Central Europe

STOCKHOLM, 10 February 2021 — OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid concluded yesterday a two-day visit to Sweden for discussions with the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde.

“The Minister and I have already been working closely since Sweden’s tenure as Chair began in January, and I am pleased to have such a strong advocate for multilateralism leading the OSCE this year,” Schmid said. “As my first country visit as OSCE Secretary General, it underscores the importance I place on supporting the OSCE Chair in their efforts to build security throughout the OSCE region.”

The Secretary General’s talks addressed how to work together to support the Chair’s priorities across the OSCE comprehensive security agenda, as well as how to ensure the Organization has the resources it needs, and uses them effectively.

Discussions included ways in which the Chair and Secretariat can support efforts to address and resolve the ongoing conflicts and crises in the OSCE area, including concrete steps to improve the situation of people affected by conflicts.  They highlighted how working effectively across the OSCE agenda and structures, including in addressing transnational threats, is important to support sustainable progress.

Linde and Schmid agreed that further engaging civil society and youth and advancing gender equality, particularly the women, peace and security agenda and women’s economic empowerment, is essential to comprehensively building security. Schmid also met members of the Swedish Women’s Mediation Network to discuss how to strengthen women’s roles in peace processes in practice and to support the role of women mediator networks.

The Secretary General met the Head of the Swedish Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Johan Büser, and Deputy Head of the Swedish Delegation and Vice President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Margareta Cederfelt. They agreed on the value of strengthening cooperation with the Parliamentary Assembly and parliamentarians across the OSCE agenda.

Reflecting on the Secretary General’s visit, Chairperson-in-Office Linde said, “The Secretary General and I have had fruitful discussions in Stockholm on how we can continue to collaborate in addressing security challenges in the region and supporting participating States throughout 2021. In these challenging times, it is crucial that the OSCE continues to deliver political accountability and contributes to conflict resolution in line with the commitments that all participating States have agreed to.”

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded 42 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 106 ceasefire violations in the region.
• The Mission recorded five ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 15 ceasefire violations in the region.
• The SMM saw fresh damage to a functioning school in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka, Luhansk region.
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and again saw containers inside and near the southern edge of the area near Zolote.
• The SMM spotted for the first time anti-tank mines near Zaitseve, Donetsk region.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable operation and maintenance of critical civilian infrastructure and demining activities.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and five corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at a border crossing point near and a railway station in Voznesenivka (formerly Chervonopartyzansk), Luhansk region.*

Information for Google Short title:  United States 2020 general elections 477766 Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

The general elections in the United States of America were highly competitive and well managed in spite of the legal uncertainties and logistical challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Aggressive rhetoric and unsubstantiated claims about election fraud reduced public trust in the process. However, formal procedures put in place ahead of the election, together with committed civic engagement, led to high voter participation despite the many challenges. These are some of the main conclusions of the final report on the November 3rd US general elections, published today by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The report offers 38 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections in the United States of America and to support the country’s efforts in bringing them in line with OSCE commitments, as well as other international obligations and standards for democratic elections.

Recommendations

Key recommendations include:

• Reviewing the Electoral College system to ensure respect for the principle of equality

• Drawing district boundaries in good time and independently of partisan considerations

• Introducing safeguards to prevent legal changes that could be discriminatory or have a negative impact on racial and linguistic minorities

• Ensuring that all people with criminal convictions regain their voting rights upon completion of their sentences

• Reducing the numbers of voters who remain unregistered, for example by addressing burdensome procedures and obstacles frequently faced by disadvantaged groups

• Ensuring that voter identification requirements are equally accessible to all voters, including through federal standards for voter identification for both in-person and postal voting

• Requesting public officials, political parties, their candidates and supporters to refrain from using inflammatory or discriminatory rhetoric

• Establishing enforcement mechanisms to protect and foster vibrant and healthy digital public domain ​

• Creating rules for basic electoral procedures at the federal level, including time limits for voter registration, early voting deadlines and procedures, rights of observers and deadlines for settling pre- and post-election lawsuits

• Revising the way in which members of the Federal Election Commission are chosen to ensure effective and independent oversight and enforcement of campaign finance law

• Ratifying the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) to better protect and promote voting rights

• Making sure that the commitment made by all OSCE states to provide access for international and citizen observers to all stages of the electoral process is enshrined in law

ODIHR’s Limited Election Observation Mission to the November 3, 2020 general elections in the United States of America took up its work on 29 September 2020 and remained in the country until 15 November. All 57 countries across the OSCE region have committed to follow up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.

477805 Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Ton van den Brandt

In a meeting on 9 February with Danish Ambassador René Dinesen, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro, took positive note of the current media situation in Denmark.

They discussed several issues regarding media freedom, including the impact of artificial intelligence on the freedom of expression and the challenges posed to media freedom by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

Ribeiro welcomed the Danish government’s initiative, in early 2020, to provide a compensation scheme to financially support the media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She underlined that the OSCE can play a significant role as a platform for the exchange of similar good practice amongst the OSCE participating States.

477799 Željka Šulc

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) was the focus of the Annual Security Review Days organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which concluded today, 9 February 2021.

Annual Security Review Days (ASRD) provide a unique platform for security experts, practitioners and decision-makers to improve the security of BiH citizens by advancing security sector governance and reform in view of relevant international security commitments.

During a panel discussion and focus groups meetings, participants jointly considered progress, good practices and challenges in reporting and the implementation of BiH commitments related to UNSCR 1325. Participants included representatives from state and entity-level ministries and institutions as well as staff from international organizations, academia and civil society. 

In her introductory remarks, Kathleen Kavalec, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, emphasized that UNSCR 1325 reaffirmed the importance of women as key actors in conflict prevention, peace negotiations, conflict resolution, humanitarian response, and post-conflict reconciliation. “As such, it forms the bedrock of OSCE commitments and of our shared vision of comprehensive security,” added Kavalec.

The Mission continues ensuring gender equality, aiming to further streamline its activities this year, also in line with the priorities of the Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship.

“States that respect human rights and democratic principles are more secure and provide better living conditions for their citizens. When women’s right to representation is ensured in security discussions and peacebuilding it increases the legitimacy and sustainability of the outcome. For these reasons the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda is a Swedish priority globally. In BiH Sweden supports gender institutions at state and entity levels, we are a strategic partner to UN Women as well as several civil society organizations. We are happy to continue to work with OSCE and local partners to support the implementation of the National Action Plan”, says Johanna Strömquist, Ambassador of Sweden to BiH.  

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the adoption of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. By reaffirming the important role of women in the maintenance and promotion of peace and security, this landmark resolution also embodies key principles of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security. Accordingly, this special ASRD event focused on implementing UNSCR 1325 and the associated National Action Plan in BiH.

The UN Resident Coordinator in BiH, Ingrid Macdonald, says that BiH was the first state in South-Eastern Europe to develop a National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. Completed in 2010, this translated the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 into goals for the country.  “Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s third National Action Plan calls for increased participation of women in decision-making.  Because when women’s participation, rights and interests are part of policy making, everything changes,” she added.

“BiH has adopted the third Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 for the period 2018-2022, which represents the commitment of governments to the continuous and systematic implementation of this resolution in BiH,” explained Samra Filipović – Hadžiabdić, Director of the Agency for Gender Equality of BiH. She said that the gender aspect must be taken into account in response to current security threats and challenges; such as violent extremism, the increased number of migrants, and the consequences of climate change.

Elaborating on key achievements, Radmila Žigić, Director of Lara Foundation from Bijeljina, stated that the struggle for the rights of women and girls survivors of conflict related sexual violence was fought on several fronts. It included efforts such as calling for criminal justice implementation and destigmatizing survivors, and reducing the culture of denial and forgetfulness. She emphasized that: “Although the rights of survivors are not uniform in all parts of the country and many survivors of sexual violence will not experience justice and satisfaction, this society has to face the truth - that conflict related sexual violence against women is a crime, it cannot and must not be disputed and unpunished.”

Željka Šulc

SARAJEVO, 9 February 2021 - On February 5, the newly appointed City Council of Mostar adopted a decision to conduct the election of the mayor of Mostar by public ballot. 

This decision contravenes Article 36 of the Statute of Mostar, which states that the elections in the City Council must be conducted by secret ballot. 

We, the undersigned, call on the City Council to bring its voting procedures back into compliance with the Statute of Mostar and to repeat the first round of elections for the mayor of Mostar. A country aspiring to become an EU Member State must adhere to the principles of the rule of law.

We call upon all city councilors to show responsibility and to swiftly elect the Mayor in full accordance with the rule of law and the Statute of Mostar in its next session. 

The OSCE Mission to BiH, the European Union Delegation/European Union Special Representative, the Embassy of the United Kingdom, the Embassy of the United States, and the Office of the High Representative.

VIENNA, 9 February 2021 — Fostering military transparency and building mutual confidence and trust among OSCE participating States is the aim of the two-day High-Level Military Doctrine Seminar, which opened today and was organized by the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC) and chaired by the FSC Chairpersonship of the United States.

“The seminar provides an excellent opportunity to discuss current perceptions of European security and to rebuild confidence by presenting and exchanging views on key trends and developments in military doctrines,” said OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid during her opening remarks. “I encourage you to actively engage in these discussions, which are in themselves indispensable trust-building exercises.”

She emphasized how the Seminar’s dialogue can re-establish and reinvigorate communication channels, but that it should not be limited to doctrines. “It should take a wider approach, one that includes confidence- and security-building measures (CSBMs). Indeed, we need to renew our political and military commitments to fulfill our CSBMs both in letter and spirit.”

In his keynote address and representing the US FSC Chairpersonship, United States Air Force General Tod D. Wolters, commander of the United States European Command, called for unity in this “increasingly complex and contested world” to address current security challenges such as political uncertainty, energy competition, and diffusion of disruptive technology.

“Across Europe and increasingly throughout the world, it is our responsibility as military leaders to maintain laser-focus on our comprehensive readiness in all domains and to continue to improve transparency and alignment of our operations, activities, and investments,” Wolters said, adding that all states “must continue, collectively, to let democratic values and fact-based communication lead our actions in order to avoid any misunderstanding or misperceptions.”

General Robert Brieger, Chief of Defence Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces, underlined the acuteness of military challenges in the OSCE region and the rise of interstate tensions and eruption of unresolved conflicts. He said that the Seminar, along with two OSCE intersessional doctrine seminars hosted by Austria in 2017 and 2019, contribute to strengthening the common security of OSCE participating States by providing important opportunities for high-level military to meet and exchange strategic assessments and trends.

Around 350 senior-level military officials and experts from the OSCE’s participating States and OSCE Partners for Co-operation are attending the event.

Participants will take part in five sessions featuring high-level speakers and panel discussions. The first session will explore the current European security situation and assess recent operational trends, while the second will consider participating States’ views on conventional deterrence. The third and fourth will discuss, respectively, strategic competition and its impact on doctrines, and how doctrines can address co-operation. The fifth will highlight the role of military forces during crisis response and how the COVID-19 pandemic is shaping doctrine development.

The High-Level Military Doctrine Seminar, the eighth to take place, is held in accordance with the Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures, which encourages participating States to periodically hold such a seminar. The Vienna Document contains provisions on the exchange of military information, verification and other forms of military co-operation.

SUMMARY

Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy, Russian Federation. The Observer Mission (OM) continues to operate 24/7 at both Border Crossing Points (BCPs). The overall number of border crossings by persons decreased at both BCPs compared to the previous week.  

OPERATIONAL REMARKS

The OM is currently operating with 22 permanent international Mission members, including the Chief Observer (CO). The Mission is supported administratively by a staff member and the Chief of Fund Administration based in Vienna.

Update on COVID-19 measures

Activities have been impacted by COVID-19 and measures undertaken by the OM to ensure the safety and duty of care of its Mission members and compliance with measures set by the host country authorities. The Mission is continuing to keep the situation under review, in close contact with the OSCE Secretariat and the Chairmanship. Following the host country recommendations, the observers are adhering to social distancing. Due to the preventive measures taken by the central and regional authorities, the OM is faced with certain difficulties, but is still able to continue to fulfil its mandate without any limitations in its observation and reporting activities.

OBSERVATIONS AT THE BORDER CROSSING POINTS

Persons crossing the border

The profile of persons crossing the border can be categorized as follows:

1. Adults travelling on foot or by car with little or no luggage.
2. Persons in military-style outfits.
3. Families (often including elderly persons and/or children) travelling on foot or by car with a significant amount of luggage.

The average number of entries/exits decreased from 7,017 to 6,932 per day at both BCPs compared to last week[1].

During the reporting period, the majority of border crossings were to the Russian Federation, with an average net flow of 176 per day for both BCPs. The Donetsk BCP continued to experience much more traffic than the Gukovo BCP.

Responding to the COVID-19 situation, the host country has closed its borders for the majority of foreigners starting from 18 March 2020. Among the exceptions of persons allowed to cross the border (which entered into force on 19 March), are Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons holding passports or identification documents proving permanent residence in certain areas of Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine. In addition, reportedly, due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19, starting from 10 April 2020, the organized passenger transport commuting between the non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region of Ukraine and the Russian Federation was temporarily suspended and restored from 25 June.

Persons in military-style outfits

During the reporting period, the number of persons in military-style outfits crossing the border was 14, compared to eight last week; four persons crossed into the Russian Federation while another ten persons crossed into Ukraine. These individuals crossed the border on foot.

Families with a significant amount of luggage

The OTs continued to report on families, sometimes with elderly persons and/or children, crossing the border at both BCPs with a significant amount of luggage, or travelling in heavily loaded cars. During this reporting week, five families were observed crossing into the Russian Federation while one family was observed crossing into Ukraine, compared to the previous reporting period when seven families were observed crossing into the Russian Federation and two families were observed crossing into Ukraine.

Bus connections                                         

Regular local and long-distance bus connections continued to operate between Ukraine (mostly from/to the Luhansk region) and the Russian Federation. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a slight decrease in the overall number of buses crossing the border at both BCPs (277 compared to 285 observed during the previous week). There were 148 buses bound for the Russian Federation and 129 bound for Ukraine.

On some occasions, the OTs noticed the bus drivers removing the itinerary signs from the windshields of their buses, while some buses did not display their route at all. The majority of long-distance buses commuting between the Luhansk region and cities in the Russian Federation had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region.

Trucks

During the reporting period, the OTs observed a slight decrease in the overall number of trucks crossing the border at both BCPs (777 compared to 787 during the previous reporting week); 397 at the Gukovo BCP and 380 at the Donetsk BCP, 377 of these trucks crossed into the Russian Federation and 400 crossed into Ukraine. Most of the trucks observed by the OTs had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region; however, on a daily basis, the OTs also noted trucks registered in the Russian Federation, Belarus, Lithuania and trucks with “LPR” plates.

The OTs also continued to observe tanker trucks crossing the border in both directions. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a slight increase in the overall number of tanker trucks crossing the border at both BCPs (45 compared to 35 during the previous reporting week). These trucks were observed crossing the border at both BCPs. The trucks had the words “Propane” and “Flammable” written across the tanks in either Russian or Ukrainian. The majority of tanker trucks had hazard signs, indicating that they were transporting propane or a mix of propane and butane. All trucks underwent systematic inspection by the Russian Federation officials, which could include an X-ray check. Due to the unfavourable observation position at the Gukovo BCP, the OTs continued to be unable to observe any X-ray checks.

Compared to the previous week, the total number of X-ray checks at the Donetsk BCP decreased from 135 to 103. The entire number of 103 scanned trucks (100 per cent) was bound for Ukraine.

Minivans

The OM continued to observe passenger and cargo minivans[2] crossing the border in both directions at both BCPs. The OTs observed minivans predominantly with Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region; however, the OTs also saw minivans registered in the Russian Federation. During the reporting period, the OTs observed a decrease in the overall number of minivans crossing the border at both BCPs (117 compared to 141 observed during the previous week); 63 crossed into the Russian Federation and another 54 into Ukraine.

Trains

The OTs continued to pick up the sound of trains on the railway tracks located approximately 150m south-west of the Gukovo BCP. During the reporting week, the OTs heard trains on 17 occasions; the OTs assessed that eight trains were travelling to the Russian Federation and the remaining nine trains were travelling to Ukraine (more details are provided in the sections “trends and figures at a glance” below).

Visual observation was not possible because of the line of trees located between the train tracks and the BCP.

Other observations

The majority of vehicles crossing the border had Ukrainian licence plates issued in the Luhansk region or Russian Federation licence plates. A significant number of vehicles with ”LPR” plates were also observed crossing the border in both directions on a daily basis. The OTs also noticed vehicles with Belarusian, Georgian and Lithuanian licence plates.

During the reporting week, the OTs at Donetsk BCP observed groups of brand-new vehicles on three separate occasions:

On 4 February at 14:53, a group of seven brand-new vehicles with no licence plates, entered the BCP from the Russian Federation and parked at the customs control area. The group consisted of four tractors type Belarus 82.1; two tractors type LOVOL FL 936H and one flatbed truck type MAZ carrying  a tractor type XCMG LW 550RU. Six tractors (Belarus and LOVOL) underwent customs control procedures and left for Ukraine at 21:49. The flatbed truck crossed the border into Ukraine on 5 February at 13:00, after undergoing custom control procedures.

On 5 February at 15:47, a group of six brand-new yellow ambulances type GAZelle with no licence plates, accompanied by a white ambulance type PEUGEOT with "LPR" plates entered the BCP from the Russian Federation and parked at the customs control area. The OT noticed only a driver inside each vehicle. All the vehicles underwent customs control procedures and left for Ukraine at 18:00.  

On 8 February at 13:15, a group of two brand-new white passenger buses type PAZ 320414 Vector entered the BCP from the Russian Federation and parked in the customs control area. The buses had no licence plates. Both vehicles underwent customs control procedures and left for Ukraine at 17:00.  

For trends and figures at a glance covering the period from 5 January 2021 to 9 February 2021, please see the attachment here.

[1]Based on data received from the Regional Representation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for the previous two weeks.

[2]Cargo minivans: light commercial vehicles with a maximum authorized mass of more than 3.5 t and not more than 7.5 t; with or without a trailer with a maximum mass of less than 750 kg (small cargo vehicles which correspond to driving licence C1).

477769 Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Ton van den Brandt

On 5 February, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro met with the Director General of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Noel Curran, to discuss the media freedom situation across the OSCE region and the value of public service media.

The two spoke about long-existing challenges to the safety of journalists and new challenges such as the use of artificial intelligence, while also raising positive examples and best practices. They expressed their shared interest to continue to co-operate on the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism and media freedom.

The existing co-operation on the #SOFJO documentary “A Dark Place” was also discussed. The film was made available to all EBU members, which provides a unique opportunity to increase the RFoM’s ability to raise awareness about online harassment and attacks against women journalists.

Both Ribeiro and Curran underlined the need to strengthen collaboration.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Between the evenings of 5 and 7 February, the Mission recorded 349 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded eight ceasefire violations in the region.
• Between the evenings of 5 and 7 February, the SMM recorded 25 ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded two ceasefire violations in the region.
• Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle close to the railway station in Donetsk city.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. The Mission again saw containers inside and near the southern edge of the area near Zolote and recorded three shots of small-arms fire inside the area near Petrivske.
• The SMM facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable operation and maintenance of critical civilian infrastructure and demining activities. It recorded ceasefire violations near the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), near the time when a bus with DFS workers was driving to the station.
• The Mission continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and four corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM visited two border crossing points outside government-control and monitored border areas in Donetsk region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at checkpoints of the armed formations near Vasylivka, Nova Marivka, Shevchenko, Prymorske, Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske) and Zaichenko, all in southern Donetsk region.*

Information for Google Short title:  Lithuania 2020 parliamentary elections 477727 Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

Lithuania’s 2020 parliamentary elections were managed efficiently despite the COVID-19 pandemic but its legislation, although enjoying broad public trust, contains excessive restrictions on candidacy rights, as well as provisions that can undermine the freedoms of expression and association. Other issues include the need to enhance accountability of alternative voting methods and third-party campaigning.

These are some of the main conclusions from the final report on Lithuania's parliamentary elections of 11 and 25 October 2020, as published by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The report provides 14 recommendations to improve the conduct of elections and bring them fully in line with OSCE commitments and other international standards.

Recommendations

Key recommendations include:

• reviewing restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms to ensure they are based on objective and reasonable criteria, are proportionate and necessary in a democratic society and that they serve a legitimate aim
• ensuring that fundamental amendments of the electoral system, including regarding the membership of election commissions, do not take place in the year prior to elections
• safeguarding the integrity of the electronic vote count through legislative changes that could prescribe means for a trustworthy recount
• ensuring effective legal challenges by guaranteeing judicial review of the validity of election results and prescribing the right of stakeholders to challenge the decision on nation-wide election results with a competent court

ODIHR deployed an Election Expert Team (EET) for the 11 October 2020 parliamentary elections on 5 October and remained in the country to follow second-round contests on 25 October. All 57 countries across the OSCE region have formally committed to follow up promptly on ODIHR’s election assessments and recommendations.

477634

On 5 February, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), John MacGregor handed over personal protection equipment and humanitarian aid to the Deputy Director of the Agency for External Labour Migration under the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Hojiakbar Fayzullahodjayev.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uzbek labour migrants in Kazakhstan and in the Russian Federation found themselves in difficult situations due to layoffs and having to take unpaid leave.

The assistance is aimed to help migrants, who have fallen on hard times because of the pandemic. Aid included protection masks, gloves, mugs and bags as well as personal hygiene products, detergents and antibacterial agents.

The delivery was a part of the OSCE PCUz cross-dimensional project “Supporting the Government of Uzbekistan in fighting the transnational threat posed by the COVID-19 outbreak”.

477628 OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro meeting with Ambassador of Armenia Armen Papikyan, 5 February 2021 Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Ton van den Brandt

On 5 February 2021, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro, met with Ambassador Armen Papikyan to discuss media freedom developments in Armenia and areas in which the RFoM’s institution can provide assistance.

Ribeiro welcomed the assurances that media freedom and safety of journalists are important topics on the government’s agenda. She expressed her readiness to provide support to Armenia on issues regarding media freedom and the freedom of expression.

Ribeiro and Papikyan talked about the challenge of “fake news” and its effects on media freedom, including the importance of media literacy as one of the elements to address the issue.  

Ribeiro and Papikyan further spoke about the regional South Caucasus Media Conference, organized annually by the RFoM’s Office, and agreed to engage in further discussions about the upcoming 2021 event. They also discussed the prospects of co-operation in other areas and a possible visit of the RFoM to Armenia.   

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded eight ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded six ceasefire violations in the region.
• The Mission recorded two ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded no ceasefire violations in the region.
• The SMM saw fresh damage caused by shelling to three civilian properties, and six fresh impact craters in non-government-controlled Syhnalne, Donetsk region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and again saw containers inside and near the southern edge of the area near Zolote.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation and inspection of and repairs to critical civilian infrastructure and demining activities. It recorded an explosion near the Donetsk Filtration Station (DFS), near the time when a bus with DFS workers was driving from the station to Yasynuvata.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and three corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted.*

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded six ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded no ceasefire violations in the region.
• The Mission recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded nine ceasefire violations in the region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and again saw containers and construction works near the southern edge of the area near Zolote.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable operation of critical civilian infrastructure and demining activities.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at five entry-exit checkpoints and four corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM monitored a gathering in Kyiv in relation to recent closures of broadcasting networks.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at a railway station in Pokrovsk (formerly Krasnoarmiisk), Donetsk region.*

477613

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan co-hosted two events, on 2 and 5 February 2021, to discuss the December 2020 address of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on the effectiveness and the results of the 2017-2021 National Action Strategy, as well as the next steps in terms of State development and reforms in the sphere of democratization. The event was co-organized by the Development Strategy Centre, the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan (the Parliament), the National Human Rights Centre, the UNDP's Rule of Law Partnership in Uzbekistan project, the Supreme Court, the United States Agency for International Development, the Chamber of Advocates, the United Nations Country Team in Uzbekistan and the World Bank.

On 2 February, participants discussed the role of Parliament in reform implementation, the rule of law reforms in the judiciary, the efforts in increasing the efficiency of the public administration system, the state of reforms to ensure human rights and fundamental freedoms and the role of the civil society in the reforms.

The event on 5 February focused on current and future priorities necessary to improve the system of State and society building and to ensure the rule of law and reform of the judicial system. The event also revolved around the priorities for economic development and liberalization, for the development of the social sphere, and for ensuring security, interethnic harmony, religious tolerance and a mutually beneficial and practical foreign policy.

John MacGregor, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, opening the event, said: “All of us have carefully listened to President Mirziyoyev’s speech on 29 December 2020. The speech noted our achievements. It also reminded us of what still needs to be done. As with every speech of the president, it was a call for action. The speech was about the need for leaders to take action. We are those leaders.  We must take action. A new 2021 State Programme waits for action. The OSCE PCUz will work harder than ever to give every possible support to the Action Strategy and State Programme priorities. I have championed the reforms because of the reforms’ close connection with OSCE commitments”.

Over 210 participants attended the events, including high-level representation from Ministries, public agencies, think tanks, the international community, civil society organizations and experts.  

477607 Andrii Dziubenko

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the Forum for Security and Co-operation presented, on 5 February 2021, outcomes of three years of OSCE assistance to Ukraine in modernizing its system of protection from threats related to toxic and hazardous chemicals.

The projects, completed this month, focused on three key areas: the regulatory system, laboratory analysis capacity, and control over transboundary movement of chemicals.

“Ukraine is an industrially developed country, and that involves a number of risks, related to hazardous materials used by enterprises in production or moved across borders,” said Henrik Villadsen, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine. “We should not forget about terrorists and criminals that may consider exploiting gaps in the chemical security system,” he said. “Finding and closing those gaps is an imperative for the safety of millions of people working in the industrial sector or even living in the vicinity of enterprises, and we hope that with our help Ukraine will be in a better position to address those threats.”

To help modernize a legal framework in this sphere, the OSCE assisted in developing a draft law on chemical safety and security, revising legislation on incident prevention at high-risk facilities, and two technical regulations – on safety of chemical products, and on their classification, labelling and packaging. Authorities published the four documents to gather stakeholder feedback prior to further approval.

In addition, drafts of 17 national standards for the handling of chemicals were elaborated. This is complemented by legal documents for the creation of a National Reference Center – a laboratory facility able to identify substances. The Center, established at the facilities of Medved’s Research Center of Preventive Toxicology, Food and Chemical Safety, also received equipment for precise, fast and reliable detection and identification of chemicals.

For enhancing border controls over movement of chemicals, the OSCE helped to develop a pilot training programme for the country’s border personnel, 100 border guards and customs service employees were trained in classrooms and through practical exercises. Both State Border Guards and State Customs Service received 60 sets for the quick identification of toxic materials at border crossing points. 

These are the outcomes of the three projects the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the OSCE Forum for Security and Co-operation implemented with the financial support of the European Union and the United States of America.

An online training course on international co-operation in asset recovery and cross-border collaboration prior to and during the mutual legal assistance process, for criminal justice practitioners from Montenegro, was held from 2 to 4 February 2021.

The workshop updated participants on the latest global intelligence developments in asset recovery. International experts introduced and discussed the concept of tactical and strategic use of intelligence development to support filing and submission of mutual legal assistance requests. Participants gained knowledge on effective intelligence sharing mechanisms and a number of regional and global platforms that can facilitate cross-border information sharing in asset recovery cases.

An interactive and immersive exercise tailored specifically for the Montenegrin participants was included. The exercise was based on a case study where participants were divided into groups and discussed strategies based on documents and other information provided during a simulated investigation. They were required to demonstrate strategic, tactical and critical thinking concerning an evolving transnational crime case. This allowed participants to apply theory and practical skills taught during the training.

The workshop was held as part of a training series that the Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities and the Transnational Threats Department organized in the framework of the OSCE extra budgetary project “Strengthening the fight against transnational organized crime in South-Eastern Europe through improved regional co-operation in asset seizure, confiscation, management and re-use”.

The cross-dimensional project is funded by the United States Department of State, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• The SMM recorded no ceasefire violations in Donetsk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded two ceasefire violations in the region.
• The Mission recorded nine ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, it recorded no ceasefire violations in the region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, and again saw containers and construction works near the southern edge of the area near Zolote.
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable maintenance and operation of critical civilian infrastructure and demining activities.
• The SMM continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and three corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission visited two border crossing points outside government control in Donetsk region.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at checkpoints of the armed formations near Zaichenko and near Khreshchatytske (formerly Krasnoarmiiske), southern Donetsk region.*

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

KYIV, 4 February 2021 – Lower levels of violence have been observed since the additional measures to strengthen the ceasefire entered into force on 27 July 2020, but the ceasefıre is fraying in parallel to the absence of substantial political progress, said Yaşar Halit Çevik, Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine.

In his online address to the OSCE Permanent Council today, Ambassador Çevik stressed that “the continuation of this fragile ceasefire depends on political will and productive discussions at the negotiating table.”

The Chief Monitor highlighted that the lack of full compliance with written commitments by the sides, together with mines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive devices have a heavy toll on the lives of civilians. With the onset of the pandemic, civilians, particularly the elderly, have faced additional hardship, with freedom of movement across the contact line severely restricted. The Line of Contact is becoming a Line of Separation, he warned.

Impediments to SMM monitoring of the security situation remained, said the Chief Monitor. Chronic restrictions on its freedom of movement, primarily in non-government-controlled areas, continue; and electronic interference with, and live-fire targeting of SMM unmanned aerial vehicles persist.

As the dangers of COVID-19 remain acute, Çevik said the Mission would continue operating flexibly and adaptively to steer itself through the pandemic crisis. Mitigation measures successfully implemented to protect staff and the local population they serve have not substantively affected the SMM’s ability to monitor the security situation, with the Mission offsetting the reduced number of patrols with a greater reliance on technical means.