Central Europe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

535587 Jeff Bieley Edita Buçaj

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

535356 Jeff Bieley Edita Buçaj

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Panel consists of:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

535116 Kunduz Rysbek

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recommendations include:

• Reviewing constituency boundaries periodically to ensure equal voting power;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

535080

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

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

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

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

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

535062 Marina Živaljević

On 16 December, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro provided support to Women’s Safe House and SOS Podgorica, NGOs that operate shelters for victims of domestic violence. Support to Women’s Safe House will enable it to develop a register of violence cases while support to SOS Podgorica, which includes surveillance equipment, will provide additional security to its residents.

Budislavka Mira Saveljić, Executive Director of the NGO Women’s Safe House, emphasized that the systematic data collection is a significant component in processing cases of violence against women and one of the essential technical prerequisites for effective analysis of policy implementation and identification of trends for awareness raising and advocacy purposes. “The electronic database will ease the work of our professionals, as well as data collection from the survivors of the violence,” stated Saveljić.

Biljana Zeković, Executive Director of NGO SOS Podgorica underlined that the surveillance equipment will contribute to improved safety of the shelter users. “Security measures are crucial in the shelters to ensure protection and to encourage women so they can feel comfortable and safe in reflecting on their situation, recovering from abuse and making plans for the future,” said Zeković.

Dominique Waag, Head of the Mission, stressed that shelters are essential in providing the range of protection and support services necessary to help and protect survivors. “The need for accommodation is often the most urgent and critical one for survivors. I am confident that this equipment will ensure that the shelters remain a safe haven for women and their children,” emphasized Waag.

Three NGOs that have been supported by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro project in 2022, including Women’s Safe House and SOS Podgorica, were able to obtain national licenses for shelters for women with experience of violence. Mission will continue to co-operate with civil society and institutions in ensuring zero tolerance policy towards violence against women.

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Border security challenges in the Central Asian region, with an emphasis on the developments in Afghanistan and the resulting transnational threats affecting neighboring States, were the focus of the 17th Central Asia Border Management Initiative (CABMI) Conference held from 13 to 15 December 2022 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The 17th CABMI Conference was organized by the OSCE Secretariat, the Project Coordinator’s Office in Uzbekistan, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in close co-operation with the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“Today’s CABMI Conference brings all relevant actors together to ensure that we continue to build on our partnerships. Together – through local engagement, national, regional, and international co-operation – we can make a real difference and improve security for communities across the OSCE area,” said OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid in a pre-recorded message to the participants.

“A vital component to prevent and counter transnational organized crime, terrorism, and illicit trafficking is enhanced cross-border cooperation between member states. We must strengthen communication and intelligence-sharing across borders to detect and intercept illicit flows, including drugs, firearms, FTF movement and smuggling of people while facilitating legitimate international trade. The efforts should not limit to law enforcement component, but include community engagement, social cohesion and cybersecurity in an integrated manner. UNODC is fully committed to support these efforts within the Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025 and other regional and global initiatives,” said UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia Ashita Mittal.

Participants discussed emerging challenges in border security and management associated with the new security landscape in the region; following the developments in Afghanistan. Participants also exchanged information on the current situation and their progress in the area of border security and management. The discussions were followed by a visit to the National Dog Handlers Training Center of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Conference brought together officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as AIRPOL, the EU’s Border Management in Central Asia Programme (BOMCA-10), EUROPOL,  INTERPOL, the IOM, UNAMA, UNODC, and UNOCT. Representatives from Germany, Türkiye and the United States of America also participated in person and online.

WARSAW, 16 December 2022 – Immigration detention is never in the best interest of children and we need to increase efforts to end it entirely, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) said ahead of this year’s International Migrants Day.

“Children who have often made a long and perilous journey to safety, whether together with their families or travelling alone, are still being detained in many countries across the OSCE – too many,” said ODIHR Director Matteo Mecacci. “Deprivation of liberty has a serious impact on any migrant, but it has a particularly damaging effect on children.”

There are no exact figures on how many children are in immigration detention worldwide, as many governments do not keep or release this data, and even when available, these figures can change quickly. However, a recent review of legislation and practices by the UN in 38 European countries found that immigration detention of children takes place in at least 27 countries in the OSCE region.

ODIHR works to ensure the safety of migrant children and respect for their rights. This year alone, the Office has trained 43 human rights defenders from the OSCE region in human rights monitoring at international borders, including immigration detention facilities. They play a crucial role in documenting the immigration detention of children, as well as helping ensure their release. At the same time, ODIHR supports countries across the region in designing and carrying out inclusive integration policies that take on board the specific needs of migrant and refugee children.

Unaccompanied children are a particularly vulnerable group of migrants and asylum seekers, with children placed in immigration detention facing serious, long-lasting consequences for their mental health and education. They are often traumatised by having to flee their country of origin and their subsequent journey, and placing them in detention increases the negative experience and the likelihood of long-term repercussions.

There are also examples of good practices and alternative measures that avoid detaining migrant and refugee children. These include supported independent living, foster and family-based care for unaccompanied children and supervision and case management as alternatives. These and similar measures need to be taken into consideration and made use of wherever possible.

All OSCE countries have recognised the rights of the child and committed to doing so in their domestic legislation in line with international agreements. States have also recognised the need to actively promote the rights and interests of children involved in or affected by armed conflict and post-conflict situations, including refugees and internally displaced children.

SARAJEVO, 15 December 2022 — In light of the Council of the European Union’s (EU) statement granting Bosnia and Herzegovina candidacy status, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brian Aggeler, made the following statement:

“Granting Bosnia and Herzegovina’s candidate status to the European Union is a very welcome opportunity and an important milestone along the country’s path toward European integration. We congratulate the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina on this achievement.

This status granted by member states of the EU can serve as an important impetus for elected leaders to concretely carry out much needed work on long-delayed and urgent reforms.

These reforms include, but are not limited to, strengthening the rule of law and good governance; protecting fundamental rights; combating corruption and organized crime; and making positive moves to strengthen mutual trust, understanding and respect between communities.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s elected leaders have a critical opportunity to co-operate and create a prosperous, stable and secure country. Working together, elected officials can lead all citizens to a future with better living standards that, in turn, reduces their exodus. Now is the time to deliver on promises of a better future in the interest of all citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina stands ready to continue its close work with the national authorities to support key reform processes in the country and assist Bosnia and Herzegovina in achieving its strategic goals, in line with OSCE principles and commitments.”

535035 Željka Šulc

SARAJEVO, 15 December 2022 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) co-organized a two-day conference on the subject of preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism to increase the awareness of the key stakeholders on the most relevant developments and challenges.

At the conference, which gathered over 80 participants from more than 40 institutions, and which concluded today in Sarajevo, Edin Jahić, Head of the Ministry of Security’s Department for Fight against Organized Crime and Corruption said:

“Considering that the new evaluation of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Moneyval Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism started last week, this conference is very important for institutions and agencies working in this field. In the past, the EU and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) had designated BiH as a country with a high level of risk in terms of preventing money laundering and financing of terrorism - a designation that carries political, economic and financial consequences. The new evaluation cycle places far more emphasis on implementation of FATF recommendations, risk assessment, and the impact on implementation of measures to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. Changes in the FATF methodology mean that, in case of a negative evaluation finding, BiH would need to go beyond merely amending legal provisions in order to fulfil requirements.”

Bakir Haverić, Advisor in GIZ recalled that “an effective system of combating money laundering and terrorist financing is crucial for BiH's prospects for membership in the European Union”. He moreover reaffirmed that, through the Global Program on Combating Illicit Financial Flows, GIZ will continue to strengthen relevant capacities of BiH partner institutions.

Selma Zeković, Chief of Anti-terrorism at the OSCE Mission to BiH highlighted that “the participation of a wide range of government and private sector actors from across BiH in the conference illustrates the degree of commitment to improving the country’s frameworks for anti-money laundering and combating of terrorist financing”. She also reaffirmed that the OSCE will continue to support efforts to increase BiH capacity for detecting and combatting money laundering and terrorist financing as well as for improving BiH compliance with the related international commitments and standards.

535020 Željka Šulc

BANJA LUKA, 15 December 2022 – Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, completed his visit to Doboj, Banja Luka and Donja Gradina today.

Starting on Tuesday 13 December, Ambassador Aggeler visited “Vuk Stefanović Karadžić” School in Doboj where he met with school director Ljubiša Blagojević. Congratulating the school for its success in the Mission’s BiH-wide competition “Proud of Our School", Ambassador Aggeler said: “It is inspiring to see the initiative of youth and its impact on inclusivity thus providing equal opportunities for all.”

Aggeler then visited the Armed Forces BiH Technical Facility for the Repair and Dismantling of Ammunition (TROM). During a tour of the facility, which has benefitted from significant support of the Mission, he reinforced ongoing commitment to the security of all BiH citizens as well as of the BiH Armed Forces personnel serving at the site.

In Banja Luka, the Ambassador met with key political counterparts. During a meeting with Republika Srpska National Assembly (RSNA) Speaker, Nenad Stevandić, the discussion focused on the Mission's support to the implementation of RSNA strategic documents and public outreach. Later, in a meeting with DEMOS leader, Nedeljko Čubrilović, Ambassador Aggeler thanked Čubrilović for the positive co-operation during his tenure as RSNA speaker over the past two terms.

On Wednesday 14 December, in meetings with RS Vice Presidents, Davor Pranjić and Ćamil Duraković, Ambassador Aggeler discussed the sustainable returns of Croats and Bosniaks to the RS.

On the same day, Aggeler met with RS President Milorad Dodik and discussed the plans and priorities of the newly-elected RS authorities. Aggeler also underlined the Mission’s dedication to supporting ongoing reform efforts in the entity.

In a meeting with editors and journalists, Aggeler accentuated the importance of media freedom. Views were exchanged about the potential negative impact of announced legislative changes that would aim to tackle disinformation and hate speech, re-introduce defamation as a criminal offence, and expand the list of criminal offences against the constitutional order in the Criminal Code of Republika Srpska.

The visit continued with a discussion on political developments and challenges during a meeting with PDP President Branislav Borenović.

On Friday 15 December, Ambassador Aggeler paid respects to all victims of Donja Gradina commemoration site and laid flowers at the memorial.

534999 Marina Živaljević

An opinion poll conducted in September 2022 reveals that almost half of the citizens surveyed generally have a positive attitude towards the country’s State Prosecution Services, and trust this institution. Over 40 per cent of respondents noticed positive change in the work of the State Prosecution Service during the last 12 months, while 59.8 per cent believe that State Prosecution Service is generally efficient in their work. The survey’s results show that 35 per cent of the respondents support the work of Acting Supreme State Prosecutor Maja Jovanović, while 44.1 per cent pointed out that they support the work of Chief Special Prosecutor Vladimir Novović. When respondents think that the State Prosecution is not efficient enough, they mostly name state corruption (87.6 per cent), fear of criminal organizations (82.3 per cent), as the reasons.

These are some of the key findings from a Perception of the State Prosecution Service in Montenegro Research commissioned by the OSCE Mission and conducted by Damar Agency, sampling 1,000 adults through a random stratified multi-stage sample.

Presenting the results, Miloš Vukanović, Development Director in the Damar Agency, stated that as one of the key institutions in the judicial reform process, the State Prosecution Service has been going through a dynamic period of organizational reform. The State Prosecution Service, he stated, is continuously at the center of interest domestically and internationally. “Slightly less than half of the respondents (46.4%) believe that the State Prosecution Service is mostly successful in combating corruption, while 42.9% think that the State Prosecution Service does not successfully fight corruption. The research further shows that citizens predominantly receive information about the State Prosecution Services through television and internet portals,” said Vukanović.

Following the presentation, Siv-Katrine Leirtroe, Deputy Head of the Mission stated that the Mission believes that this opinion poll will support the Supreme State Prosecutors’ Office to enhance their communication with citizens. “To build trust with citizens, it is crucial that the  State Prosecution Service communicates effectively with the public about its work and the specific activities they undertake,” said Leirtroe, adding that the Mission will continue its support to State Prosecution Service in 2023.

Acting Supreme State Prosecutor Maja Jovanović thanked the Mission for its support in conducting research and in other activities. “The fact that over 40 per cent of respondents noticed changes for the better in the work of the State Prosecutor’s Office in the last 12 months and that almost half of the citizens generally have a positive general attitude when it comes to the State Prosecutor's Office of Montenegro is important. We will continue our work and to communicate with the public so next year’s survey the public confidence and trust will continue to grow.” said Jovanović.

Since 2015, the Mission has worked with the Office of the Supreme State Prosecutor. In addition to supporting research on the public perception of the Supreme State Prosecutor’s Office, it assisted in drafting and implementing its first communications strategy, as well as producing of the TV show, “The Prosecutor’s Hour”.

534966 Communication and Media Relations Section Alexandra Taylor

Between 12 and 15 December 2022, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department facilitated a training course on gender-responsive policing of violence against women and girls for 295 police cadets at the Sarajevo Police Academy (33 women and 262 men).

A team of trainers bringing together a police officer, a prosecutor, a psychologist and an expert from the NGO Vive Žene delivered the course. They focused on topics such as the definitions of gender, sex and sexual orientation; why a victim-centred approach is crucial; reporting and the role of the police in detecting and preventing the violence; implementing protective measures and conducting risk assessment; the neurobiology of trauma; and the psychology of victims and perpetrators.

“All forms of gender-based violence need to be registered and investigated – per the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. To ensure appropriate responses, all police officers need to be trained, to understand what a survivor of gender-based violence experiences, and thus provide an appropriate response, such as support and protection, while holding the perpetrators accountable,” said OSCE project manager Bjorn Tore Saltvik.

As part of a wider approach to addressing the problem, the Centre for Youth Education (CEM) performed the play Hidden Shadows during the course. This drama is based on true stories, testimonies of victims and perpetrators of gender-based violence, as well as institutions that deal with these types of cases. It depicts several aspects of the violence, such as alcohol consumption, the reaction of the family, of the society and of the institutions.

The training course was organized as part of the “Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence in South-Eastern Europe” project, in co-ordination with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It follows a workshop on training curriculum on gender-based violence for law enforcement organized in Sarajevo on 15 November, in partnership with the OSCE Gender Issues Programme. 

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The OSCE Presence in Albania and the Constitutional Court announced today the winners of a competition for drafting of individual constitutional complaints. Twenty-seven students from public and private law faculties across Albania participated in the competition, and their submissions were marked by Constitutional Court justices.

Twenty-seven law students from public and private universities from across Albania took part in the competition organized by the OSCE Presence and the Constitutional Court. Their submissions were marked by legal advisors and judges of the Constitutional Court.

The winners were awarded at a ceremony that took place today in the presence of Head of OSCE Presence Ambassador Guido De Sanctis, Chair of Constitutional Court Vitore Tusha and former Court member Përparim Kalo.

Earlier this year, the OSCE Presence organized three training workshops on individual constitutional complaints with 200 students from Tirana, Vlora and Shkodra law faculties.

The Presence developed the project following a request of the Constitutional Court to popularize the individual constitutional complaints mechanism as well as address issues with the poor quality or inadmissibility of the submissions.

The constitutional justice reform of 2016 expanded the range of subjects and the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court with regard to individual constitutional complaints, enabling individuals to appeal against any act of public power that violates their fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Albania.

National and international experts gathered today in Tirana to discuss measures to combat technology-facilitate trafficking in human beings in Albania. The OSCE Presence in Albania and the OSCE’s Office of the Special Representative and Coordinator for Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings organized the roundtable.

Participants from law-enforcement agencies, prosecutors, international and civil society organizations discussed how the national legislation, including within the National Referral Mechanism, is enhanced to address technology-facilitated trafficking of human beings. Special focus was given to what legal requirements are in place and what can be improved to ensure that online platforms do not facilitate illegal activities associated with trafficking in human beings, and measures to ensure rapid exchange of data between law enforcement and technology companies.

Opening the event, Deputy Head of Presence Clarisse Pasztory said: “You know from numerous reports, including OSCE's own research, how modern communication technologies, such as the internet, social media, and mobile applications, have really significantly changed how organized crime groups engage in human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants”. “Today you will not only discuss about the downsides of modern technologies, but also about the positive sides and opportunities, and will be hearing of good practices and positive effects both in Albania and in other countries how to harness technology to better investigate and prosecute human trafficking and better identify victims of trafficking. Both of these are issues on which the OSCE Presence in Albania is extremely engaged,” she added.

Member of High Court Sandër Simoni, Chief of Cybercrime Unit in the Albanian State Police Hergis Jica and General Director of the National Authority for Electronic Certification and Cyber Security Igli Tafa spoke at the opening of the roundtable.

The event was part of the wider efforts of the OSCE Presence to increase the capacities of institutions and civil society in Albania against human trafficking.