and relatively recent history, certainly feels the pain of people in Ukraine. It is quite fitting for this Forum, tasked with both security and co-operation, to do our utmost to contribute toending the bloodshed and work on restoring and maintaining lasting peace and co-operation,” he said.

Over the next four months, the Chairmanship’s activities will draw on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s experiences. Its priorities will include lessons from regional approaches to Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition, the implementation of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security, demining, and increasing the number of women in decision-making positions related to peace and security.

“We have much work to do. And, around this table in particular, we need a lot more dialogue and a lot less monologue from all of us. We owe it to our citizens and to our children to do our best to put our differences aside and bring an end to the wars, bloodshed and conflicts across the OSCE region. Let us do our best and come together — for a common good and our common future,” added Brkić.

The Chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-operation rotates three times a year. It takes the lead in setting the agenda for each meeting of the Forum and brings attention to issues concerning the implementation of commitments adopted by the Forum.

536130 OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities

From 9 to 11 January 2023, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov conducted an official visit to Albania.

During his visit, he met with representatives of the Ministries of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Education and Sports, Culture, the Institute of Statistics/INSTAT, the Committee on National Minorities, as well as a range of international interlocutors.

The High Commissioner welcomed Albania’s ongoing work concerning national minorities, including recent updates to the legislative and institutional framework. “The promulgation of several key pieces of legislation and the subsequent establishment of the Committee on National Minorities are important milestones that contribute to social cohesion and help to strengthen the integration of Albania’s diverse society,” Abdrakhmanov said.

Interlocutors noted that Albania’s EU accession process is creating suitable conditions for harmonizing the domestic framework on national minorities with regional standards.

In a discussion with the General Director of INSTAT, the High Commissioner welcomed the planned census, noting that diversity governance policies are more effective when based on  robust evidence. The data collected from the population census can serve as a key tool in the allocation of State funding and the formulation of such policies.

High Commissioner Abdrakhmanov also expressed his support for Albania’s steady progress, both domestically and in bilateral relations, and assured his interlocutors of his readiness to support the authorities on all matters within the scope of his mandate, including by providing technical assistance and capacity development to State bodies dealing with matters related to national minorities.

The High Commissioner thanked Ambassador Guido De Sanctis, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, and his team, for the longstanding co-operation and support provided throughout the visit.

ERGNETI, 17 January 2023 - The 110th Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) was held in Ergneti today, under the co-facilitation of Dr. Tibor Kozma, Acting Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (EUMM) and Ambassador Viorel Moşanu, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the South Caucasus.

The EUMM and OSCE representatives commended the commitment of the participants to the IPRM format. Ambassador Moşanu referred to the priorities of the 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship of North Macedonia and vowed to continue previous efforts on improving the situation of the conflict-affected population on the ground.

The co-facilitators welcomed the temporary opening of two crossing points along the South Ossetian administrative boundary line (ABL) in late December, while expressing their regrets that a similar approach was not applied during the Orthodox Christmas period. Further, the co-facilitators reiterated their calls for the full re-opening of crossing points for regular cross-ABL traffic that would allow the conflict-affected populations to live more safely as well as better secure their livelihoods.

Dr. Kozma and Ambassador Moşanu also voiced their concern about the continuously high number of active detention cases, advocating for their immediate release.

IPRM participants discussed recent emergency evacuations, as well as issues that impact the security situation and livelihoods of the conflict-affected population, including continued ‘borderisation’ activities.

The participants agreed to convene the next IPRM on 2 March 2023 and a technical meeting on water irrigation issues on 3 March 2023.

536085 Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

The September 2022 early parliamentary elections in Italy were competitive, with fundamental freedoms respected. Media coverage of the campaign was extensive and varied, creating the conditions for citizens to make an informed choice. The elections were run professionally and efficiently, and the various bodies administering them enjoyed a high level of confidence. Nevertheless, some aspects of the electoral legislation needing further review were of concern. These included those related to the criminalization of defamation, the need to allow citizen observation, insufficient transparency and scope of campaign finance regulation, and further efforts to promote women’s participation in political life.

These are some of the main conclusions of the final report assessing the 2022 early parliamentary elections, published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report makes 14 recommendations to bring Italy’s elections more in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.

Some key recommendations include:

• Consolidating the electoral legal framework through an inclusive consultative process, removing existing gaps and further aligning legislation with international standards and OSCE commitments;
• Allowing independent candidates to run for office;
• Strengthening freedom of expression by increasing protection of journalists against threats and intimidation and by repealing criminal sanctions for defamation;
• Introducing measures to deter the abuse of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) affecting the media;
• Enhancing the regulation of the campaign and its media coverage to ensure an environment in which candidates have fair opportunities to campaign, including online;
• Reviewing the gender quota system in order to increase the representation of women in parliament.

ODIHR deployed an Election Assessment Mission on 13 September 2022 to observe the early parliamentary elections. All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations. For more information, see the ODIHR Electoral Recommendations Database.

KYIV, 16 January 2023 –The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, completed his visit to Kyiv today.

During his visit, Chairman Osmani observed first-hand the terrible toll Russia’s senseless and unjustified war continues to have on the people of Ukraine and called on the Russian Federation to immediately end the aggression.

This is the first official visit by Minister Osmani as OSCE Chairman-in-Office since North Macedonia began its Chairpersonship on 1 January 2023.

“I am here today to reiterate our strong support for Ukraine and to convey a firm message; the Russian aggression against Ukraine is unjustified and unprovoked. In our capacity as OSCE Chairpersonship we will continue to offer OSCE assistance and support in these challenging times,” Osmani said.

During his visit Chairman Osmani met the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

“The grit and bravery of Ukrainian women and men, in the face of this calamity deserve our utmost admiration and respect. Ukraine will be a top priority for our Chairpersonship. Being here today demonstrates our commitment and we will not waver. We cannot and will not merely accept what is happening. Instead, we will engage and use the OSCE toolbox to actively seek a way to restore peace and the full respect of our principles and commitments,” he added.

Chairman Osmani emphasized the OSCE’s continued role in Ukraine and asserted that the Organization will remain engaged and committed to assisting the country in these unprecedented times.

“Once peace is restored and Russia has withdrawn its forces from Ukraine’s sovereign territory, the OSCE will be able to offer its full toolkit to help Ukraine recover from the wounds of this war. The OSCE helps now during the war through the donor-funded Support Program for Ukraine, but it will do even more during peace,” Osmani said.

On 1 November 2022, a new donor-funded Support Programme for Ukraine was launched by contributing OSCE participating States.

The new OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine consists of several, multidimensional projects aimed at supporting the civilian population affected by the war and further strengthening Ukraine’s institutions. Activities will include supporting humanitarian de-mining efforts, improving disaster risk reduction, and supporting the reform efforts of the Ukrainian government.

WARSAW, 23 January 2023 – Following the demonstrations that took place across Kazakhstan in January 2022, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) is continuing to monitor trials in the country to assess their conduct and contribute to their overall transparency and fairness.  

The right to a fair trial is a cornerstone of democracy. Following a welcome invitation by the Kazakh authorities and in co-operation with the Supreme Court, ODIHR began monitoring open trials related to the events of January 2022 in November last year. ODIHR is focusing on high-profile cases against former or current public officials, political and civil society activists, those involving charges of torture and other serious human rights violations, and cases against the organisers of the January 2022 events.

ODIHR’s monitoring is taking place in cities across the country, including in Almaty, Taldykorgan, and Taraz. So far, the Office has monitored 13 criminal cases and attended more than 70 court hearings, both in person and online.

The Office is not assessing the merits of the cases themselves, focusing mainly on the court procedures and their compliance with international democratic standards, evaluating the extent to which the right to a fair trial is respected. ODIHR has extensive experience in trial monitoring, with all monitors following well-established principles of impartiality and objectivity, ensuring at the same time that they in no way interfere in the process itself. ODIHR expects to publish a report summing up the monitoring findings and including a set of concrete recommendations in the first half of this year.

All OSCE countries have committed to abide by the rule of law, to allow the presence of observers in courts as a confidence-building measure, and to ensure the right to a fair and public trial by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.

VIENNA/SKOPJE, 16 January 2023 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani will visit Ukraine today and meet with high-level officials.

This is the first official visit by Minister Osmani as OSCE Chairman-in-Office. 

Minister Osmani’s meetings will focus on the humanitarian and security challenges that the country is facing due to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. The discussions will also include the most pressing needs of Ukraine’s people, institutions, and civil society, as well as the OSCE’s role in bolstering the country’s resilience and addressing the numerous emerging challenges.

Minister Osmani will also visit the Kyiv region to observe first-hand the impact of the war on civilians and civilian infrastructure and get aware of the scope of international assistance needed in the area.

For more information about 2023 OSCE Chairmanship of North Macedonia, please visit the OSCE website: https://www.osce.org/chairmanship.

Vienna, 12 January 2023 — In these critical times for European security and stability, the Chairpersonship of North Macedonia will strive to manage and prevent conflicts and alleviate suffering by placing the people at the heart of its work, said Bujar Osmani, Foreign Minister of North Macedonia and OSCE Chairman-in-Office, during his address to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna today.

Referring to the hardship caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine, Osmani said: “Those directly exposed to war and conflict suffer the most. Those afar feel the insecurity and uncertainty. Their way of life is at stake. Everyday life is disrupted. They need to be freed from fear of war. Our mutual trust is deeply undermined.”

Expressing hope for the future, Osmani highlighted the Chairpersonship’s motto, ‘It’s About People’, as a driving force for the year ahead. “It’s our duty to react today. For the people. They look for our support.”

He emphasized that safeguarding people’s interests is the OSCE’s obligation and also within its capacity. He underscored that the Organization needs to keep delivering in difficult times and it is up to the 57 participating States of the OSCE to determine if they “have a strong and unequivocal political will to overcome the challenges for the sake of peace, stability and prosperity”.

Despite the challenging geopolitical context, the Organization has “proven its potential”, but needs additional support through adoption of its unified budget, Osmani said. “Principles and commitments shall not be only blank phrases. On the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, history will remember us by our deeds, not by our promises, deliberations and statements. We must translate words into action to ensure OSCE functionality.”

Turning to the coming year, Osmani said the Chairpersonship will continue to put attention on addressing regional instability and the potential for new conflicts. He explained how the Chair will do its part to ensure the OSCE continues its efforts preventing conflict, restoring peace and security, and promoting co-operation. This includes supporting sustainable economic growth and environmental co-operation, as well as upholding human rights and promoting tolerance and non-discrimination.

“On this road, both our successes and failures will be yours too. Today’s hard times require wisdom, accountability for our actions and commitment to the principles of the Helsinki Final Act,” Osmani said. “Let us not fear the future and waste today but work for a better tomorrow. For the future of our Organization. For the future of the people.”

SKOPJE, 10 January 2023 - The 2023 OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani, held two separate telephone conversations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov. The conversations with the ministers focused on the situation in the South Caucasus region, with a particular emphasis on the Lachin corridor.

Minister Osmani emphasized that he is carefully following the situation around the Lachin corridor. He expressed his concerns about its effect on the daily lives of the civilian population. He called for all sides to ease tensions and engage in constructive and productive dialogue.

Chairman Osmani assessed that measures for building trust and normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as part of the OSCE toolkit, are key elements to overcome ongoing challenges that affect people on the ground.

In this context, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Osmani reiterated his readiness for personal engagement to help defuse tensions, and contribute to efforts towards sustainable peace. He also announced that he will hold subsequent separate visits to Armenia and Azerbaijan.

VIENNA, 9 January 2023 — OSCE Chairman-in-Office (CiO) and Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, will present the programme of the 2023 Chairpersonship of North Macedonia to the OSCE Permanent Council on Thursday, 12 January.

Journalists are invited to cover the OSCE CiO’s speech set to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, 12 January as part of a pool (spaces limited). The CiO’s speech will also be livestreamed on https://www.osce.org/live.

Following the formal inauguration of North Macedonia as OSCE Chair, a press conference by OSCE CiO Osmani and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid will take place at 12:30.

The press conference will be held in English and also be livestreamed on https://www.osce.org/live.

Please register for the press conference (in-person participation only) no later than 12:00 noon on 11 January by sending an email to press@osce.org with your name, outlet and profession. If you wish to be considered for a pool position, please also indicate this in your message.

North Macedonia took over from Poland as Chair of the OSCE on 1 January 2023. OSCE CiO Osmani will outline the programme of North Macedonia for the 2023 OSCE Chairpersonship, with a focus on the OSCE’s impact on the ground throughout the region and its critical importance to supporting and empowering people. Ukraine will remain a central priority and a key security issue for the CiO, as will supporting sustainable economic growth and environmental co-operation. The Chair will put a particular emphasis on engaging with youth and civil society as driving forces for building vibrant and resilient democracies.

The latest information from the OSCE CiO of North Macedonia can be found at https://www.osce.org/chairmanship and on Twitter: @Bujar_O and @OSCECiO.

The OSCE Permanent Council is a decision-making body gathering representatives of all 57 participating States of the Organization and 11 Partners for Co-operation. It convenes weekly in Vienna to discuss developments in the OSCE area and to make decisions.

535587 Jeff Bieley Edita Buçaj

Twenty-three Kosovo Police officers and representatives of civil society organizations took part in the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Training against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE), held from 14 to 16 December 2022.

TAHCLE is designed to improve police skills in recognizing, understanding and investigating hate crimes. It adds to the abilities of police officers to better prevent and respond to hate crimes, interact effectively with victim communities, and build public confidence and co-operation with law enforcement agencies.

The three-day Training-of-Trainers focused on the impact of bias crimes on affected communities, hate crime laws, and dignified treatment of victims during all legal proceedings. Participants further increased their knowledge about the role of police, support to victims and recording of such crimes, and were also equipped with training skills to cascade the knowledge to their colleagues and continue enhancing capacities for a better response to hate crimes.

Lieutenant Bahri Bylykbashi, Head of the Coordination, Administration and Training Support Unit at the Kosovo Police said, “We were very happy to have this training brought to the Kosovo Police and enhance our capacity in the investigation of hate-bias events. As a police official, it is important to train my colleagues to look further while investigating and identify if there are bias indicators/motivations. As the policing environment evolves, our staff must remain aware that the best community is diverse and we must remain conscious of the nuances of that diversity.”

Speaking about the impact of the training, Rajmonda Sylbije, Program Director of the non-governmental organization Centre for Social Group Development (CSGD) said, “As one of the participants from civil society, I cannot begin to tell you how valuable the training, materials and resources have been to me. It was also valuable as it brought together the Kosovo Police officers of different ranks and civil society organizations. I know that I alone cannot change the world but I can strive to be an agent of social change and have an impact on one person at a time. The training is an invaluable tool to combat and address hate crimes and hate incidents and helps me to make positive changes within my community.”

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated to protect and promote human and community rights, as well as democratization and public safety sector development. It remains committed to supporting institutions in improving the recording, responding and preventing of hate crimes.   

535554

On 27 December, the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan, together with the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, the Republican Commission on the Advancement of the Role of Women in Society, Gender Equality and the Family, and the Committee on Women and Gender Equality of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, held an opening ceremony of the "Women's Education and Support Center" under the Department of Family and Women of Kibray district, Tashkent region.

This center aims to support  women from vulnerable groups, and their families. It is expected that the participants will work three to four days a week in the confectionery shop, and the rest of the days they will be trained in communication, time management, emotional intelligence and stress management.

Mr. Hans-Ullrich Ihm, Acting Head of Mission, while opening the ceremony, said: “The actual employment of women was the starting point for this project. But when we thought about opening a small bakery, we realized that women still need to be able to function in a business environment, so we developed a training program to help them.

We hope that the women, who will get trained to become pastry chefs, will simultaneously train other women in the program, passing on their passion and newly acquired skills.”

535356 Jeff Bieley Edita Buçaj

Between October and November 2022, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo facilitated 48 lectures on media and information literacy for students at public universities in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica South, Pejë/Peć and Gjakovë/Ðakovica.

A total of 185 students participated in these lectures and acquired key media literacy skills. They delved into specific topics such as the effects of new media, the new context of communication, the construction of news, the role of the media regarding gender stereotypes, advertising literacy, multiculturalism in media, propaganda, political campaigns, fake news, verification and fact-checking.

The lectures followed similar co-operation with public universities in Prizren and Gjilan/Gnjilane in 2021, and the development of a comprehensive media literacy curriculum for higher education in 2019 together with the Department of Journalism at the University of Pristina.

In recent years, due to the necessity for students to possess media and information literacy skills in the current digital era, the topic was included as an elective course in primary and high schools, and some universities. In addition, the public universities in Prishtinë/Priština, Gjilan/Gnjilane and Gjakovë/Ðakovica, with their current study plans, envision media and information literacy to be taught as a mandatory course from 2023/2024 onwards. This will enable students to analyse media and how it affects their lives and communities, but also prepare them for their careers.

“Through our work with universities we encourage students to think critically about the content they receive daily so that they recognize disinformation and fake news. I am very pleased to see that students of Prishtinë/Priština, Gjilan/Gnjilane and Gjakovë/Ðakovica universities will now have media literacy as an obligatory course,” said the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Michael Davenport. “I am glad that our longstanding collaboration with higher education institutions is helping young people to navigate a complex media landscape,’’ he added.

Over the past years, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo has undertaken a number of activities on media and information, including educational shows, campaigns and lectures for students of elementary and high schools students, and public universities. In co-operation with DokuFest, it also organized training workshops for around 70 high school teachers between 2018 and 2022.

The Mission encourages all public universities to integrate media literacy as a core course, and will continue supporting higher education in Kosovo to achieve this goal.

535338

Ten journalists covering security and small and light weapons (SALW) issues from different media outlets in Albania travelled to Belgrade from 19 to 22 December 2022 to learn from the best regional practices and share experience with Serbian colleagues. Representatives from the Albanian Ministry of Interior, the Albanian State Police, the National SALW Commission and the Ministry of Interior of Serbia joined the meetings.

The OSCE Presence in Albania organized the media exchange visit in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia and with the engagement of the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) and UNDP Serbia.

“Media role in raising awareness to reduce the risk of SALW is an essential part of the project ‘Assisting the national authorities of the Republic of Albania to decrease the risk of weapon proliferation and misuse of SALW’,” said Xhenis Ballco, the National Project Officer. 

During the visit, the Albanian journalists heard from Serbian journalists, members of the “Media against violence network”, how this network composed of 90 journalists helped them enhance reporting quality. They also had the opportunity to sit together, for the first time, with Albanian officials to discuss how to improve co-operation between the interested parties. The journalists and the officials expressed their commitment to maintain and intensify the dialogue on matters concerning them.

The media are a key factor on informing and educating the public, by directly contributing to the SALW Control Roadmap[1] goal four “By 2024, significantly reduce the supply, demand and misuse of firearms through increased awareness, education, outreach and advocacy”. Also, partnering with media is crucial for the OSCE Presence, as part of its mandate and efforts to promote freedom of expression.

The activity aimed at enhancing the role of media in public awareness raising campaigns and at assessing reporters’ capacity building needs regarding quality reporting, based on the Western Balkans best practices. It will be followed by capacity building and other supporting activities for the journalists.

The “Assisting the national authorities of the Republic of Albania to decrease the risk of weapon proliferation and misuse of SALW” project is implemented by the OSCE Presence in Albania, with the financial support of the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of France.

[1] https://www.seesac.org/f/docs/publications-salw-control-roadmap/Regional-Roadmap-for-a-sustainable-solution-to-the.pdf

Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

The 16 members of the newly appointed Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly and Association under the auspices of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will start their four-year term on 1 January 2023.

Coming from a variety of backgrounds, including academia, legal professions, assembly policing and civic and human rights activism, the panel members bring together a whole breadth of experience and knowledge on the fundamental rights to freedom of peaceful assembly or freedom of association from across the OSCE region. In addition to their expertise, panel members were selected with a view to ensuring a gender- and age-balanced composition as well as geographical representation from across the OSCE region.

The Panel consists of:

• Ena Bavcic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Anja Bienert (Germany, reappointment)
• Adam Bodnar (Poland)
• Milena Costas Trascasas (Spain, reappointment)
• Tatiana Glushkova (Russian Federation)
• David Goldberger (United States, Emeritus, reappointment)
• Jane Gordon (United Kingdom)
• Katerina Hadzi-Miceva Evans (North Macedonia, reappointment)
• Michael Hamilton (United Kingdom/Ireland, reappointment)
• Rafael Ishkhanyan (Armenia)
• Nela Larysova (Czech Republic)
• Jeremy McBride (United Kingdom/Ireland)
• Jonathan Peters (United States of America)
• Denis Shedov (Russian Federation)
• Volodymyr Yavorskyy (Ukraine)
• Yevgeniy Zhovtis (Kazakhstan, reappointment)

The panel has been acting as an advisory and consultative body to ODIHR since its establishment in 2006. Initially focusing only on freedom of peaceful assembly, its mandate was expanded to also cover freedom of association-related issues in 2015.

The main role of the panel is to provide advice, guidance and recommendations to ODIHR, and through ODIHR to countries across the OSCE. In this way, ODIHR helps to ensure legislation on freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association is in line with international human rights standards throughout the region.

VIENNA/SKOPJE, 1 January 2023 — Today, North Macedonia takes over the OSCE Chair with a main focus on the needs of the people.

“It is a great responsibility and honour to assume the Chairpersonship of the OSCE for 2023. Our goal will be to focus on the very principles of the Helsinki Final Act, in the interest of and for the needs of the people,” said Bujar Osmani, Foreign Minister of North Macedonia and the new OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Osmani highlighted the Chair’s overarching priority to reinforce a focus on the ground and its critical importance to supporting and empowering people, which he described as “the final beneficiaries of OSCE output”.

“Our plan is to reach out and lend a hand to conflict-affected populations, but also to others in need,” he said. “We see the OSCE as a perpetual provider in mitigating crisis and supporting peace and thus we must take appropriate action to enable the OSCE to provide space for its versatile toolbox.”

Turning to ongoing conflicts in the OSCE area, Osmani said Ukraine will remain a central priority and a key security issue. “The unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine has undermined the European security architecture and threatens the peace and stability of the continent and beyond,” he said.

“The Chairpersonship will also maintain the essential functions and operations of the Organization, ensuring that it is able to support areas affected by conflicts across the OSCE region. Regional instability and the potential for new crises require continued attention.”

In these critical times for European security and stability, North Macedonia’s activities as Chair will be guided by strict observance of OSCE principles and commitments, said Osmani. “Safeguarding OSCE values and respect for international law must be a shared priority. This is of utmost importance. Rebuilding trust and engaging in meaningful dialogue presupposes full compliance with the agreed OSCE commitments and principles. We all have to be accountable for our actions. This is the formula for the way forward.”   

The OSCE Chair of North Macedonia will also focus on supporting sustainable economic growth and environmental co-operation, which are essential for human security and vital in the pursuit of peace and prosperity for people in the OSCE region. It will uphold human rights and promote tolerance and non-discrimination as prerequisites for comprehensive security. Reviewing the implementation of human dimension principles, the Chair will engage with youth and civil society as driving forces for building vibrant and resilient democracies.   

“The OSCE has proved that it is a relevant and important part of regional and global efforts through its unique, holistic approach to security,” said Osmani. “North Macedonia will work to ensure that the OSCE remains a vital part of effective, security-related multilateral efforts.”   

Minister Osmani will officially inaugurate North Macedonia’s Chairpersonship and outline its priorities at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting in Vienna on 12 January 2023.

535116 Kunduz Rysbek

About 50 regional officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic participated at two in-person trainings courses, which took place from 16 – 18 April in Osh, from 12 – 13 September in Cholpon-Ata and from 6 to 8 December in Bishkek.

During the trainings, the participants discussed the current state of the national anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) system, enhanced their knowledge on parallel financial investigation, as well as on the main problems and risks in the field of AML / CFT. In addition, during the practical section the participants were able to exercise in detection of ML/FT financing schemes based on real cases. The trainings will enable them to advance their work in the effective fight against money laundering and terrorist financing and intensify coordinated cross-agency co-operation.

The trainings were organized in the framework of the OSCE UB project “Assisting the Kyrgyz Republic in Countering Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism”. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of the state bodies of the Kyrgyz Republic in countering the laundering of proceeds from crime and the financing of terrorism. The project contributes to the improvement of the national AML/CFT system, strengthening of international and interagency cooperation, as well as improving the professional skills of employees.

525333 Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

The June 2022 parliamentary elections in France took place in a competitive and pluralistic environment, with all fundamental freedoms respected. Voters received ample and diverse information that enabled them to make an informed choice among numerous candidates registered in an inclusive manner. While the issue of equality of the vote across electoral constituencies needs to be addressed, and some technical aspects of the electoral process could be improved, the elections were effectively administered and enjoyed a high level of public trust.

These are some of the main conclusions from the final report on France’s 2022 parliamentary elections, published today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). The report offers 14 recommendations to bring elections in France closer in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections.

Recommendations include:

• Reviewing constituency boundaries periodically to ensure equal voting power;

• Conducting mandatory training of polling board chairs to ensure effective and consistent management of election day proceedings and making the recount of valid ballots possible in order to safeguard the integrity of the voting results;

• Ensuring the security of citizens’ personal data to enhance public confidence in the electoral process;

• Making the mechanism of defining political affiliation of candidates clear and transparent for voters, political contestants and the authorities;

• Facilitating access of all candidates to bank accounts and enhancing campaign finance transparency;

• Reviewing the existing legal framework regulating media concentration, defamation and measures to protect media from strategic lawsuits;

• Ensuring effective resolution of election disputes, including complaints related to the registration of candidates before the election days;

• Developing internal party policies to enhance women’s visibility in the campaign;

• Guaranteeing the access of citizen and international observers to all stages of the electoral process.

ODIHR deployed an Election Assessment Mission on 2 June 2022 to observe the parliamentary elections. All 57 participating States across the OSCE region have formally committed to following up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.

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On 5-16 December 2022, the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), in close co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a two-week train-the-trainers course on identifying forged documents and impostors at border crossing points with the use of specialised equipment in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The hands-on training was delivered by experts from the Federal Ministry of the Interior of Austria and benefited nine (8 men, 1 woman) instructors from the Agency for Education and Professional Development (AEPMT) and the Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Border Police who completed the basic course organised in 2021.

Participants improved their knowledge of the latest trends in the forgery of documents and the diversity of new travel document security features. They strengthened their technical expertise and practical skills in detecting counterfeit documents by conducting document verification using the forensic equipment donated by the OSCE in March this year. Moreover, they worked on real travel and identification documents in analysing the techniques for morphing and detecting stolen identities.

This training cycle will be complemented by a study visit, which will be the concluding activity of the first training cycle of the OSCE’s project for enhancing operational awareness of border security and management officers to detect forged documents and impostors at border crossing points in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s. The project is aimed at supporting OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation in their efforts to reduce the number of people that manage to illegally cross borders using a fake or stolen identity.

The above-mentioned donation of the specialized equipment and the subsequent trainings on its use were made possible by the financial support of the United States of America