Central Europe

438344 Colin McCullough, OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan

The third stage of an OSCE-supported train-the-trainer course on detecting forged travel documents and identification techniques for 20 border service officers concluded in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 8 November 2019.

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan organized the five-day course in co-operation with the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Programme of the United States Embassy in Nur-Sultan, the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors (CARICC), and the Border Guard Service under the National Security Committee. The training course was supported by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department’s Travel Document Security Programme.

Experts from the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior developed a tailor-made programme for Kazakhstan’s officers of the National Security Committee’s Border Service. Participants continued to learn about personalization and forgery techniques, laminate safeguards in passport production, diffractive optically variable image devices, the theory of light and colour, biometrics in travel documents and passenger assessment techniques. Experts presented samples of real and forged travel documents for the participants to analyze and assess their authenticity.

During exercises, the participants practiced methods of detecting a forged or counterfeit passport using various identification techniques, risk profiling, and picture-to-picture comparison methods.

Experts provided the participants with illuminated magnifiers and USB-digital microscopes to allow the border control officers to apply their acquired skills.

The seminar is a follow-up to two previous courses on document security held in Almaty earlier this year.

KYIV, 8 November 2019 – On behalf of the Trilateral Contact Group, the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the TCG, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, made today the following statement to the press:

“The Trilateral Contact Group, with the participation of representatives of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, agreed on the date and time of the start of the renewed withdrawal of forces and hardware from the disengagement area of Petrivske.

The withdrawal of forces and hardware will start on Saturday, 9 November 2019, at 12:00 Kyiv time.”

438341 Kunduz Rysbek

The fourth Aarhus Centre in Kyrgyzstan officially opened on 5 November 2019 in Naryn. The new Centre is part of the co-operation between the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek and the University of Central Asia.

The Centre will serve as a bridge between local governmental authorities and the local community in addressing the most acute environmental challenges in the Naryn region.  

The official opening brought together representatives of local state authorities, environmental organizations, civil society and the local population of Naryn city. During the event, the participants expressed their interest in co-operating with the new Centre and proposed their ideas related to environmental protection in the Naryn region. 

Co-operation between the Aarhus Centres in Osh (2004), Bishkek (2015) and Issyk-Kul (2017) have resulted in building networks and working together in a co-ordinated and effective manner with a wide range of stakeholders. The Aarhus Centres have been drawing public attention to a range of environmental problems, as well as providing a unique platform for dialogue among the public, civil society, local authorities, the media and relevant experts. 

The Aarhus Centres were established to support the implementation of the United Nations Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, also known as the Aarhus Convention, signed in 1998. It has been ratified by 45 European and Central Asian countries. Since 2002 the OSCE has supported 60 Aarhus Centres in area of the OSCE participating States.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in both Donetsk region and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission observed demining activities inside the Zolote disengagement area.
• Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the Mission continued to observe construction works at the broken section of the bridge.
• The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM saw for the first time anti-tank mines near Pyshchevyk and unexploded ordnance near Molodizhne and in Donetsk city’s Kyivskyi district.
• The SMM continued to monitor adherence to the ceasefire to facilitate the operations of the Donetsk Filtration Station and of the pumping station near Vasylivka.
• Restrictions of the Mission’s freedom of movement continued, including at checkpoints near non-government-controlled Bezimenne and Novolaspa.

438389 Marina Živaljević

INTERPOL’s Works of Art Unit delivered the second awareness-raising and basic training course on its systems on 6 and 7 November 2019 in Podgorica.

Supported by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, INTERPOL focused on what national law enforcement teams need to do to access INTERPOL investigations in a co-ordinated effort to fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property. The workshop, supported by the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship, is the continuation of the joint project facilitated in close co-operation with the OSCE Border Security and Management Unit of the Transnational Threats Department.

The workshop gathered 35 participants from the Police Directorate, Customs Administration, Agency for National Security, Ministry of Culture, National Museum, Museums and Galleries of Podgorica, National Commission of Montenegro for UNESCO, Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor’s Office. It was a follow up to a workshop on supporting museums to create a national database of cultural artefacts.

Corrado Catesi, INTERPOL Co-ordinator in the Works of Art Unit, said: “Cultural heritage has been a target for criminals in the region. We at INTERPOL are there not only to share our international expertise with you, but to learn from your experience.”

The Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, Maryse Daviet said that this workshop is meant to strengthen the law enforcement services to address the illicit trafficking in cultural property and apply INTERPOL methods and practices that can respond to this transnational threat in co-ordination with relevant agencies, international organizations, private sector, and educational institutions.

Speaking on behalf of the OSCE Chairmanship, the Slovak Ambassador to Montenegro, Roman Hloben said the OSCE is committed to strengthen efforts to prevent and counter terrorism by undertaking measures for preventing terrorist financing that includes items of archaeological, historical, cultural, rare scientific and religious importance.

Selma Mehović, co-ordinator for international police co-operation in the Police Directorate, said that considering the transnational character of illegal trade in art and archaeological finds, Montenegro intensively co-operates with other countries in finding cultural assets, whether the theft took place in Montenegro or abroad.

Florian Krejsa from the OSCE Transnational Threats Department said that almost every country, especially Montenegro, with a rich history is either a source country, transit or destination country. “Keep your eyes open,” said Krejsa.

Nikola Šaranović, Director General of the Directorate for International Judicial Co-operation and Projects in the Justice Ministry said that the tools to support the prosecution of these criminal offences as well as preventive measures need strengthening. “The Council of Europe Convention on Offenses Relating to Cultural Property require databases of all cultural property; introduction of import and export controls; due diligence provisions for art and antiquities dealers, auction houses and other entities involved in the trade in cultural property; and an obligation to establish records of their turnover. These records should be made available to the competent authorities in accordance with domestic law,” said Šaranović.

MOSCOW, 7 November 2019 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, condemned today the targeting of six journalists in Spain.

On 6 November, a number of posters and leaflets appeared in the streets of Barcelona portraying six Catalan journalists as “traitors” and “information terrorists at the service of Ibex” referring to large corporate financial companies. The journalists, who work for centre-left and conservative media outlets, are viewed by pro-independence groups as providing biased coverage of the current situation in Barcelona for not supporting independence. They include the journalists Xavier Sardà, a contributor to El Periódico and the TV station La Sexta, Joan Guirado from OkDiario, Mayka Navarro from La Vanguardia, Xavier Rius of E-notícies, Laura Fàbregas of Crónica Global, and Estefanía Molina from the TV station La Sexta.

“I strongly condemn this targeted act of intimidation against journalists in Spain. Portraying journalists as “information terrorists” and “traitors” is unacceptable and poses a considerable threat to their safety,” said Désir. “I call on the authorities to investigate these threats thoroughly, in order to bring those responsible to justice.”

The Representative also called for calm ahead of national elections due to take place on 10 November, stressing that: “it is important to provide journalists with a safe and enabling environment to work in, free from intimidation or fear of attack, and to show solidarity with the media community.” He also welcomed the response by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who stated that: “freedom of information is a fundamental right, a basic and inalienable pillar of democracy that must be respected and guaranteed.”

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.  

438299 OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

A lecture series on the structure, principles and values of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe took place from 5 to 7 November 2019 at the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. Around 40 students specializing in International Law and International Relations from the Institute of International Relations and the International University for Humanities and Development attended the event.

Alyaksandr Sychov, former Ambassador of Belarus to Austria and Head of the Delegation to the OSCE, and Rasa Ostrauskaite, former OSCE Co-ordinator of Activities to Address Transnational Threats, presented the OSCE’s role in relation to other international and regional organizations as well as general information on the organization, three dimensions of security, institutes and decision-making bodies as well as the OSCE’s role in relation to other international and regional organizations.

Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, emphasized the importance of the OSCE to regional and international security. She drew particular attention to the strengthening of the OSCE’s co-operation with the government of Turkmenistan over the last two decades, and their continuing collaboration in a wide range of fields within all three OSCE dimensions.

“We hope that that our course will aid you in your continuing professional growth as future specialists in the field of international relations, and will contribute to the efforts of the Government of Turkmenistan to strengthen further its co-operation with the OSCE and other international organizations,” said Drozd.

Experts provided students with solid factual knowledge and first-hand experience of the workings and structure of the OSCE, and stimulated discussions on the Organization’s wider role in the international community and its activities in Turkmenistan.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the three-day course as part of its activities dedicated to the Centre’s 20th anniversary.

The event concluded with a quiz in which teams from the two universities answered questions on the topics covered.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the three-day course as part of its activities dedicated to the Centre’s 20th anniversary.

Colin McCullough, OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan

An OSCE-supported technical meeting on rational use and protection of water resources of the Zhaiyk (Ural) River, including assessment of climate change on water resources, took place on 7 November 2019 in Oral, Western Kazakhstan.

The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan and the International Water Assessment Centre.

Some twenty representatives from the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources, Western Kazakhstan regional administration, civil society, as well as water management officials from Kazakhstan and Russia discussed individual action plans developed for each country. They also examined joint activities on the rational use of the Zhayik River’s water resources.

OSCE-supported experts from Kazakhstan and Russia presented findings on measures both countries should carry out independently on their territories to mitigate the effects of climate change and identified joint areas of co-operation to ensure sustainable use of the Zhaiyk River. The reports will be submitted to the governmental Kazakhstan-Russia Commission on the Joint Use and Protection of Transboundary Water Resources of the Zhayik River for review and adoption.   

The event is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s continuous efforts to contribute to the transboundary dialogue on water and raise awareness among the state institutions on the sustainable management of water resources.

438290 Communication and Media Relations Section

Anti-corruption performance indicators based on benchmarks of international standards and good practices were the focus of an OSCE-supported workshop on 30 and 31 October 2019 in Paris.

Some 45 experts and civil society representatives from the OSCE region attended the workshop hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (OECD/CAN), in co-operation with the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI), UNDP and the International Investment Bank (IIB).

The aim was to revise the first draft of the anti-corruption performance indicators based on benchmarks of international standards and good practices.  

The outcome will also serve as a tool for countries, international partners, donors and civil society in the OSCE region to identify strong and weak performance points and design interventions, advocacy and best practices exchange activities. The OECD/ACN will use the anti-corruption performance indicators during its peer review process. The performance indicators will also benefit OSCE project design and implementation in the areas of anti-corruption and good governance.  

The workshop was also attended by representatives of the Basel Institute on Governance, the Council of Europe, the EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Monetary Fund, the United States Agency for International Development, the Venice Commission, the World Bank and the StAR Initiative.

This event was part of the OCEEA’s efforts aimed at supporting OSCE participating States in preventing and combating corruption, as well as promoting good governance, economic growth, security and stability.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

This report is for the media and the general public.

SUMMARY

On 7 November at 06:51 (Moscow time), the eighty-eighth[1] Russian convoy arrived at the Donetsk Border Crossing Point (BCP). A total of 13 vehicles were checked by Russian Federation border guards and customs officers prior to their crossing into Ukraine. All 13 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation by 12:28 on 7 November.

DETAIL

Leaving the Russian Federation

On 7 November at 06:51, the Observer Mission observed the arrival of a Russian convoy at the gate of the Donetsk BCP. The convoy consisted of 13 vehicles: one escort car and 12 civilian cargo trucks. Out of the 12 cargo trucks, only one bore the inscription “Humanitarian aid from the Russian Federation” (in Russian). At 06:51, 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. One dog was present and used by Russian Federation border guards to check the vehicles from the outside.

Three 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). They had clipboards in their hands and were taking notes. By 07:06, all of the vehicles had left the BCP towards Ukraine.

Returning to the Russian Federation

At 12:13, 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 – five border guards and four customs officers – were present during this check. The Ukrainian officials also performed visual checks of the trucks from the outside. One dog was present and used by Russian Federation border guards to check the vehicles from the outside. By 12:28, all 13 vehicles had crossed back into the Russian Federation.

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

438257 Communication and Media Relations Section

The OSCE, in co-operation with the Government of Kazakhstan, concluded a two-day Central Asian Border Management Initiative (CABMI) conference on 6 November 2019 in Almaty. More than 30 participants gathered to discuss the achievements and challenges of border management in the region.

The conference reflected on the changing regional dynamics and the importance of border security and management issues in the Central Asian region.

Officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Austria, as well as key international actors from the European External Action Service, the EU’s Border Management in Central Asia programme (BOMCA), the EU’s Foreign Policy Instrument (FPI), the International Organization for Migration, International Centre for Migration Policy Development, and the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia attended the conference. Border experts from Lithuania, Belarus and Estonia also contributed to the event.

The Central Asian delegations exchanged information on the current situation and their progress in the area of border security and management.

Participants discussed threats and challenges, such as Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs), return migration, human rights of migrants, connectivity and regional security.

Related tools and mechanisms, strategies and approaches to enable state agencies to deal with cross-border trafficking activities, FTF identification and profiling, migration governance, and trade facilitation were all given consideration.

The international actors agreed to discuss ways to explore possibilities to foster co-operation and co-ordinate their programmes and plans for 2020–2021 with a view to avoiding activities overlap.

In 2003, the Austrian Federal Interior Ministry launched the Central Asia Border Security Initiative (CABSI). Through its annual conferences, the initiative provided a forum to exchange information between border security and management agencies in Central Asia, relevant international partners and other stakeholders.

The OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department’s Border Security and Management Unit conducted the current conference under its new name, CABMI, two years after the 13th Ministerial CABSI Conference held Vienna in 2017, to better reflect the OSCE’s new role as the host and organizer.

OSCE Presence in Albania-supported public discussions held across Albania - in Shkodra, Durrës and Korça - on civil society’s challenges and its future concluded on 7 November 2019 with the Korça Civil Society Forum.

Some 50 civil societies took part in the events organized with the support of active local civil society development partners; the Arka Youth Centre in Shkodra and the Civil Society Development Centre in Durrës.

Discussions, which started in October, built on good practices established during the extended meetings held last year with civil society organisations (CSOs) in Kruja, Lezha and Gjirokastra. Through these events, the Presence reached out to CSOs and community activists at the local level in a series of discussions centred on capacities and responsiveness of the civil society sector outside the capital.

Participants discussed the current state of civil society and general activism, challenges and obstacles, and shared their know-how on improving donor-CSO co-operation at the local and regional level.

The series brought a clearer picture of the situation of Albanian CSOs at both the regional and national level. An audience of active and highly motivated civil society stakeholders shared their views on the CSOs’ capacities, opportunities, challenges and concerns with the OSCE. Participants discussed and exchanged views on potential programmes and opportunities to develop civil society at all levels, and explored the possibilities of improving their networking and fundraising skills.

The Presence continuously seeks to take stock of concerns, capabilities and co-operation opportunities with CSOs across the country. In fulfilment of its overall commitment for a strong and proactive civil society in the country, the Presence seeks to promote and support an enabling environment for civil society development.

The Forums enabled the Presence to share important information and updates with key donors participating in the Working Group on Civil Society. The findings should aid in improving the targeting of their interventions, in terms of approaches to projects and programmes.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• Compared with the previous reporting period, the SMM recorded fewer ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and more in Luhansk region.
• Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near non-government-controlled Metalist.
• The Mission observed demining activities inside the Zolote disengagement area.
• Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the Mission continued to observe construction works at the broken section of the bridge.
• The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines in non-government-controlled areas of Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued to monitor the security situation in areas around the Donetsk Filtration Station and the pumping station near Vasylivka.
• The SMM monitored peaceful gatherings in Kyiv, Odessa, Chernivtsi, Kherson, Lviv and Uzhhorod commemorating the anniversary of the death of Kateryna Handziuk.
• Restrictions of the Mission’s freedom of movement continued, including at a checkpoint near non-government-controlled Verkhnoshyrokivske.

BRATISLAVA/VIENNA, 6 November 2019 – The 26th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will take place on 5 and 6 December 2019 at Incheba Expo Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The event will be held at the invitation of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajčák.

The Ministerial Council is the central decision-making and governing body of the OSCE. The annual meeting provides the Foreign Ministers of the 57 OSCE participating States an important opportunity to review and assess the security situation in the Euro-Atlantic and Eurasian area as well as the organization's work in all its fields of activity.

Advance accreditation of media representatives is mandatory. The deadline for registration is 15 November 2019, 18:00. Accreditation will be granted following self-registration via https://media.mzv.sk. More info here.

Media representatives must indicate their full name, place and date of birth, passport number and nationality, postal address, e-mail address, name and country of media. Only registrations in Slovak or English will be accepted.

Detailed information about live broadcasting from the event (SNG trucks), media facilities, instructions for accreditation, booking of hotels and the visa application procedure as well as all the general information, is available here. 

Visa requirements must be met before arrival to Slovakia. Accredited journalists are invited to make their own visa arrangements as soon as possible.

Follow the news about the Ministerial Council on Twitter at @OSCE, @Slovakia_OSCE and #OSCEMC19.

Bratislava/Vienna, Brussels, Geneva/New York, 6 November 2019 - The Co-Chairs of the Geneva International Discussions call for the immediate re-opening of all crossing points on the administrative boundary line (ABL) with South Ossetia. Recent months have seen a serious deterioration of the security situation on the ground, which has raised fears amongst the local population. The engagement in the Ergneti Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism (IPRM) framework by all participants shows the mutual concern and commitment of all to de-escalate, which the Co-Chairs welcome. The Co-Chairs and their organizations remain actively engaged in contributing to a solution to the continuing security challenges in the Chorchana-Tsnelisi area. 

At the same time, we appeal to the relevant actors to re-open, without delay, all crossing points that have been closed since early September. While the concerns about the security situation are shared, steps to address these should be proportional and should always take humanitarian aspects into consideration. The ongoing closure of crossing points is aggravating an already difficult situation, as illustrated by recent medical cases, with a severe impact on the local conflict-affected population.

COPENHAGEN, 6 November 2019 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is deploying some 80 observers, including 60 parliamentarians, to Belarus next week for the 17 November parliamentary elections.

Swedish parliamentarian and OSCE PA Vice-President Margareta Cederfelt will serve as Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission, following an appointment by the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak. Cederfelt has led OSCE PA election observation delegations to Georgia, Italy, Tajikistan, and Turkey, and was a Special Co-ordinator of the OSCE short-term observer mission to Montenegro.

“As election observers, we have been here before – OSCE election observation in Belarus dates back to 1995, and we have regularly observed since that time,” said Cederfelt today. “We have also regularly identified issues of concern following our observation missions and formulated concrete recommendations suggesting how to strengthen the country’s electoral system. The elections we will observe now present a fresh opportunity for Belarus to deliver on previous recommendations and to demonstrate its commitment to upholding OSCE democratic commitments.”

OSCE PA President George Tsereteli has appointed Albanian parliamentarian Ditmir Bushati to serve as Head of the OSCE PA’s observer mission.

“We are a large team of observers, strong not only in numbers but also in experience and expertise,” said Bushati. “While we come from many different countries and political viewpoints, we are unified in our commitment to offering a full and impartial assessment of these elections.”

Bushati is an experienced diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2019 and is currently Head of the Albanian Delegation to the OSCE PA.

For the 17 November parliamentary elections, the OSCE PA will work closely with observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. They will deliver the post-election statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference in Minsk on 18 November.

This will be the tenth election the OSCE PA has observed in Belarus since 1995.

For previous assessments of Belarus elections, please click here.

BUCHAREST, 6 November 2019 – OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Valiant Richey conducted an official visit to Romania this week. He praised the country for its progress in certain areas of its anti-trafficking efforts, while calling for improvement in others.  

During his two-day visit, Richey headed an OSCE delegation in meetings with the National Agency against Trafficking in Persons, the Parliamentary Group on Combating Trafficking in Persons, law enforcement officials, representatives from the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Justice, and Labour and Social Justice respectively, and civil society representatives. The meetings focused on the country’s criminal justice response to human trafficking and protection of trafficked persons.

Richey noted that the commitment and engagement of officials established a solid foundation for anti-trafficking efforts, including comprehensive prevention campaigns and a high rate of prosecuting those who use the services of trafficking victims.

At the same time, he called on the Romanian authorities to use a more proactive approach in the implementation of the OSCE anti-trafficking commitments, in particular in the identification of victims, provision of specialized care services for children and convicting traffickers with penalties proportionate to the severity of this severe crime.

“While Romania’s rate of identified victims of trafficking remains one of the largest in the OSCE area, this rate appears to be declining in the last two years and as do conviction rates of human traffickers,” said Richey. “This is undoubtedly due to several factors, including change in the way traffickers operate, insufficient training of front-line actors, and inadequate protection measures for victims which may discourage them from coming forward and testifying in trial.”

Richey said that with greater investment Romania can counter these trends. “Continued support for law enforcement responses, specialized trainings for prosecutors and judicial officials, as well as protection measures such as the provision of shelters for trafficked persons, will ensure that progress is not lost.”

The OSCE Office of the Special Representative regularly conducts goal-oriented, high-profile country visits. Their aim is to strengthen the capacity of OSCE participating States to address human trafficking in a comprehensive and effective manner, as well as to share knowledge and collect best practices in the fight against this serious crime. An OSCE report of the visit containing a discussion of promising practices and recommendations will be published in early 2020.

MURNAU AM STAFFELSEE, Germany, 6 November 2019 – A two-day conference on confidence-building measures in the Transdniestrian settlement process concluded yesterday in Murnau am Staffelsee, Bavaria, Germany. The conference offered an informal platform for in-depth exchanges between representatives from the Republic of Moldova and Transdniestria on the ways to move forward with the outstanding priorities from the “Berlin-plus” package and beyond. Independent international experts and representatives from the mediators and observers in the 5+2 format contributed to these discussions. 

“Dialogue is key to finding common ground, and the Sides have used this conference to address challenges at hand and intensify their efforts on achieving pragmatic results, which will improve people’s quality of life on both banks,” said Head of the OSCE Mission Moldova Claus Neukirch. “Focus on the result-oriented approach will move Chisinau and Tiraspol closer to the long-term goal of finding a final solution to the Transdniestrian issue.”

Over the course of two days, experts from the working groups and political representatives from Moldova and Transdniestria discussed concrete reciprocal steps to address issues in the fields of education, freedom of movement, economy and trade. The Sides, among other things, agreed to remove technical barriers to trade and sign a relevant protocol decision. Joint implementation of these steps will give a renewed impetus to working groups and drive the settlement process forward. 

The mediators and observers in the settlement process acknowledged the added value of the conference in identifying the way forward, and encouraged Chisinau and Tiraspol to demonstrate political will in advancing the settlement process. 

The conference, which is a confidence-building measure in itself, was organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office.

Andrii Dziubenko

For the first time, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine streamed live on the web a meeting of its members on Tuesday, 5 November 2019. This was made possible by the conference system that was provided and installed by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine earlier this year. The streaming was a pilot project with the Commission intending to make its meetings available online on a regular basis.

The system was introduced to streamline the workflow of the Commission. The equipment was installed in two rooms — the press center and the official meeting hall. The Commission’s employees were trained to set it up and use it. The law envisages that all the meetings of the Commission are to be open to public so that civil society representatives, election observers and the broader public are able to watch them online.

“Transparency of the election administration is key to enhancing public confidence in ballot as a tool to influence the government of the country. This, in turn, is very important for cementing social cohesion and improving security of the country,” said Henrik Villadsen, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

The effort is part of the project, implemented by the Co-ordinator to help the Commission enhance cybersecurity of its systems and transparency of its operation. The US Mission to the OSCE, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and the Slovak Republic Mission to the OSCE funded the project.

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.
• The SMM confirmed reports of a man and a woman who died after a grenade exploded inside their apartment in government-controlled Kurakhove.
• The SMM saw damage from shelling to an apartment in non-government-controlled Holmivskyi.
• Small-arms fire was assessed as aimed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle near government-controlled Chermalyk.
• The Mission observed demining activities inside the disengagement area near Zolote.
• Inside the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, the Mission continued to observe construction works at the broken section of the bridge.
• The SMM observed an illumination flare fired by the armed formations signalling the readiness to renew disengagement in Petrivske disengagement area. Since there was no reciprocal action, the activities related to withdrawal of forces and hardware did not commence.
• The SMM observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines on both sides of the contact line.
• The SMM observed for the first time a piece of unexploded ordnance in Donetsk city.
• The SMM continued to facilitate the operation of the Donetsk Filtration Station.
• Restrictions of the Mission’s freedom of movement continued, including at checkpoints near non-government-controlled Shevchenko, Zaichenko and Novoazovsk.