Central Europe

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On 20 and 21 October 2021, the OSCE convened the first meeting of the Multi-Agency Committee in Montenegro established as part of its project, Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence in South-Eastern Europe, which is run by the OSCE’s Strategic Police Matters Unit.

Representatives of the OSCE Secretariat and the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, the Montenegrin Police Directorate, the Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Police Academy, Supreme Court, SOS Podgorica and SOS Nikšić attended the meeting. They discussed the Committee’s role and the project’s strategy and implementation with local stakeholders to help tailor the project content and activities’ to the countries’ needs.

The Committee will provide guidance to the project team to help ensure that the project activities comply with local strategies and other existing programmes to ensure local ownership, sustainability and minimize a duplication of efforts.

The project aims to increase the public’s trust in criminal justice responses and the level of reporting of cases by enhancing the capacities of criminal justice systems in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia to prevent and combat gender-based violence.

The project is currently being implemented with the financial support of Germany, Norway, Finland, and will, pending continued funding, last until 2024.

VIENNA, 23 October 2021 — OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid, will visit Belgrade from 24 to 26 October for meetings with high-level officials and other stakeholders.

During her first visit to Serbia as OSCE Secretary General, Schmid will meet with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selaković, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality Brankica Janković, Speaker of the National Assembly Ivica Dačić, and representatives of the Women Parliamentary Network.

Schmid will also meet with representatives of civil society and OSCE partners and staff members from the OSCE Mission to Serbia.

Talks will focus on the country’s strategic reform agenda, rule of law, media freedom and regional co-operation, as well as on OSCE support.

BELGRADE, 22 October 2021 – A regional expert conference on achievements and challenges in improving victims’ rights, organized by the OSCE Mission to Serbia with the support of the European Union, took place today, in Belgrade.

The conference provided an opportunity to promote experience sharing between scholars and practitioners from the region with similar jurisprudential practice, and to present the findings of the publication of academic and research papers titled “Victims of Crime and Legal Instruments for the Protection of Victims”. Some 60 experts and practitioners in the area of criminal justice from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia attended the event.

“The OSCE Mission-supported conference is dedicated to the status and rights of the most vulnerable participants in the criminal procedure – the victims of crime. In line with its mandate, the OSCE Mission has been helping Serbia further develop its strategic framework and capacity for establishing a fully functional national victim support network, in line with OSCE commitments and international standards,” said Sarah Groen, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, at the opening of the conference.

“In a modern world and modern pace of life and movement, an estimated 75 million people in the European Union, 15 % of its population, fall victim to crime every year. People falling victim to crime have a range of needs, varying from victim to victim, and therefore today's EU policy calls for the legal systems to ensure a victims-based approach as a minimum standard. This includes, amongst other areas, the need of victims and their families to be informed of their rights, provided social and psychological support and financial compensation. In Serbia, several positive developments have been noted in the area of procedural rights while other areas are delayed, as reflected in EC’s most recent Annual Report. Through projects such as the one we discuss today, the EU aims at encouraging Serbia to place greater emphasis on this area, including that victims are compensated in criminal proceedings,” said Leonetta Pajer, from the EU Delegation to Serbia.

The conference was an opportunity to examine all current issues related to victim support, and to assess the alignment of the criminal justice systems with international standards in Serbia and other countries in the region. The event also served to inform the participants on the current state of the implementation of Serbia's Strategy on the Rights of Victims and Witnesses of Crime 2020–2025, which the OSCE Mission supports through its activities under the “Support for Victims and Witnesses of Crime in Serbia” project, financed by the European Union.

Reiterating the importance of respecting fundamental victims’ rights – many of which are already enshrined in legislation in the countries in the region – the participants noted the progress in certain amendments to criminal law, but also stressed the importance of institutional capacity-building, as well as the need for further training of practitioners, all with the aim to put these rights into full effect.

The annual conference and the publication are part of the EU funded project, implemented by the OSCE Mission, with the focus on increasing respect for human rights and the effectiveness of the criminal procedure.

ATHENS, 22 October 2021 – Speaking today at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Athens, OSCE Parliamentary President Margareta Cederfelt (Sweden) called for greater attention to the OSCE from national parliaments and governments. She highlighted next month’s UN Climate Change Conference as an example of how countries need to work closely together to meet global problems, and stressed that despite recent setbacks and challenges in the international arena, there is a need for more solidarity and co-operation, not a retreat to unilateralism.

 

“We need to keep discussions about international challenges on our domestic agendas,” Cederfelt said to more than 40 speakers of parliament in attendance. “We need to highlight the work of the OSCE in our national debates. And we need to regularly question our governments on the implementation of their international commitments.”

She added that without the political support of parliaments, the full potential of parliamentary diplomacy and the achievements of international organizations will remain limited, arguing that parliaments must make room for political discussions about the work of the OSCE and other international organizations.

Organized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Hellenic Parliament, the two-day conference has covered topics such as how democracies are coping with the COVID-19 public health crisis and how national parliaments can help build a healthy and sustainable environment. President Cederfelt spoke at a panel on the “common future of all European citizens” and noted that both the Council of Europe and the OSCE have kept the search for international co-operation at their core. “This has helped our region and our member countries deal with a multitude of old and emerging challenges,” she said.

On the sidelines of the conference, President Cederfelt held a series of bilateral meetings, including with speakers of parliament from Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United Kingdom. Cederfelt also participated in a gender networking event, highlighting the role of parliaments in empowering female leaders.

Meeting with Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, President Cederfelt discussed the work of the OSCE PA and ways parliamentarians can support regional peace processes. In a meeting with President of National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Alen Simonyan, Cederfelt highlighted ways the OSCE PA can support the reform agenda as well as promote reconciliation efforts in the South Caucasus.

In a bilateral with Moldova’s Parliament President Igor Grosu, discussions focused on developments in Moldova since the July 2021 parliamentary elections. The sides explored avenues for co-operation between the PA and the Parliament of Moldova on Moldovan priorities such as electoral reform.

A meeting with Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, included discussions on the upcoming OSCE PA Annual Session in Birmingham. President Cederfelt also expressed the condolences offered by OSCE PA Members on the killing of British MP David Amess last week.

President Cederfelt was in Athens with OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella. On Thursday, Montella met with current Members of the OSCE PA’s Greek Delegation, former OSCE PA President Petros Efthymiou as well as former PA Member and current Greek Minister of Interior Makis Voridis for discussions on geopolitical challenges, including climate change and migration. Discussions focused on where parliamentary bodies can have an impact on resolution of these issues.

SG Montella also participated in a meeting with Secretaries General of parliaments today, at which he described the OSCE PA’s evolution from an Assembly consisting primarily of statutory meetings to one that is active on many fronts. With members active in election observation, ad hoc committees and as special representatives, the challenge now is to recalibrate on where the OSCE PA can be most impactful with its limited resources, Montella said.

President Cederfelt's full remarks are available here. 

For official photos from the conference, please click here.

Communication and Media Relations Section

Beneficial ownership information is one of the most important tools in combating corruption, enhancing transparency, and strengthening accountability. On 22 October 2021, the OSCE, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) and the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) held a virtual workshop focused on strengthening mechanisms to enhance beneficial ownership transparency and ensuring that beneficial ownership data in South-Eastern Europe is accurate, reliable and up to date.

Representatives from government agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector discussed best practices in the verification of data used in beneficial ownership registries.

Data accuracy is key to effective and efficient mechanisms for beneficial ownership, which can be achieved through the planning and implementation of strong verification systems. The focus of the workshop was on good practices on the verification of beneficial owners data, including the use of a multi-stakeholder approach to the reform.

Participants at the workshop learned from good practices on the establishment of verification mechanisms for beneficial ownership information and strategies to engage civil society organizations and other actors in data verification. The discussion also included how to overcome challenges in establishing proper mechanisms.

This workshop is part of a series of activities on beneficial ownership held by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA), OGP, and GIZ.  

The workshop was held in the framework of the extra-budgetary project “Promoting good governance and a positive business climate in the OSCE region through digitalization and the use of open data”, funded by the United States of America.

OSCE Centre in Ashgabat

International best practices in developing strategies and promoting energy diplomacy in the oil and gas sector were the focus of an OSCE-organized online seminar held on 21 and 22 October 2021.

Participants were representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, State Concerns “Turkmengas” and “Turkmenoil”, the Ministry of Finance and Economy, institutions of higher education and other relevant bodies.

Two international experts from the Russian Federation presented priorities in the energy sector, analysed global and regional trends, and explored the linkages between international energy security and sustainable development within the oil and gas sector.

Opening the session, John MacGregor, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat said: “Energy diplomacy is the newest functional area of modern diplomacy. Over the past years, its role has been steadily increasing in the energy sector and serves as a tool for lobbying the states’ political and economic interests in the international arena.”

“That is why energy security-related issues are one of the top priorities of the global and national agenda, requiring a constructive interstate dialogue and effective co-operation,” he added.

The event marks a continuation of the OSCE Centre's co-operation with the host country in the area of energy security as part of which includes support in the elaboration and implementation of the Programme on the Development of Energy Diplomacy of Turkmenistan for 2021–2025.

TASHKENT, 22 October 2021 – International election observers will hold a press conference to present their findings following the presidential election in Uzbekistan.

NB Due to social distancing requirements, only a limited number of journalists can attend the press conference in person. All others will have the opportunity to watch and ask questions via Zoom. Broadcast media wishing to film the press conference will be prioritized for personal attendance.

What:

• A press conference of the international election observation mission to the presidential election in Uzbekistan
• The press conference can be attended in person or via Zoom (details below)
• You can also follow the livestream on www.facebook.com/osce.odihr and www.oscepa.org

Who:

• Reinhold Lopatka, Special co-ordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission
• Heidi Hautala, Head of the EP delegation
• Daniela De Ridder, Head of the OSCE PA delegation
• Eoghan Murphy, Head of the ODIHR election observation mission

When:

• 14.30 local time (GMT +5) on 25 October 2021

Where:

• Harem Banquet Hall, Grand Mir Hotel, 2 Mirobod Street, Tashkent

Registration:

• To take part via Zoom, please register by 11:00 local time on 25 October using this link.          

The international election observation is a joint mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), and the European Parliament (EP). The mission totals 366 observers from 44 countries, composed of 255 ODIHR experts and long- and short-term observers, 99 parliamentarians and staff from the OSCE PA, and 12 from the EP.

For more information, please contact:

Katya Andrusz, ODIHR: +48 609 522 266 or katya.andrusz@odihr.pl

Anna Di Domenico, OSCE PA: +998 908 132145 or anna.didomenico@oscepa.dk  

Cristina Castagnoli, EP: +32 470 880872 or cristina.castagnoli@europarl.europa.eu

A three-day training course aimed at further strengthening the capacity of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to counter terrorist financing concluded on 21 October 2021.

Organized by the OSCE and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the residential training course was led by international experts and eight local trainers who were trained through an OSCE-UNODC train-the-trainers programme. Participants included experts from the Ministry of Security of BiH, the BiH Prosecutor’s Office, the State Investigation and Protection Agency, the Ministry of Interior of the Federation of BiH, the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska and Brčko District Police. Of the 23 participants, 17 were trainees and eight local trainers.

“Coordination and better use of financial intelligence and operational data, as well as information derived from analyzes of law enforcement agencies, knowledge enhancement, enhanced cooperation between institutions and agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, can greatly contribute to effectively cutting off terrorist financing channels,” said Ivana Veselčić, Assistant Minister of Security of BiH, during the opening remarks.

Based on country- and region-specific scenarios, trainees studied international, regional and national threats, financial requirements of a terrorist organization, sources of financial information, and money flows. More than half of the course was devoted to practical work using exercises and case studies tailored to the country, emphasizing the key role of inter-agency co-operation in countering terrorist financing. Western Union, a private financial services company, presented on the importance of public-private partnerships.

The course was the first module of a comprehensive multiannual OSCE-UNODC training programme, which aims to further improve BiH’s Countering Financing of Terrorism framework and build the country’s capacity to, in full compliance with international commitments and standards, prevent terrorists from moving, raising and owning funds for terrorist activity.

The course was organized with the financial support of the United States.

Richard Wheeler

The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan organized an online two-day training seminar on enhancing capacities of professional societies for lawyers on 21 and 22 October 2021.

Some 65 lawyers, legal advisers, representatives of the Bar Associations and Legal Chamber of Advisers, and international experts, discussed best practices in the standards of qualification exams or certification for admission to professional societies, issues related to professional duties of lawyers and the accountability of lawyers´ associations.

The training seminar also focused on international experience in the field of disciplinary boards of professional societies and co-operation of professional associations of lawyers with governmental and other institutions in furthering the ends of justice and upholding professional standards and ethics. Participants produced recommendations for improving the organizational work of such professional societies, such as bar associations and legal chambers.

The event is part of the Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to strengthen the rule of law and to support the development of the legal profession in the host country.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 120 ceasefire violations, including 38 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 216 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded ten ceasefire violations, including nine explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 53 ceasefire violations in the region.
• The SMM observed that the gathering in front of the hotel where Mission members reside in non-government-controlled Donetsk city continued. There was no patrol movement in and out of its premises on 20 October. The gathering continued on 21 October.*
• The Mission conducted an administrative patrol from Donetsk city towards government-controlled areas on 21 October (outside the reporting period). 
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.*
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation, repair and construction of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The SMM continued following 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’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted. Its unmanned aerial vehicles again experienced instances of jamming and probable jamming.*

VIENNA, 20 October 2021- This week, the Swedish OSCE Chairpersonship hosted the second high-level retreat for Chairperson-in-Office Ann Linde’s Special and Personal Representatives dealing with conflicts in the OSCE region as well as her Special Envoy outside Vienna from 20-21 October.

One of Sweden's main priorities as Chair is to contribute to conflict resolution in the OSCE region. The retreat provided an opportunity for representatives to discuss common challenges and exchange experiences of their work on conflict resolution. Issues discussed included ways to make conflict resolution processes more inclusive and the OSCE’s role in strengthening the participation of civil society and of women and girls in these processes.

The two-day retreat was organised in partnership with the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC), and co-facilitated by the CPC and the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI). The retreat was a follow-up to a first event held in Stockholm and online in May.

“By coming together, we can explore and discuss ways for the OSCE to increase its capacity to resolve the existing conflicts in our region”, said Ambassador Ulrika Funered, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the OSCE and Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/11 on elements of the conflict cycle related to enhancing the OSCE’s capabilities in early warning, early action, dialogue facilitation and mediation support, and post-conflict rehabilitation. Throughout the year, the Swedish Chairpersonship has marked this tenth anniversary with a series of meetings and seminars on how to strengthen the OSCE’s work on the conflict cycle.

501883 Joana Karapataqi, OSCE Presence in Albania OSCE Presence in Albania Head of Presence's remarks at opening ceremony of simulation-based training “Investigation and identification of trafficking of human beings in Albania”

A simulation-based training on combating human trafficking — the first of this kind in Albania — took place from 18 to 21 October 2021 in Tirana. The training, organized by the OSCE Presence and the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, promoted an innovative approach to the capacity development of anti-trafficking practitioners.

The training consisted of realistic, practical and cross-dimensional simulation exercises aimed to enhance anti-trafficking officials’ ability to identify and investigate human trafficking and assist trafficked persons in a victim-centred and human rights-based manner. Around 60 anti-trafficking practitioners — including social workers, police officers, prosecutors, labour inspectors and civil society activists — participated in the training.  

“The Presence has long prioritized the fight against trafficking of human beings, and this training encapsulates many core elements of our commitment — to pursuing a human-rights based, victim-centred approach, to advancing inter-institutional co-ordination, to applying cutting edge tools to develop capacities and respond,” said Vincenzo Del Monaco, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, at the opening ceremony held on 18 October, on the European Anti-Trafficking Day.

He added that, despite being a terrible crime, trafficking in human beings is, first and foremost, a violation of human rights, and everybody carries the responsibility to counter such tragic scourge. “Indeed, no institution or individual can work alone in tackling trafficking in human beings. As in every common challenge, the solution is never in me, but it is always in we,” Del Monaco said.

In a video message at the opening of the training, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Valiant Richey said: “We are delighted to support OSCE participating States who use our innovative methodology to train their national anti-trafficking practitioners”. 

Albania’s Deputy Minister of Interior Romina Kuko, Deputy Minister of Health and Social Protection Denada Seferi, UNICEF Resident Representative Roberto de Bernardi, and British Embassy’s officer Harriet Morgan spoke at the event.

The training was delivered as part of the programme “Transforming the national response to human trafficking in and from Albania”, which is implemented by a consortium of local and international organizations led by UNICEF Albania, and supported by the United Kingdom.

VIENNA, 21 October 2021 — OSCE Secretary General, Helga Maria Schmid, will visit North Macedonia on 22 and 23 October for meetings with high-level officials and other stakeholders.

During her first visit to the country as OSCE Secretary General, Schmid will meet with President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani, and Minister of Internal Affairs Oliver Spasovski. She will also meet with representatives of civil society and OSCE partners.

Talks will focus on the country’s upcoming Chairpersonship of the OSCE in 2023, but also on strategic reforms, the rule of law, organized crime and corruption, democratic governance, and regional stability and security.

Schmid will also travel to Tetovo, where she will visit the OSCE Mission to Skopje’s Field Office and discuss the issue of community security with civil society representatives.

She will also meet with staff members from the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

501952 Marina Živaljević

In its efforts to strengthen private media in Montenegro and contribute to their further professionalization and adaption to the digitalization challenges, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro delivered a set of seven desktop computers to the media outlet Nova M TV on 21 October 2021 in Podgorica.

The donation will enable Nova M to improve the professionalism of its daily reporting, and stay competitive in the market.

Zuzana Paukova, the Mission’s Media Programme Manager, said that in time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the media has challenging tasks, coupled with insufficient resources to carry them out. “In order to help them continue to be a source of relevant information, the Mission provided Nova M with needed equipment to maintain quality reporting,” said Paukova.

Ivana Šebek, Executive Director of Nova M TV said that this valuable donation of technical equipment came at the right time, when the TV studio has been redesigned and the innovated visual identity of the television presented. “Our motto is to inform objectively, accurately and promptly. This is why the workshops and educational seminars organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro are of great importance for our journalists. The role of the OSCE in further improving the position of journalists in Montenegro is immense,” said Šebek.

The Mission remains committed to supporting media professionalization in Montenegro.

501907

As part of the longstanding support to the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Interior, on 20 and 21 October 2021, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized the first in a series of working group meetings for drafting a “Rulebook on safe storage of ammunition in storage sites.”

With the Mission’s support, a multisector working group, comprised of legal and weapons/ammunition experts from the two Ministries was established. The Mission also engaged an international expert to support the working group in drafting a rulebook that will cover Army and Police storage sites.

Mladen Marković, Head of the Montenegrin Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Commission, said that the objective of the working group is to strengthen policy on the management of stockpiles, as one of the key goals in the implementation of the 2019–2025 National Strategy on combatting illegal possession, misuse and trafficking in SALW and conventional ammunition.

This activity was part of the Mission’s project on “Strengthening action against illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of small arms and light weapons, ammunition, and explosives in Montenegro.” Two additional meetings on drafting the rulebook are planned in November.

The Mission will continue to support the country in ensuring the safety and security of state-owned stockpiles of small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition, as well as combatting their illicit use and proliferation.

COPENHAGEN, 20 October 2021 – Today’s Call for Action – Helsinki +50 meeting hosted by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly focused on challenges in the human dimension of security, with participants offering ideas for ways forward to build accountability among OSCE countries and renew governments’ human rights commitments.

 

Polarization within the OSCE has made consensus more elusive over a number of issues, including the appointment of heads of institutions and the holding of mandated meetings, and to make the OSCE work properly, it is necessary to identify problems and find ideas for solutions, participants said.

Moderated by Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, OSCE PA High-Level Expert, the online event featured the participation of OSCE PA President Margareta Cederfelt; Sereine Mauborgne, Chair of OSCE PA’s human rights committee; Ambassador Anne-Kirsti Karlsen, Permanent Representative of Norway to the OSCE and Chair of the OSCE Human Dimension Committee; Ambassador Christian Strohal, former OSCE/ODIHR Director; Antanina Maslyka, Representative of the Civic Solidarity Platform Secretariat and Netherlands Helsinki Committee.

Former OSCE PA President Adrian Severin and Special Representative on Civil Society Engagement Kyriakos Hadjiyianni also actively participated in the discussion.

In her opening remarks, President Cederfelt underlined the challenges that have become commonplace in upholding OSCE human dimension commitments. “In the past several years and up until very recently, we have seen attempts by participating States to limit OSCE election observation missions,” she said. “There have been very tense discussions regarding the participation of civil society in OSCE meetings. Polarizing discussions about the work of OSCE institutions, ODIHR in particular, continue to delay the timely adoption of the budget year after year.”

Considering setbacks in recent years, including the inability to agree on an agenda for the 2021 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM), participants stressed that it is important to develop innovative methods to ensure that governments implement commitments in the human dimension agreed upon over the decades. Participants highlighted, for example, the possibility for civil society organizations to meet in appropriate fora and present to OSCE participating States their key concerns and expectations.

Ambassador Karlsen emphasized that to restore the OSCE’s human dimension, what is needed is real dialogue, confidence-building, and transparency, as well as adequate resources being devoted to the organization. OSCE parliamentarians have a particular responsibility, she said, to make sure there is political discussion about the work of the OSCE.

Mauborgne, who serves as Head of French Delegation to the OSCE PA as well as Chair of the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, pointed to the OSCE’s consensus rule as the reason that the was no HDIM this year. If one country can block with impunity, she noted that it is no longer a viable situation for the organization. “Governments should be held publicly accountable for such actions,” she said. Mauborgne also suggested that the HDIM could be replaced with a year-round human rights review at the OSCE Permanent Council, which should be open to the public.

Ambassador Strohal said that diminishing trust within societies and among governments is what has led to the current decline in the OSCE’s human dimension and that what is needed to emerge from this downward spiral is accountability – there must be ways to ways to bring these issues out into the open, he said. There must be more engagement, more dialogue, and more visibility, Strohal emphasized.

In this regard, civil society plays a key role, participants said.

To watch the full discussion, please click here.

For more information on the OSCE PA’s Call for Action – Helsinki +50 initiative, please click here.

Washington DC/Geneva/Vienna/Banjul (20 October 2021) - The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Protection and Promotion of Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, the Organization of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information today issued their 2021 Joint Declaration.

International human rights experts of the United Nations and regional organizations today denounced the rising tide of dangerous, hateful public statements coming from some politicians and public officials.

“Such rhetoric is dangerous because it spreads intolerance and divisiveness, denies established facts, eroding trust in democratic institutions, undermining human rights, and threatening or encouraging attacks on journalists, human rights defenders, and putting minorities at risk,” they said. 

“Political statements enjoy a high level of protection under international law, and that places a responsibility on politicians and public officials to uphold the rule of law, human rights, media freedom,  intercultural understanding, and public trust in democratic systems of governance” noted the independent experts.

“Freedom of expression and the right to information require on the one hand strong protection for open and inclusive debate on matters of public interest and on the other hand, acceptance by political and public officials that by virtue of their positions their official conduct and some aspects of their private lives are legitimate objects of close public scrutiny.’ 

The Experts launched a 2021 Joint Declaration on Politicians and Public Officials and Freedom, calling States to foster independence, diversity and pluralism in the media, social media companies to ensure their content moderation rules, systems and practices meet international human rights standards. Noting that politicians and public officials play an important role in shaping public debate and opinion, the Declaration calls on politicians and public officials to refrain from dangerous hateful public statements.

Joint Declarations by the free speech rapporteurs have been adopted annually since 1999, covering current universal challenges to freedom of expression.

The 2021 Joint Declaration can be found here: https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/501697

Irene Khan, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Protection and Promotion of Freedom of Opinion and Expression,

Teresa Ribeiro, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media,

Pedro Vaca Villarreal, the OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression

Jamesina King, the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information

VIENNA/STOCKHOLM, 20 October 2021 — OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde and OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid expressed deep concern over the continuing freedom of movement restrictions faced by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) in non-government-controlled areas of Ukraine. They called for the immediate removal of all impediments so the Mission can continue to fulfil its essential role in the OSCE’s conflict resolution efforts through its impartial and transparent monitoring and reporting on the security situation in eastern Ukraine. They urged all sides to ensure swift implementation of all their commitments and to engage constructively to de-escalate and resolve the situation.

“There can be no justification for any form of interference in the Mission’s work. The current restrictions have an impact on civilians on both sides of the contact line. The SMM must be provided the necessary conditions to carry out its work throughout Ukraine, in line with its mandate, the Minsk agreements and the Common Agreed Conclusions of the “Normandy” Summit on 9 December 2019,” said Chairperson-in-Office Linde. 

As a result of a protest in front of the hotel where Mission members reside in non-government-controlled Donetsk city, and in line with its safety and security measures, the SMM has been unable to deploy any patrols from its hub in Donetsk to conduct its mandated tasks. The protests followed an incident in the Zolote disengagement area on 13 October. Patrolling from the other SMM locations continues. As the SMM previously stated, the SMM stands ready to facilitate dialogue on the ground.

“The SMM’s mandate specifies that the Mission shall have safe and secure access throughout Ukraine without restrictions or conditions. The situation in Donetsk undermines this mandate, limits transparency, and erodes confidence,” said Secretary General Schmid. “I welcome the removal of restrictions at the SMM’s Forward Patrol Base in Horlivka, but more needs to happen. I will continue to engage to have all impediments on the SMM removed so the Mission can safely and securely continue being the world’s eyes and ears on the ground.”

The SMM’s mandate is contained in OSCE Permanent Council Decision No. 1117 and agreed by all 57 participating States. The mandate tasks the Mission to gather information and report on the security situation in and around Ukraine; establish and report facts in response to specific incidents and reports of incidents; monitor and support respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as facilitate dialogue on the ground to reduce tensions and foster peace, stability and security; and to monitor and support the implementation of all OSCE principles and commitments.

SDGs SDGs:  16 - Peace, justice and strong institutions

Summary

• In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 216 ceasefire violations, including 16 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 255 ceasefire violations in the region.
• In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 53 ceasefire violations, including two explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 135 ceasefire violations in the region.
• The SMM followed up on reports of damage to three residential buildings in Zolote-5/Mykhailivka.
• The Mission observed that the gathering in front of the hotel where Mission members reside in non-government-controlled Donetsk city continued. There was no patrol movement in and out of its premises on 19 October. The gathering continued on 20 October.*
• The SMM continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.*
• The Mission facilitated and monitored adherence to localized ceasefires to enable the operation, repairs and construction of critical civilian infrastructure.
• The SMM continued following 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’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at a checkpoint of the armed formations south of Stanytsia Luhanska bridge, at a border crossing point near Voznesenivka and at the Chervona Mohyla railway station in Voznesenivka, all in Luhansk region. Its unmanned aerial vehicles again experienced instances of probable jamming.*

501691 Marina Živaljević

Building on previous work supporting the Ministry of Interior and Police Directorate in combating trafficking in human beings, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro organized a two-day workshop to support the drafting of guidelines for police officers when conducting interviews with persons suspected of being trafficked on 19 and 20 October 2021 in Podgorica.

In 2018 and 2019, the Mission supported the development of the “Guidelines on general principles regarding non-punishment provision for THB victims” for judges, prosecutors and police officers, and the Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings 2019-2024 with 2019 Action Plan.

Approximately 20 practitioners from national law-enforcement agencies worked with an expert to finalize the guidelines, which include a standardized set of questions for police officers conducting interviews with trafficked victims. This uniform approach should enhance the law-enforcement officers’ ability to identify victims and ensure that their rights are respected.

Opening the workshop, Stephen Harmon, the Mission’s Security and Co-operation Programme Manager, said that patience and empathy are required when interviewing trafficked victims, to avoid further traumatizing them. “Having a sound understanding of the risks to victims, ethical considerations, and practical realities related to trafficking can help minimize the dangers and increase the likelihood that a victim will disclose relevant and accurate information during the interview,” said Harmon.

Nikola Terzić, adviser to the Minister of Interior and Head of the Coordination Body for Trafficking in Human Beings Strategy implementation, thanked the Mission for this process and stressed the importance of this topic and of training those officers who conduct interviews with potential trafficked victims.

The Mission will continue supporting national authorities in enhancing their capacities to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings.