News and press releases

VALLETTA, 16 September 2014 – States need to strengthen mechanisms and channels for effective and timely exchange of information in order to better prevent and thwart terrorist kidnappings and hostage-taking, said speakers at the start of a two-day Mediterranean regional workshop, organized by the OSCE and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in Valletta today...

BERN/WARSAW, 15 September 2014 – On the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter and Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), called on OSCE participating States to recognize, foster and galvanize the contribution of youth to promoting democratic values and practices, including the rule of law, the protection of human rights, and tolerance and non-discrimination...

COPENHAGEN, 11 September 2014 – The OSCE Chairperson’s Personal Representatives on combating discrimination and promoting tolerance on 10 to 11 September 2014 made their second joint country visit this year to Denmark. The visit is aimed at identifying problems, best practices as well as gaps in policy, activities and legislation, and areas where the OSCE can provide further support...

PRAGUE, 10 September 2014 – With natural disasters more frequent and destructive, greater impetus and enhanced efforts are needed by States to work together to better prevent, mitigate, and respond to this threat, said senior officials and experts at the concluding meeting of the 22nd OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum, which opened in Prague today....

Some 40 representatives from regional civil society organizations of the South Caucasus and international NGOs took part in a discussion in Tbilisi on 3 and 4 September 2014, organized jointly by the 2014 Swiss OSCE Chairmanship and the Georgian NGO Analytical Center for Interethnic Cooperation and Consultations. The focus of the event was on the prevention of torture, the independence of the judiciary, and the institutional and legal framework to combat discrimination...

BERN, 7 September 2014- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter commended the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) for its measures taken to rapidly adapt to new monitoring needs arising from the protocol signed in Minsk on 5 September. Underlining that it was key to assist in the implementation of the Minsk commitments without delay, Burkhalter confirmed that the SMM had redeployed in the last two days 59 specialists with particular experience in the monitoring of ceasefires and was now in the process of rapidly recruiting further monitors...

BERN, 5 September 2014- OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter welcomed today’s agreement in Minsk on a ceasefire and on launching a political process to resolve the crisis. Emphasizing the opportunity to finally reverse the logic of escalation, he said that this conflict had caused far too much bloodshed and misery already and urged all sides to implement today’s commitments. Burkhalter also commended the work of the Trilateral Contact Group and thanked his Special Representative Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini for her untiring work...