Central Europe

Information for Google Short description:  ODIHR experts discuss electoral recommendations in Moldova Public Affairs Unit, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Katya Andrusz

Election experts from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) presented the final report and recommendations of the election observation mission to the 2021 early parliamentary elections in Moldova during a visit to Chisinau from 14 to 17 February 2022.

The report’s findings and recommendations were presented to representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the Central Election Commission (CEC), the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Justice and the Chisinau Court of Appeal, the committee in the Parliament responsible for legal review, the Audio-Visual Council, the national public broadcaster, as well as civil society organizations and the resident international donor community.

In these meetings, ODIHR reiterated its conclusions that the elections were well administered and competitive, but key CEC decisions brought its impartiality into question. The experts noted that the electoral legal framework still requires comprehensive review and urged the authorities and other stakeholders to take steps to implement the recommended reforms well in advance of the next elections in an inclusive, consultative and transparent process.

“The Moldovan authorities showed a firm commitment to continuing the electoral reform process,” said Tamás Meszerics, Head of ODIHR’s Election Observation Mission to the 2021 early parliamentary elections. “The opportunity now exists for enhancing the electoral legislation and practice in Moldova to be further in line with international standards and commitments. We look forward to seeing the next developments in following up on our recommendations.”

Discussions focused on the report’s recommendations related to ensuring integrity of the electoral process, strengthening campaign finance regulations, including oversight and sanctioning mechanisms, promoting balanced and impartial media coverage, substantive handling of electoral complaints and appeals, and strengthening judicial independence and overall trust in the judiciary.

The authorities and other interlocutors underlined the benefit of ODIHR’s potential engagement in providing legal and technical expertise to assist in implementing electoral recommendations. All OSCE participating States have committed themselves to following up on ODIHR's election assessments and recommendations.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

On the morning of 16 February, while the SMM was on patrol at a training area of the armed formations near Shymshynivka (non-government-controlled, 27km south-west of Luhansk), an unarmed member of the armed formations requested the Mission to leave the area, stating that the Mission’s presence was not allowed during live-fire exercises and that it should seek prior authorization from those in control. The member of the armed formations also threatened to seize patrol vehicles should the Mission attempt to visit the area without prior authorization in the future. Following contact with the patrol hub, the patrol left the area.

The Mission strongly objects to any conditioning of the SMM’s presence throughout its mandated area of operations, as well as unacceptable threats to seize Mission assets, which cannot be justified under any circumstances. It is for the Mission to decide where it wishes to patrol, including making its own appropriate security assessments.

The Mission reiterates the unconditional nature of its freedom of movement and its right to monitor within the bounds delineated in its mandate.

The OSCE Permanent Council Decision No. 1117 specifies that the SMM shall have safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. Unrestricted and unconditional access to all areas is essential to ensure effective monitoring and reporting of the security situation, as well as other mandated tasks. The mandate also tasks the Mission to report on any restrictions of its freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 189 ceasefire violations, including 128 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 24 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 402 ceasefire violations, including 188 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 129 ceasefire violations in the region.
• A member of the armed formations threatened an SMM patrol at a training area near non-government-controlled Shymshynivka, Luhansk region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. It recorded ceasefire violations inside the areas near Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote.
• The Mission monitored the operation of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The SMM continued to follow up on the situation of civilians, including at four entry-exit checkpoints and the corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission visited a border crossing point in Kharkiv region, where it saw no change in the security situation.
• The SMM observed gatherings in Kyiv and Dnipro.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at a heavy weapons holding area in a government-controlled area of Luhansk region, at a permanent storage site and a heavy weapons holding area in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk region, and at a training area in a non-government-controlled area of Luhansk region. Its unmanned aerial vehicles again encountered instances of GPS signal interference, assessed as caused by probable jamming.*

WARSAW, 17 February 2022 – The OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Foreign Minister of Poland, Zbigniew Rau expressed serious concern about  the reported shelling of a kindergarten in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska, in Luhansk region and called for restraint in the following statement:

“The indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas constitutes a clear violation of the ceasefire and the Minsk agreements. We call for the immediate prevention of further escalation.”

“Any use of force, especially against the civilian population and critical infrastructure, is unacceptable. We reiterate our strong support for all diplomatic efforts aimed at defusing ongoing tensions and restoring peace, security and stability in eastern Ukraine. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine will continue to play its vital role by monitoring and reporting on the security situation on the ground.”

VIENNA, 17 February 2022 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro reiterated today her concern regarding Ukraine’s practice of applying sanctions against media outlets.

Ribeiro’s comments follow the decision made on 11 February 2022 by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to impose five-year sanctions against several legal entities, resulting in the effective banning of access to the television channel Nash. The country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted the decision the same day.

“I want to underline once more that media freedom is dependent on a healthy, vibrant and competitive landscape, including voices that provide a variety of views,” Ribeiro said. “Any sanctions on media should be applied with restraint and should be subject to careful scrutiny, accompanied by effective procedural safeguards to prevent undue interference.”

The Representative drew attention to the participating States’ longstanding commitments regarding the OSCE’s human dimension as well as their international obligations.

“Freedom of expression and media freedom should never serve as a carte blanche for propaganda for war and illegal ‘hate speech’: it is universally recognized that it is not an absolute right,” Ribeiro stated. “At the same time, it cannot be overemphasized that these freedoms constitute one of the essential foundations of any democratic society. To be justified, restrictions must always meet a high barrier, and should always be under the scrutiny of a functioning, independent court system.”

Ribeiro also added that “authorities should strive to promote more debate and an open, diverse and dynamic media environment, also on issues that they deem ‘foreign’ or ‘not correct’.” Finally, the Representative pointed out a similar issue she addressed in August 2021.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She 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.

On 16 February 2022, the OSCE Presence in Albania introduced academic partners, the Assembly and representatives of civil society to the main findings of a feasibility study for the development of a study programme on parliamentary issues.

The study - drafted with national and international expertise - assesses the needs and potential modalities for the development of such curricula in Albania in the coming years, first as a summer school and later as a master’s degree.

The work for drafting the study was based on semi-structured interviews with representatives of international organizations, foreign and Albanian academic institutions, British and Albanian parliaments, and on an online questionnaire with students from Albanian universities.

This is the first step towards the piloting and thematic drafting of the curricula from foreign and local academics. Its main objective is to equip young professional in Albania with the required knowledge for actively participating in the decision making process, also considering the recent developments within the Assembly, including the ever increasing role of technology in the legislative process.

The feasibility study is part of the “Support to parliament and civic education in Albania” project, supported by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

512335 Munira Shoinbekova, OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe

Gender mainstreaming in politics and legislation and best practices in reviewing legislation for gender sensitivity were the topics of a two-day advanced workshop that ended on 16 February 2022 in Dushanbe. The OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) co-organized the event.

Some 31 representatives of the Parliament, courts of the Republic of Tajikistan and seven registered political parties attended the workshop. They advanced their knowledge and understanding of gender mainstreaming in politics and reflected on how gender equality is relevant for all the parliamentary activities. Participants also went through basic self-assessment on how gender equality is taken into account in parliamentary work, procedures and structure.

Yulia Netesova, Chief of ODIHR’s Democratic Governance and Gender Unit and Saša Gavrić, ODIHR’s Associate Gender Officer delivered the training workshop.

Opening the workshop, Tea Jaliashvili, Officer-in-Charge of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe said: “A women’s alliance or caucus will also create opportunities for networking with other women politicians from Parliaments across the OSCE region, where similar alliances and caucuses exist. We hope that shared good practices at today’s roundtable and our joint discussion will help to achieve a better understanding on gender mainstreaming in politics.”

“The launch of the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians in Tajikistan as a new platform fully reflects the desire of the country’s Parliament to make a worthy contribution to increasing women's participation in all spheres and the gender mainstreaming in the legislation”, said Dilrabo Mansuri, Deputy Chairperson of Majlisi Namoyandagon of Majlisi Oli of the Republic of Tajikistan (the Lower Chamber of Tajikistan’s Parliament). “The Alliance of Women Parliamentarians of Tajikistan is now at a new stage of development. As members of the Alliance, we will actively participate in the implementation of its goals and objectives, we will support and strengthen its authority and help to expand the influence of the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians in the country’s political, public, and social spheres.”

Yulia Netesova, Chief of ODIHR’s Democratic Governance and Gender Unit said: “We hope that the work of the Alliance of Women Parliamentarians will yield positive result in gender mainstreaming in politics in the nearest future and the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe along with ODIHR will continue to support women MPs in this endeavour.”

512344 Richard Wheeler

An OSCE-supported webinar on enhancing the communications skills of maslikhats (local self-governance bodies) was conducted from 8 to 11 February 2022 in Kazakh and Russian languages.

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan co-organized the event with the Ministry for Information and Social Development of Kazakhstan, the Public Administration Academy under the President of Kazakhstan, the Fund for Parliamentary Development in Kazakhstan, Internews Kazakhstan and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The webinar brought together three national experts and some 210 deputies who represent district, city and province-level maslikhats. It aimed to develop and improve participants’ communication skills with their constituents, the media and public groups and organizations.

During the webinar, experts explained how to effectively prepare and conduct public speaking, organize and hold briefings, press conferences and anti-crisis communications and work with social media audiences.

The training included innovative methods that combined theoretical and practical knowledge, using tools such as presentations, simulation games, real case studies, and analysis of the participants’ social networks. The training concluded with the development of practical recommendations for the participants.

The webinar was a part of the Programme Office’s ongoing efforts to promote good governance and democratic development in Kazakhstan.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 24 ceasefire violations, including five explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 17 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 129 ceasefire violations, including 71 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 157 ceasefire violations in the region.
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.
• The Mission monitored the operation of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The SMM continued to follow up on the situation of civilians, including at three entry-exit checkpoints and two corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Luhansk region.
• The Mission monitored a border crossing point in Luhansk region. It also visited two border crossing points outside government control and monitored areas near the border outside government control in Donetsk region.
• The SMM visited areas near the border with Belarus in Chernihiv region. It also monitored the security situation in east and south-east Kherson region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at checkpoints of the armed formations in southern Donetsk region and in Luhansk region. Its unmanned aerial vehicles again encountered multiple instances of GPS signal interference, assessed as caused by jamming and probable jamming.*

MOSCOW, 16 February 2022 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau, concluded his first official visit as OSCE Chairman to Moscow on 15 February.

During his meeting with Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, the Chairman-in-Office emphasized the need to continue a constructive dialogue based on the principles of international law and engagement in existing OSCE mechanisms, in order to reduce tensions in the region. He also pointed out the potential benefits of the recently presented concept of the Renewed European Security Dialogue.

“The Renewed Dialogue which I presented in Vienna on 8 February is an important initiative by the Polish OSCE Chairmanship amidst the current tense security situation in the region. I hope that Russia will actively engage in this initiative,” said Minister Rau.

“I believe that this initiative represents an opportunity to revitalize the OSCE and strengthen its importance within the European security architecture. That is why I hope that the Russia will support the Chairmanship’s efforts in this respect,” added Minister Rau.

The initiative is an effort to dialogue on both practical security aspects as well as conceptual matters, including the interpretation of the principles of comprehensive and indivisible security, the importance of which was raised by Russia during recent meetings.

“Naturally, the tense security situation in eastern Ukraine, including the build-up of military forces along its borders, continues to be a priority topic for the Polish Chairmanship. As OSCE Chair, we support the efforts of the Trilateral Contact Group, as well as the negotiators of the Normandy Format, to reinvigorate conflict resolution efforts and break the deadlock in negotiations. Progress needs to be made so the local population can finally enjoy lasting stability and security in their daily lives,” said the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Moreover, Minister Rau stressed the need to make sure that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) can operate without restrictions and fulfil its mandate.

Chairman-in-Office Rau also met with Russian civil society representatives and human rights experts. “As the OSCE Chairman, I will spare no effort to make sure that human dimension of the OSCE should not be overshadowed by other issues. Respect for the rights of individuals is a guarantee of peace,” he underscored.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

KYIV, 16 February 2022 – Today over 100 representatives from the Ukrainian state authorities, think tanks, the donor community and international partner organizations met to create a co-ordination platform on implementing a joint strategic approach to preventing and combating the illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition and explosives (WAE) in Ukraine.

This initiative, supported by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, takes place as part of the First National Conference on Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking in Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives in all its aspects, which took place in Kyiv on 15 and 16 February 2022.

“Today, Ukraine more than ever needs to strengthen its response to the illicit trafficking of WAE based on a strategic governmental approach. The adoption of the Law on Weapons, the launch of the weapons register, co-ordination and co-operation of all stakeholders, as well as the mobilization of advanced international knowledge are the priorities in combating and preventing the illicit trafficking in WAE,” said Serhii Honcharov, the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs in his opening speech.

Henrik Villadsen, the OSCE Project Co-coordinator in Ukraine, reiterated the OSCE’s continued support to Ukraine in the field of Small arms and light weapons (SALW) control, as well as in preventing and combating the illicit trafficking in WAE.

“By establishing a platform for enhanced international and inter-agency co-ordination, we are aiming to support the Ukrainian Government and its agencies by bringing them together with international partners on a regular basis to discuss best practices and elaborate a joint strategic approach to addressing the issue of illicit trafficking in WAE,” he stated.

Discussions focused, additionally, on Ukraine’s WAE legal and regulatory framework, its compliance with international commitments and identifying the country’s needs to better counter illicit trafficking in WAE in line with international best practices. Further steps on fostering co-operation among national stakeholders were also discussed.

This conference was of the “Strengthening capacities of Ukrainian authorities in preventing and combating illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition and explosives in all its aspects” programme. This programme is implemented by the OSCE Secretariat and the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, in partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service and the State Customs Service of Ukraine.

The programme is funded and supported through in-kind contributions by the European Union, the governments of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, the United States of America, Lithuania and Poland.

VIENNA, 15 February 2022 – Trafficking in human beings has dramatically changed since it was first recognized as a crime 20 years ago. Today technology is a centerpiece of the human trafficking business model and 75% of sex trafficking victims are advertised online. However, legislation addressing trafficking has not kept pace. Addressing this gap is at the heart of a new study a new OSCE study on policy responses to technology-facilitated trafficking in human beings, which was presented at a virtual launch event held today.

OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid stated at the opening of the event that “the success of States’ efforts to eradicate human trafficking will largely depend on how prepared they are to tackle technology-facilitated trafficking. The OSCE today shows it has unique expertise to offer on the policies needed to effectively do that.”

Technology is misused in a variety of ways, including to groom and recruit children and vulnerable adults, luring them into exploitative situations, and to exercise power and coercion over victims, controlling or blackmailing them into compliance. The misuse of technology is also a massive facilitator of sexual exploitation through advertising trafficking victims for sexual services, sharing depictions of exploited adults and children, live streaming and forced pornography.

Some companies have developed measures or tools to respond to this problem on their platforms, but overall self-regulation has resulted in fragmented and inadequate adoption of safety measures, inconsistent and slow reporting to authorities, lack of redress for victims and impunity for traffickers.

In short, self-regulation is not working and the explosion of technology-facilitated trafficking requires strong policy and legislative action by governments.

“The current system is broken and not up to the task”, said the OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking Val Richey. “States need to adopt new laws and policies to ensure Internet becomes a safe space and not a safe haven for traffickers and perpetrators.”

The new OSCE study offers policy recommendations to establish strong prevention measures, promote harmonized approaches, and encourage tech industry compliance.  The recommendations also include mandating websites to verify the age of people depicted in explicit material, to have a clear “content removal” request button, and to conduct due diligence and proactive monitoring to identify risks on their platforms.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 17 ceasefire violations, including one explosion. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 157 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded 157 ceasefire violations, including 40 explosions. 80 of the ceasefire violations were assessed as a live-fire exercise outside the security zone. In the previous 24 hours, it recorded 80 ceasefire violations in the region.
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.
• The SMM observed an anti-personnel mine, assessed as recently laid, on the edge of road H-20 near non-government-controlled Olenivka, Donetsk region.
• The Mission monitored the operation and repair of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The SMM continued to follow up on the situation for civilians, including at entry-exit checkpoints and corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The Mission observed a gathering in Kyiv.
• The SMM’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted. Its unmanned aerial vehicles again encountered instances of GPS signal interference, assessed as caused by probable jamming and jamming.*

VIENNA, 15 February 2022 – Supporting sustainable economic growth following the COVID-19 pandemic was the focus of the First Preparatory Meeting of the 30th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum (EEF) held on 14 and 15 February in Vienna.

The meeting brought together government officials, the private sector, academia and civil society and provided a venue to engage in discussion on the OSCE’s role in support of achieving post-pandemic sustainable development and growth.

The discussions focused on supporting sustainable economic recovery and growth through the promotion of investment, entrepreneurship and business development; fostering good governance and anti-corruption measures; the promotion of transport and trade facilitation; the importance of human capital development for economic security, competitiveness, and inclusive growth in the post-pandemic era.

The Permanent Representative of Poland to the OSCE, Ambassador Adam Hałaciński, said:  “This Forum is not only the most important event of the Economic and Environmental Dimension, but also a meaningful opportunity to address the OSCE comprehensive approach to security and cooperation.”

The Economic and Environmental Forum enables political dialogue among the 57 OSCE participating States on key economic and environmental issues related to security. This year marks the Forum’s 30th anniversary.

OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid said that the 30th anniversary of the EEF is a milestone worthy of commemoration. “For three decades participating States have engaged with one another, with academia and the private sector at the EEF to address economic, social and environmental threats to security. I am sure this year will be no exception,” she said.

Schmid also emphasized the need to strengthen regional and global coalitions, to leverage technology, and to focus on human capital development as three key areas where the OSCE’s full potential could be used to advance post-pandemic sustainable growth and development.

The keynote address was delivered by Mariusz Jerzy Golecki, Deputy Minister at the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, who emphasized: “We believe that strengthening economic resilience will require not only greater global cooperation, but also regional levels, giving such organizations like OSCE an important role to be played in the field of sustainable growth, inclusive labour markets and equality between women and men.”

Mr. Grzegorz Słomkowski, Member of the Management Board of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, and Ambassador Igli Hasani, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, provided concluding remarks and a comprehensive summary of the discussions during the two days of the meeting.

The First Preparatory Meeting of the 30th OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum was organized by the 2022 Polish OSCE Chairmanship and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. This will be followed by a Second Preparatory Meeting in Łódź, Poland, on 23-24 May 2022.

The Concluding Meeting will take place in Prague on 8 and 9 September 2022.

VIENNA, 14 February 2022 – OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro made the following statement today expressing her concern about the shrinking space for media workers to conduct their journalistic work abroad:

“Over the past months, the authorities of several OSCE participating States have adopted a series of decisions that seriously hamper the possibility of cross-frontier journalism. These obstructive measures include banning or blocking media outlets; demanding that foreign media must establish a local office to be allowed to broadcast or otherwise disseminate information; and the practice of labelling media workers as foreign agents. Though different in operation, these measures have the same detrimental effect: shrinking of media pluralism and stability in the OSCE region and disruption of co-operation and friendly relations between nations.”

“This is in stark contrast to OSCE commitments and international law, and it goes against the idea that the participating States consider cross-frontier journalism crucial for strengthening trust and co-operation within the OSCE region. In their Ministerial Council Decision of 2018 on the Safety of Journalists, the participating States clearly reaffirmed the public’s right to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority regardless of frontiers, including through foreign publications and foreign broadcasts. Next, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights clearly states that everyone has the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers and through any media of his or her choice.”

“As this right is not absolute, it may be subject to certain restrictions. Such restrictions, however, need to be clearly spelled out in national law and applied only when they are necessary to protect other fundamental values and rights. When adopted and implemented by lawful institutions in accordance with the rule of law and when the restrictions pursue a legitimate aim, and are necessary and proportional in scope, then they can be recognized as appropriate. Also, there should always be a possibility to challenge restrictions through an independent court system.”

“States must avoid imposing onerous conditions for disseminating information, including from abroad. Criteria should be reasonable and objective, clear, transparent, non-discriminatory and otherwise in compliance with international law and commitments. It also means that such restrictions must never be arbitrary or based on political considerations. Hindering and blocking foreign media who are legitimately pursuing their professional activities merely based on political motives is neither legitimate nor proportionate. It goes against media pluralism and the very spirit of OSCE principles and commitments regarding media freedom aimed at the free flow of information, including across borders. I call on all participating States to avoid imposing unjustified restrictions based on non-legitimate decisions. I also want to use this opportunity to point all participating States to the communiqué on this topic that I published last year.”

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She 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

VIENNA/WARSAW, 14 February 2022 — The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau will visit Moscow for a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov.

Rau will meet with Lavrov on 15 February. The talks will focus on strengthening the co-operation between the OSCE and the Russian Federation, including efforts directed at stabilizing the security situation and easing tensions in the OSCE region.

The Chairman will be accompanied by Ambassador Mikko Kinnunen, the Special Representative in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG).

For more information about Poland's 2022 OSCE Chairpersonship, please visit the OSCE website: https://www.osce.org/chairmanship

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• In Donetsk region, between the evenings of 11 and 13 February, the Mission recorded 261 ceasefire violations, including 50 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 114 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, between the evenings of 11 and 13 February, the SMM recorded 114 ceasefire violations, including 24 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 258 ceasefire violations in the region.
• Small-arms fire was assessed as directed at an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in non-government-controlled Kalmiuske, Donetsk region.*
• The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.
• The SMM monitored the operation and repair of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The Mission continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at five entry-exit checkpoints and four corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
• The SMM monitored the security situation in east and south-east Kherson region.
• The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at a checkpoint of the armed formations near Kreminets in Luhansk region. Its UAVs again encountered instances of GPS signal interference, assessed as caused by probable jamming and jamming.*

THE HAGUE, 14 February 2022 – OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov today launched a call for nominations for the 2022 Max van der Stoel Award. The award of 50,000 euros recognizes extraordinary and outstanding achievements in improving the position of national minorities in OSCE participating States. The deadline for nominations is 10 April 2022.

Eligible candidates include individuals, groups or institutions with a record of excellence in the field of improving the position and rights of national minorities in the OSCE area.

“I encourage all interested parties to propose candidate(s) of their choice by contacting an OSCE field operation, institution (ODIHR, RFOM, HCNM as well as the OSCE Secretariat and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly) or delegation,” said Abdrakhmanov. “OSCE entities can formally nominate candidates and I invite them to support the proposals they receive and to submit their chosen candidate(s) to my office by 10 April. I also urge them to proactively engage with civil society and encourage proposals for eligible candidates.”

OSCE field operations, institutions and delegations should send their nominations directly to the office of the High Commissioner on National Minorities via email (mvds@hcnm.org), through the online nomination form (maxvanderstoelaward.com) or by mail/diplomatic post to:

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities

Max van der Stoel Award

Prinsessegracht 22

2514 AP The Hague

The Netherlands

After receiving all nominations, a special jury composed of distinguished experts of international repute and chaired by the High Commissioner will choose the winner. The award will be presented to the winner at a ceremony in The Hague in November 2022.

Established in 2001 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the award honours Max van der Stoel, a prominent Dutch statesperson who was the first OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, and aims to draw attention to issues related to national minorities.

More information about the award is available in this factsheet.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

On the morning of 11 February, while on patrol at the border crossing point near Dovzhanske (non-government-controlled, 84km south-east of Luhansk), the SMM was approached by a member of the armed formations who asked the patrol to state its task. He also said that the SMM was not allowed to visit the area without prior co-ordination with his superiors in the armed formations. He concluded by claiming that the SMM was only allowed to perform its tasks along the contact line.

The Mission informed the member of armed formations that the details of the patrol plan could not be shared, and explained that unconditional freedom of movement across the Mission’s area of responsibility was enshrined in its mandate. He reacted aggressively and threatened the mission members with arrest, should they not comply with his demand to leave the area immediately. The patrol left the area.

The SMM deplores the aggressive behavior and unacceptable threats made to Mission members, which cannot be justified under any circumstances.

The SMM reiterates the unconditional nature of its freedom of movement as enshrined in its mandate.

The OSCE Permanent Council Decision No. 1117 specifies that the SMM shall have safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. Unrestricted and unconditional access to all areas is essential to ensure effective monitoring and reporting of the security situation, as well as other mandated tasks. The mandate also tasks the Mission to report on any restrictions of its freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

KYIV, 13 February 2022 - The Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine is a civilian mission. The majority of international mission members are seconded by OSCE participating States. The secondment system allows participating States to make decisions inter alia on the relocation of their secondees in or out of the country. Recently, certain participating States have decided that their respective secondees in the SMM should leave Ukraine within the next days.

The SMM will continue to implement its OSCE approved mandate with its monitors deployed in ten cities throughout Ukraine.

The SMM places the highest priority on the safety and security of all its staff and will continue to assess the security situation continuously.