News and press releases

On 11 December, over 100 representatives of Ukrainian authorities, international organizations, diplomatic missions and civil society participated in the Second National Conference on Preventing and Combating Illicit Trafficking of Weapons, Ammunition and Explosives (WAE) in Kyiv.

WARSAW, 13 December 2024 – The human rights situation in Ukraine has continued to worsen amid increased aerial attacks that include systematic strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure, as well as intensified hostilities on the front line, leading to a surge in civilian casualties.

From 2 to 7 December 2024, two in-person workshops on women’s leadership in humanitarian response were held in Lviv, Ukraine. The workshops, organized by the OSCE Gender Issues Programme, through its WIN Project, aimed at equipping 54 participants from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) with tools to expand their leadership roles during and after the ongoing war.

On 6 December, on the margins of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council, the Maltese OSCE Chairpersonship, in collaboration with the incoming Finnish Chairpersonship of the OSCE and the Danish Chair of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), hosted a high-level side event to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security.

VALLETTA, 5 December 2024 — “In times of war and multiple crises, the OSCE is needed more than ever as one of the last open channels of communication in Europe,” said OSCE Chair-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta Ian Borg at the opening of the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council in Malta today. He reminded the assembled foreign ministers, state secretaries and high-level officials from the 57 OSCE participating States and 11 Partners for Co-operation that the pressing security challenges in the region can only be resolved through diplomacy and political will.

Two OSCE-supported surveys on the role of youth organizations in Ukraine in times of war were presented at the Youth Work Forum "United by the Light", held from 28 November to 1 December 2024 in Kyiv. The event, organized in partnership with the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine, gathered around 300 youth representatives from across the country to discuss current challenges and exchange best practices.

From 15 to 21 November 2024, the OSCE actively participated in the 29th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.