Central Europe

VIENNA, 20 December 2019 – OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger will hold a background briefing for media representatives on 8 January 2020 at 11:00, at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna.

As the New Year gets underway, this will be an opportunity for an informal get-together with journalists and for the Secretary General to talk off the record about issues in focus at the OSCE, the organization’s priorities, what to expect in the year ahead, and answer questions about the OSCE’s work.  

Media representatives interested in attending the briefing at the OSCE Secretariat, Wallnerstrasse 6, in Vienna, must register via press@osce.org by Tuesday, 7 January at noon.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission saw personnel of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine driving inside the disengagement area near Zolote and de-miners from non-government-controlled areas exiting it.
• The SMM saw four multiple launch rocket systems in violation of withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region.
• The Mission saw long queues of civilians at checkpoints along the contact line.
• It facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to facilitate repairs to power lines near Luhanske, a water pipeline near Zaitseve and the drilling of water wells near Pankivka,
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at checkpoints of the armed formations near Oleksandrivske and Novoazovsk in southern Donetsk region *

442582 Marina Živaljević

The State Election Commission is better equipped to plan and analyse its work was the conclusion of a two-day lessons learned workshop organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro for the Commission in Podgorica on 17 and 18 December 2019.

Some 25 participants from the State and Municipal Election Commissions discussed their work, identified opportunities for improvement and assessed their needs for 2020, in preparation for the parliamentary elections in autumn.

Đorđije Vukčević, Chair of the State Election Commission noted that the Commission is open to assess mistakes made and ready to implement necessary changes to improve its work. “The State Election Commission and the Mission are working to develop strategies on voter education, gender equality, and persons with disabilities. Work is also underway to develop a logo to enhance the Commission’s visibility,” said Vukčević.

Siv-Katrine Leirtroe, Deputy Head of Mission said that as Montenegro moves towards parliamentary elections, the Mission would continue to provide tailored assistance to the Commission to improve its transparency, integrity, impartiality and accountability. “These are the essential foundations of your work and will serve to earn the trust and confidence of citizens, that the election process is free and fair,” said Leirtroe.

“Commissioners and staff play a key role in the successful administration of elections in Montenegro. Roles that are vital in ensuring that every voter has complete confidence that their vote is secret, and is properly counted,” said Leirtroe. 

Darko Brajović, National Programme Officer, noted that in 2019, the Mission provided technical assistance by organizing five workshops, facilitating study visits to Croatia and Slovenia, and enabling commission members to participate in the European Election Officials Annual Conference in Slovenia. The Mission also donated software developed to process electoral data and installed specialized IT equipment. “With the Mission’s support, the Commission developed an election operational plan, which I anticipate will be adopted and implemented for the 2020 elections”, said Brajović.

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro remains committed to working with the State Election Commission to improve its professional work, transparency and public trust and improve its co-operation with the electoral bodies in the region.

This report is for the media and the general public.

SUMMARY

On 19 December at 06:32 (Moscow time), the ninety-fourth[1] Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of eight vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All eight vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 14:51 on 19 December.

DETAIL

Leaving the Russian Federation

On 19 December at 06:32, the Observer Mission observed the arrival of a Russian convoy at the gate of the Donetsk BCP. The convoy consisted of eight vehicles: one escort car and seven cargo trucks (one civilian, with the other six belonging to the Ministry of Emergency Situation of the Russian Federation). Out of the seven cargo trucks, only one bore the inscription “Humanitarian aid from the Russian Federation” (in Russian). At 06:32, the vehicles entered the customs control area. Once the convoy arrived, the vehicles were visually checked from the outside by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers. The truck drivers rolled up/opened the tarpaulins of the trucks and the border guards and customs officials performed a visual observation from the outside. Two dogs were present and used by Russian Federation border guards to check the vehicles from the outside. One Russian Federation border guard was videoing the convoy crossing.

Four Ukrainian border guards and two customs officers were observed accompanying their Russian counterparts; they also performed a visual observation of the vehicles from the outside (without entering the trucks’ cargo space). By 06:56, all of the vehicles had left the BCP towards Ukraine.

Returning to the Russian Federation

At 14:40, the convoy returned and queued in the customs area. The Russian Federation border guards and customs officers visually checked the returning convoy from the outside. Ukrainian representatives – four border guards and two customs officers – were present during this check. The Ukrainian officials also performed visual checks of the trucks from the outside. Two dogs were present and used by Russian Federation border guards to check the vehicles from the outside. By 14:51, all eight vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation.

[1]Based on the Observer Mission’s counting, this convoy is considered the ninety-fourth convoy that has crossed into Ukraine through the “Donetsk” or “Gukovo” BCPs. However, so far all these convoys crossed through the “Donetsk” BCP.

Communication and Media Relations Section

Representatives from police services and prosecution offices of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia completed a three-day workshop organized by the OSCE in Belgrade on 19 December 2019 on promoting closer co-operation and mutual legal assistance requests among countries of South-Eastern Europe to fight organized crime, particularly through the recovery of criminal assets.

The trainers gave insights into the international financial investigation landscape, providing a detailed presentation of international co-operation networks and mechanisms. They also highlighted the importance of non-conviction based confiscation and explained how to use a pre-mutual legal assistance request. The practical exercises offered the participants the opportunity to learn about the effective use of mutual legal assistance requests as well as how to mitigate the risk of failure.

“It is commonly recognized that the most effective way to disrupt serious and organized crime is to confiscate the revenues from criminal activities,” said Joseph Mellot, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia. “Today’s activity is indeed part of broader efforts of our organization to enhance the fight against organized crime by consistently applying the measure of asset seizure and confiscation. The project aims to improve the effectiveness of the fight against transnational organized crime in the OSCE region by improving regional co-operation among five participating States in South-Eastern Europe.”

The workshop was organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia. It is part of an extra-budgetary project being implemented by the OSCE on strengthening the fight against transnational crime in South-Eastern Europe through improved regional co-operation in asset seizure, confiscation, management and re-use. The project is being conducted with financial support from the United States and Italy.

The workshop will be followed by a judicial review of asset seizure cases in each country in order to identify common gaps and solutions to ensure a more coherent and consistent application of this measure to fight organized crime.

KYIV, 19 December 2019 – An OSCE Parliamentary Assembly delegation holding meetings in Kyiv this week welcomed the resumption of dialogue between the leaders of Ukraine and the Russian Federation and the outcomes of the recent Normandy Four summit in Paris. In discussions, the PA delegation explored ways the Assembly can continue to support Ukraine as well as the incoming OSCE Albanian Chairmanship’s priorities. Ukraine’s decentralization efforts, humanitarian issues, economic reform and good governance were also emphasized.

The delegation, including President George Tsereteli (MP, Georgia), human rights committee Chair Kyriakos Hadjiyianni (MP, Cyprus) and economic and environmental committee Rapporteur Elona Gjebrea Hoxha (MP, Albania), expressed support for a full and comprehensive ceasefire, additional disengagement zones, exchange of detainees, and further humanitarian and confidence-building measures to advance efforts to restore peace and Ukraine’s territorial integrity in eastern parts of the country.

“The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly stands firmly behind Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea,” said President Tsereteli. “We also stand firmly for peacefully resolving the conflict through political and diplomatic means. The recent high-level dialogue between Ukraine and the Russian Federation is a ray of hope and we must build on this momentum to follow up swiftly and keep full implementation of the Minsk agreements high on the agenda of all sides.”

Commending the engagement of the leaders of France and Germany, he added that he was glad to see the commitment for the next meeting of the Normandy Four within four months and noted that it is reassuring that disengagement has taken place in three pilot zones. “The repair of the Stanytsia Luhanska bridge is also a welcome development,” he emphasized, “as well as the commitment to opening additional crossing points.”

Tsereteli, Hadjiyianni and Hoxha met Tuesday with Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov, members of Ukraine’s OSCE PA Delegation and the Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as the leaders of two parliamentary groups, David Arakhamia and Artur Gerasymov, and visited the office of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM). Topics of discussion with Razumkov included outcomes from the Normandy summit and appropriate legislative efforts underway in Kyiv. The delegation encouraged the Verkhovna Rada to maintain the high pace of the parliament's follow-up legislation to the Paris agreements.

A meeting was held Wednesday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, with Tsereteli stressing the PA’s readiness to support the present momentum and further steps towards solutions that improve the plight of people in the Donbas. This would include an involvement in the monitoring of local elections in case demilitarization and other future developments allow for free elections in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. Tsereteli also said that Ukraine’s active participation in the PA is vitally important to maximize the OSCE’s efforts to resolve the conflict, noting that he hopes it will continue in 2020.

Meeting with the SMM Chief Monitor Ambassador Halit Cevik and Deputy Chief Monitor Antje Grawe, the delegation was briefed about the challenges for the mission that stem from last week's agreements in Paris. The PA delegation reiterated the Assembly’s readiness to support the implementation process following the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015. The PA members commended the crucial role the SMM continues to play in the disengagement process through dialogue facilitation, as well as reporting and verification at all stages of the process. It is therefore imperative that the SMM gets unhindered access to effectively monitor these areas, they stressed.

The PA delegation also met with representatives of the diplomatic corps.

This is the sixth time that members of the OSCE PA have visited Ukraine this year, underlining the high priority the PA attaches to the conflict. Supported by the OSCE PA’s Special Representative Amb. Andreas Nothelle and Chief Political Advisor Francesco Pagani, the visit comes a little more than a week after the Normandy Four summit in Paris.

MINSK, 19 December 2019 – The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made the following statement to the press after the meeting of the TCG ‎and its working groups in Minsk on 18 December 2019:

“Today, our discussions were largely influenced by the decisions reached at the meeting of the leaders of the Normandy Four in Paris on 9 December 2019. As you know, the four leaders have agreed on concrete tasks to be implemented by the TCG and its Working Groups.

I am convinced that the successful implementation of these decisions depends both on the political will and on the mutual trust of the sides.

Now, about today’s topics.

With regard to ceasefire, the TCG has adopted the following statement:

“The Trilateral Contact Group, with participation of representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, taking into account the recommendations reflected in the Common Agreed Conclusions of the Normandy Summit in Paris, in accordance with own Statement of 17 July 2019, re-affirms its commitment to a full and comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire, strengthened by the implementation of all necessary ceasefire support measures”.

Also, the Security Working Group started discussions to define three additional disengagement areas.

The Political Working Group addressed the legal aspects of the special status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The meeting of the Economic Working Group was dedicated exclusively to the issues of water deliveries across the line of contact in the conflict zone.

The sides also gave a thorough consideration to the aspect of the exchange of detainees. They made significant efforts to facilitate the release and exchange of conflict-related detainees by the end of the year, and thereby implement the decision of the Normandy Summit in this regard. More steps are yet to be taken to fully implement these expectations.

And now, a few general remarks. Since 2017, the annual death toll among civilians has declined from 87 to 18 persons. Last year, among the reported casualties, there were eight children – the largest number in the past four years. This current year, not a single child fatality has been reported. On this occasion again, let me stress that even one human casualty is one too many.

This year, we have also made progress with regard to the disengagement of forces and hardware in Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske, including mine clearance and the removal of fortifications.

I would like to highlight our recent achievement – the repaired bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska. Recently, I personally visited the site three times and could not help but be fascinated by the speed of the repair and restoration works. If you remember, during the past three years I had advocated for a significant improvement of the conditions at this crossing point.

The restored bridge in Stanytsia Luhanska has substantially improved the conditions for crossing the line of contact, especially for elderly people. This winter will be the first one without broken arms and legs from the going down and up the slippery wooden ramps.

Finally, of course, I would like to recall that in October this year the TCG accepted the text of the so-called ‘Steinmeier formula’.

This is my last statement to the press as Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office. After four and a half years, I leave this post by my personal wish. This post has been a great honor and an even greater responsibility for me.

I am also grateful to my home country, Austria, for supporting me in that capacity.

I am sincerely grateful to my partners in the TCG – Leonid Kuchma and Boris Gryzlov. I thank all the Coordinators of the Working Groups: Ambassadors Ertuğrul Apakan and Yaşar Halit Çevik, Ambassadors Pierre Morel, Toni Frisch, Ulrich Brandenburg and Mr. Per Fischer, as well as all the delegates, and, of course, my teams in Kyiv and Minsk.

I am also grateful to you, journalists, for your dedicated interest and tireless efforts to convey information on our work to the public. Although, I must admit that sometimes the information from our part was rather scarce.

Certainly, I would like to express my special gratitude to the Republic of Belarus for its sincere hospitality and support.

Today my successor, Ambassador Heidi Grau, is here in Minsk. Next time, she will present the results of the TCG meeting to you. I wish her all the best in her future work.”

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and fewer in Luhansk region.
• The Mission saw personnel of the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine and de-miners from non-government-controlled areas enter the disengagement area near Zolote. It also saw SES personnel conducting demining activities along the northern edge of the disengagement area near Petrivske.
• The SMM saw three weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Donetsk region.
• The Mission saw anti-tank mines near Verkhnoshyrokivske.
• The Mission monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to facilitate the drilling of water wells near Pankivka and repairs to water pipelines near Horlivka.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at checkpoints of the armed formations near Prymorske, Oleksandrivske, Shevchenko, Novoazovsk and Nova Marivka in southern Donetsk region.

VIENNA, 18 December 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, expressed his support for the registry on self-regulation of online media in North Macedonia, which was announced today by the Council of Media Ethics together with the Association of Journalists of Macedonia and the Economic Chamber.

“Media self-regulation is a useful mechanism for promoting quality information, safeguarding editorial freedom and strengthening media credibility,” said Désir.

The initiative seeks to promote self-regulation of online media through, among other things, transparent funding; committing online media to respect the Code of Journalists; and publishing decisions by the Council of Media Ethics.

“I hope this joint work by several organizations in North Macedonia will be useful to online media platforms as well as to the wider media community,” concluded Désir.

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

442483 Željka Šulc

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the Press Council in BiH presented the guidelines for journalists “Reporting on Violent Extremism and Terrorism” on 18 December 2019 in Sarajevo.

The Guidelines aim to assist journalists when reporting on violent extremism and terrorism in order to avoid sensationalism and unintentional spread of panic and fear. They represent a new set of standards for professional reporting on these issues to prevent erroneous reporting and to ensure socially responsible journalism.

The Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, Kathleen Kavalec, emphasized that the Press Council has made a big leap forward by recognizing the need for these guidelines and adopting them as part of a wider set of professional standards. “Reporting on these sensitive topics and issues remains a significant challenge for media not just in BiH, but around the world. Lack of due care when informing the public, for example by using sensationalist reporting, can and often does end up inadvertently disseminating terrorist propaganda, spreading fear and intolerance - which can even lead to violence,” said Kavalec.

Ljiljana Zurovac, Programme Director at the Press Council in BiH, stressed that the reporting on terrorism and violent extremism is, unfortunately, an increasingly common task for journalists in BiH. “Journalists are obliged to report on these topics in the public interest but they also need to be cautious in choosing the right information and how to release it, from which sources and in which moment, in order not to create additional panic and fear among citizens, as well as to report on victims and children involved in events caused by acts of terrorism and violent extremism carefully and in line with the Professional Code of Ethics. It is very important that media editors have been actively involved in the adoption of these Guidelines which were based on the reporting dilemmas they have encountered in their media so far,” stated Zurovac.   

The Guidelines were developed in line with the conclusions of the OSCE’s conference “Media and Terrorism” held in Sarajevo in September 2018, which gathered journalists, editors and media professionals from BiH and abroad.

442501

An international conference on “Business Integrity, International Standards, Regional Challenges and the way forward” on 16 and 17 December 2019 in Tashkent. The aim of the event was to introduce and discuss best international practices in business integrity and collective action in combating corruption.  The event was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and financially supported by the Government of Germany.

Some 120 participants attended the conference. They represented various state-owned enterprises, public companies, and private businesses of Uzbekistan. Fourteen experts in corporate governance, anti-corruption and compliance from Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Turkey, Ukraine, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Basel Institute on Governance discussed business integrity measures in state policies, corporate governance and integrity, role of the boards, reporting channels, facilitation of collective action and other relevant topics.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, John MacGregor, said: “The OSCE recognizes that corruption remains a global phenomenon, which can affect the lives of people and security of nations by causing poverty, hampering development and driving away investment. The OSCE acknowledges corruption can be eradicated by joint action of all stakeholders, including those in the business sector. An appropriate culture of integrity in business represents an important element of the fight against corruption.”

The discussions also focused on the role of the business community in developing a business integrity policy taking into account risk factors such as the promotion of the development of compliance programmes, protection of persons reporting offenses (whistle-blowers) and encouraging collective anti-corruption business actions.

“Courage is the value of all values. What is the worth of other values if you do not have the courage to stand-up for them at the time of challenge” said during his exciting presentation Paulius Martinkus, Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, the Vilnius Central Heating Network.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan supports anti-corruption efforts of Uzbekistan through the 2018–2020 project  “Support Uzbekistan in Implementing and Promoting Business Integrity Standards”. It has been implemented since 2018 together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan and the Republican Inter-Agency Commission on Combating Corruption.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Compared with the previous 24 hours, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region.
• Small-arms fire was assessed as aimed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle in government-controlled Raihorodka, Luhansk region.
• The Mission continued to monitor the situation at the Petrivske, Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement areas.
• The SMM saw two weapons in violation of the withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region.
• The Mission monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to facilitate the drilling of water wells near Pankivka and demining activities in Stanytsia Luhanska.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at checkpoints of the armed formations near Zaichenko and Verkhnoshyrokivske in non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region.

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 increased at both BCPs compared to the previous week. The ninety-third Russian convoy crossed into Ukraine and returned through the Donetsk BCP.

OPERATIONAL REMARKS

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

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 increased from 10,180 to 10,725 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 25 per day for both BCPs.

The Donetsk BCP continued to experience much more traffic than the Gukovo BCP.

Persons in military-style outfits

During the reporting period, the number of persons in military-style outfits crossing the border in both directions at both BCPs was 46 this week compared to 15 last week: 18 of them crossed into the Russian Federation, and 28 into Ukraine (57 per cent of this category’s crossings occurred at the Donetsk BCP). They continued to cross the border individually or in groups. Most individuals crossed on foot, however, some made use of private vehicles, buses or minivans, making it more difficult for the observer teams (OTs) to observe their movement across the border, especially since some of the private vehicles had tinted windows, and buses and minivans had drawn curtains.

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 and three families were observed crossing into Ukraine, compared to the previous reporting period when seven families were observed crossing to the Russian Federation and seven 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. In addition to regular bus connections, the OTs continued to observe bus connections on irregular routes. Often the buses did not state their route; instead they had a sign on the windshield stating “irregular”.

During the reporting period, the OTs observed an increase in the overall number of buses crossing the border at both BCPs (449 compared to 433 observed during the previous week). There were 234 buses bound for the Russian Federation and 215 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 and “LPR” plates.

Trucks

During the reporting period, the OTs observed 967 trucks (compared to 897 during the previous reporting week) crossing the border in both directions at both BCPs (465 at the Gukovo BCP and 502 at the Donetsk BCP); 473 of these trucks crossed into the Russian Federation and 494 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 Belarus, the Russian Federation and with “LPR” plates.

The OTs also continued to observe tanker trucks crossing the border in both directions. During the reporting week, the number of tanker trucks decreased from 65 to 50. 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 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 increased from 108 to 123; 115 trucks (93 per cent) were bound for Ukraine, the remaining eight trucks (7 per cent) crossed into the Russian Federation.

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 frequently saw minivans registered in the Russian Federation. Compared to the previous week, the number of cargo minivans decreased from 154 to 126 vehicles; 63 crossed into the Russian Federation and another 63 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 12 occasions; the OTs assessed that four trains were travelling to the Russian Federation and eight to Ukraine (more details are provided in the sections “trends and figures at a glance” below).

The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine was regularly informed about the trains bound for Ukraine.

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 observed cars with “DPR” plates and licence plates from Georgia, Armenia and Lithuania.

On 12 December at 11:30 a group of 23 new public utility vehicles were observed entering the Donetsk BCP from the Russian Federation side. The group consisted of 15 city garbage trucks and 5 water-tanker trucks brand "GAZ", one digger brand "Lovol" and two sidewalk rollers brand "Rascat". The group was accompanied by a white minibus Mercedes Sprinter with "LPR" plates. Vehicles had no license plates and no visible inscriptions. All the vehicles underwent customs procedures and crossed into Ukraine by 14:30.

On 16 December at 09:25 the OT at the Gukovo BCP observed a civilian bus arriving from the Russian Federation side (the license plates were not visible). Among the civilian passengers the OT observed 15 people in Cossack style outfit with backpacks onboard. After undergoing custom procedures and formalities, all of them re-boarded the bus and crossed the border to Ukraine.​

Convoy

On 12 December at 06:35 (Moscow time), the ninety-third [3]Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of ten vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All ten vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 12:18 on 12 December.

See OM Spot Report of 12 December 2019: https://www.osce.org/observer-mission-at-russian-checkpoints-gukovo-and-donetsk/441961

For trends and figures at a glance covering the period from 12 November to 17 December 2019, please see the attachment here

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

[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).                              

[3]  Based on the Observer Mission’s counting, this convoy is considered the ninety-third convoy that has crossed into Ukraine through the “Donetsk” or “Gukovo” BCPs. However, so far all these convoys crossed through the “Donetsk” BCP.

441350 Marina Živaljević

In supporting Parliament’s efforts to introduce performance management principles in its work, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized three training courses for several units of the parliamentary service from 19 November to 6 December 2019 in Podgorica.  

A group of nine service staff members from Parliament’s Human Resources Department, the Parliamentary Institute, the Office of the Secretary General and the Secretariat of Committee for Political System, Judiciary and Administration participated in the workshops. They also discussed performance management tools that could be helpful in their work.

Lilit Hakobyan, Human Resources Expert, said that the training enhanced participants’ knowledge and understanding of performance management as one of the most important processes in ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the performance of public sector institutions. “The course focused on aligning organizational goals and objectives with those of the divisions and units and cascading them further down to the level of individual performance. One of the biggest achievements of the course was that the participants practiced techniques of performance measurement and obtained skills in developing Key Performance Indicators,” said Hakobyan.

Participants of the workshops stated that the training course was very practical and dynamic, with concrete exercises during which they were able to apply and test the presented tools on specific examples.

442321

President of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, Professor Emmanuel Decaux, met the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos, during his visit to Strasbourg, France on 3 December 2019.

They discussed challenges in the area of inter-state dispute settlement as well as opportunities to increase links between the two Courts.

The Court of Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE, which is based in Geneva, provides a set of mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States. The Court was established by the Convention of Stockholm, which entered into force on 5 December 1994. To date, 34 States have ratified the Convention.

442318

Now is the time for women to boost their representation in political leadership positions, said politicians, government officials, diplomats, civil society representatives and activists from Poland and Finland, who gathered in Warsaw on 17 December 2019 to explore ways of increasing women’s political participation and share good practices. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) organized the event together with the Finnish Embassy in Poland.

“Finland is proud of our history as the first country to give women full suffrage more than a hundred years ago. But equality is not something that was achieved in the past and is now over and done with – it’s a constant struggle to include everybody in political decision-making. The Finnish government is determined to uphold the principle of gender equality. In addition more than half of our ministers are women. Women’s equal participation gives an enormous boost to democracies and economies, as more people get to be represented in the decisions that affect everybody,” said Finnish Equality Minister Thomas Blomqvist.

The event takes place just a week after Finland elected a new prime minister. At 34, Sanna Marin became the world’s youngest prime minister in office and the youngest ever female head of government. At the same time, women remain under-represented in parliaments across the OSCE region. Poland and Finland are both above the OSCE average in this regard, with women making up just under 30 percent of deputies in the lower house of the Polish parliament, and more than 40 percent in the Finnish parliament. However, this still leaves their representation in parliament lagging behind the proportion of women in society overall.

“The scope of today’s challenges requires leadership that is clearly values-based in aims and experience, centred on people and our collective future,” said Katarzyna Gardapkhadze, ODIHR’s First Deputy Director. “We need to shift from a rigidly hierarchical to a more equitable leadership model, with less top-down decision-making and more participation. The good news is that we already have the knowledge and tools to make these changes happen – now all we have to do is use them.”

To increase women’s participation in leadership roles, a variety of women’s networks and mentorships were proposed, as well as greater efforts to mainstream gender equality mechanisms in electoral and decision-making procedures, and active political support for women’s participation in the political process.

Colin McCullough, OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan

A two-day training seminar on combating human trafficking concluded on 13 December 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Some 28 labour inspector, secretaries of the Akimats (regional administration) from 14 regions of Kazakhstan responsible for the work of the regional commissions on combating illegal export, import and trafficking in human beings as well as representatives of law enforcement bodies and non-governmental organizations, attended the seminar, which was supported by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan, the United States Embassy in Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan.

The seminar focused on the role labour inspectors have in the fight against trafficking as well as the working mechanisms of the Interdepartmental Commission on combating trafficking in persons. It also addressed the importance of co-operation between governmental agencies and international, non-governmental organizations, as well as on the monitoring and exchange of information.

The event is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to support the host country in combating human trafficking and in implementing the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, between the evenings of 13 and 14 December, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region.
• Between the evenings of 14 and 15 December, the Mission recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk and Luhansk regions, compared with the previous 24 hours.
• The SMM continued monitoring the situation at the three disengagement areas near Petrivske, Zolote and Stanytsia Luhanska.
• It saw multiple launch rocket systems in violation of withdrawal lines in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region.
• The SMM monitored adherence to a localized ceasefire to facilitate the drilling of water wells in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region. It continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.
• The Mission continued seeing long queues at entry-exit checkpoints and corresponding checkpoints along the contact line.
• Freedom of movement of the SMM continued to be restricted, including near Prymorske, Tavrycheske, Zaichenko and Verkhnoshyrokivske, all in non-government-controlled areas of southern Donetsk region.

ROVANIEMI, 16 December 2019 – The OSCE PA Special Representative on Arctic Issues, Torill Eidsheim (MP, Norway), delivered today a keynote address to the Sub-Committee on External Relations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), convened in Rovaniemi, Finland, for a meeting on developments in the Arctic region and opportunities for international co-operation.

In her speech, Eidsheim highlighted the increased attention that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is placing on challenges in the High North and stressed the effects of the climate crisis on society. “Starting from the Arctic – earth’s so-called refrigerator – the environment of the whole planet is suffering and this has direct effects on people’s lives,” Eidsheim said. She added that climate repercussions do not concern only Arctic communities and the environment per se but are creating a vortex of other challenges also in the economic and political spheres, including heightened trade and geostrategic competition.

Concerning the need for international co-operation, she called for increased interaction between Arctic organizations and wider multilateral fora: “If we manage to join efforts and combine the expertise of Arctic organizations with the outreach of organizations such as the OSCE we could truly be able to make a difference and better raise awareness on what is happening in the region.”

Eidsheim also advocated greater involvement of parliamentarians in multilateral efforts on the climate, especially considering the disappointing outcomes of the COP25 negotiations in Madrid. “Decisions made elsewhere, as well as the failure to reach conclusions, will have detrimental effects on the Arctic and beyond,” she said.

Special Representative Eidsheim welcomed the recent conclusions of the EU Council on the Arctic as well as the productive bilateral meeting between the current Chair of the Arctic Council (Iceland) and the incoming one (Russian Federation). In this regard, she noted the importance of political convergence of key stakeholders in the Arctic, highlighting the sense of urgency and the need for common ownership of efforts.

On the margins of the meeting, the SR held useful talks with a number of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including Liliane Maury Pasquier, PACE President, Eirik Sivertsen, Chairperson of the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region, and Einar Gunnarsson, Chairperson of the Senior Arctic Officials.

For Eidsheim's full remarks, please click here.

For more on the work of the Special Representative on Arctic Issues, please click here.

VIENNA, 16 December 2019 – More than 120 national experts, representatives from international and regional organizations, the private sector, academia and civil society are exploring how to strengthen the resilience of ‘soft’ targets against terrorist attacks through public-private partnerships during a two-day OSCE-wide expert seminar, which opened today in Vienna.

In recent years, terrorists have increasingly exploited the open nature and public character of ‘soft’ targets to maximize civilian casualties, chaos, publicity and economic impact. The event, organized by the Action against Terrorism Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, will examine why protecting ‘soft’ targets against terrorist attacks is so critical.  The event will also serve as a platform for experts to share knowledge and experiences, in particular, on the establishment of public-private partnerships, the need to ensure human rights-compliant responses, and the existing international normative framework.

“Terrorists are targeting civilians at easily accessible locations such as concert halls, pedestrian areas, public transportation, hotels, schools, sport venues and places of worship. These senseless and brutal atrocities cause huge suffering and loss of human life and are having a long-term impact on communities and cities,” said OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger. “The OSCE can play a significant role in addressing some of the complex challenges involved in protecting ‘soft’ targets, drawing on lessons learned from our decade-long experience in the field of protecting critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.”

Among the ways that the OSCE can support participating States in this area, he said, is to assist in the development of national contingency and response plans and to enhance their co-operation with private stakeholders, especially since ‘soft’ targets are often privately owned and operated. The OSCE could also help participating States pursue a “whole of society” approach” that harnesses government resources and the influence and efforts of various segments of civil society, he said.

Mauro Miedico, Director of the Special Projects and Innovation Division at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said: “We are confronted with an unprecedented threat to infrastructure and public places but are not well prepared to counter it. Critical infrastructure and soft targets, their operators, and very importantly, their flaws and vulnerabilities need to be identified, mapped and networked. International, regional and national entities should collaborate, especially in terms of sharing information locally and across borders. There is a need to build strong public-private partnerships. Both security agencies and commercial companies should recognize and respect each other’s value and be aware of each other’s needs, possibilities and deficiencies.”

The Seminar’s discussions will particularly focus on UN Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017), which stresses the need for States to develop, review, or amend national risk and threat assessments to take into account ‘soft’ targets, in order to develop appropriate contingency and emergency response plans for terrorist attacks. Participants will draw on lessons learned and good practices from around the OSCE area and the challenges connected to safeguarding these locations, with a specific focus on places of worship and sports events.

The conclusions and recommendations from the seminar will serve as an instrument to identify and determine ways in which the OSCE can further enhance its assistance to participating States in this field, by complementing efforts of other international and regional organizations.