VIENNA, 22 July 2016 - Violence against women and girls is one of the most serious and pervasive human rights violations. More needs to be done to eliminate this problem so that women can participate without barriers in all spheres of life, said participants of a high-level OSCE conference today in Vienna.

The conference, organized by the OSCE Gender Section and Germany’s 2016 OSCE Chairmanship, brought together representatives of governments of OSCE participating States, international organizations and civil society to discuss the progress, and to exchange good practices and lessons learned in the efforts to end violence against women..

“One in three women worldwide has experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, perpetrated by intimate partners, family members, acquaintances and strangers,” said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, opening the conference. “While we should take note of past and current achievements and activities, we need to now translate our commitments into concrete action”.

 Ambassador Zannier referred to the 2004 OSCE Action Plan on the Promotion of Gender Equality and OSCE Ministerial Council Decisions of 2005 and 2014, which called on participating States to address gender-based violence through legislation, supporting victims’ access to justice, education of relevant institutions and ensuring that women and girls receive special consideration in terms of protection and assistance.

Baroness Joyce Anelay, the UK’s Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development was one of the prominent speakers of the event.

"The OSCE Action Plan on the Promotion of Gender Equality is clear that this agenda is essential to achieving comprehensive security across the OSCE region. We all have a responsibility to promote women's empowerment and their full political, social and economic participation," she said.

Baroness Anelay is also UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. Earlier this week she addressed representatives of OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation at meetings of the Forum for Security Co-operation and the Permanent Council on the need to promote the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution.

Ambassador Eberhard Pohl, Chair of the OSCE Permanent Council and representing Germany’s OSCE Chairmanship, said: “The protection of women and girls needs our special attention. Violence against women is not only a traumatizing experience for individuals; it has an adverse impact on the stability of societies as a whole. As the OSCE Chairmanship we call for the joint political will in the OSCE to speed up combating violence against women. It is a violation of human rights and all OSCE participating States have committed to ensuring human rights for all its inhabitants equally.”

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DUSHANBE, 15 July 2016 – Combating the illicit trade in cultural property and the smuggling of historical artifacts was the focus of a week-long workshop organized by the OSCE for representatives of Tajik Border Troops, Customs Service, State Committee of National Security, the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Internal Affairs, in Dushanbe from 11 to 15 July 2016.  

The workshop, organized by the Border Security and Management Unit of the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in co-operation with the OSCE Border Management Staff College, examined the trafficking of cultural property and smuggling of historical artefacts as an emerging trend for funding organized crime and terrorist organizations. The workshop also highlighted the roles of the responsible agencies in addressing the problem.

“Being the first workshop of its kind organized by the OSCE, we were shown that this is not only an issue of cultural protection but that it has become a serious transnational security issue as well,” said Ambassador Markus Mueller, Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. “As such, and bearing in mind its complexity, this problem can be tackled efficiently only by increasing the knowledge of the officers from different government agencies as well as through promoting co-operation among them."

During the workshop, participants heard from experts at the OSCE, INTERPOL, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Greek National Police’s Department Against the Smuggling of Antiquities, the UNESCO Office in Afghanistan and the Afghan Customs Service. They shared their experiences on cross-border co-operation in identifying the trafficking of cultural property cases and financial investigations into the smuggling of historical artefacts.

BAKU, 13 March 2015 – The OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ambassador Madina Jarbussynova, today praised the government for its progress in the fight against human trafficking.

Ambassador Jarbussynova was in Azerbaijan for four days to assess the country’s implementation of the anti-trafficking recommendations made in the official report issued after the OSCE’s visit in 2012.

“I would like to commend the valuable efforts undertaken by the authorities,” Jarbussynova said. “I would like to particularly highlight recent legislative amendments to improve the government’s response to trafficking in human beings.”

The measures strengthening criminalization of human trafficking and forced labour, as well as the adoption of rules on the repatriation of victims, are two of the key changes in the legislation.

Azerbaijan’s growing economy has made it a more attractive destination for labour migrants and the country now faces the challenge of preventing and combating abuse and exploitation of migrant workers. This includes adapting its regulatory framework and enforcement mechanisms to a complex and ever-changing reality. The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Baku has enjoyed excellent co-operation with the government and continues to provide substantial support to efforts by the state and civil society to combat trafficking in human beings.

“In line with our Office’s 2012 recommendations, more efforts have been made to prevent labour exploitation and I encourage the authorities to continue inspections, without prior notice, of sectors at-risk, such as construction sites” Jarbussynova said. “I am pleased to report that Azerbaijan’s latest Action Plan to combat human trafficking puts more emphasis on labour exploitation.”

Jarbussynova visited shelters which provide assistance to victims of trafficking in Baku and the surrounding region. She also welcomed the opening of a new facility in Ganja, the country’s second largest city. Indeed, assistance, along with protection and non-punishment of victims, is a crucial element of any integrated efforts aiming to eliminate modern day slavery.

During the visit, Jarbussynova met Minister of Labour and Social Protection Salim Muslumov, Deputy Interior Minister  and National Co-ordinator in the Fight Against Trafficking in Human Beings Vilayat Eyvazov, Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev, Chairman of the Criminal Board of the Supreme Court Shahin Yusifov, Deputy Chairperson of Parliament and two Heads of Committees of Parliament, and several other high-ranking officials, including representatives of the Office of Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson) of Azerbaijan. She also met with representatives of civil society and international organizations.

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Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-Semitism, Andrew Baker, stressed importance of different communities to join forces to tackle anti-semitism.

“We have witnessed important and moving symbolic actions such as the encircling of the synagogues in Oslo and Copenhagen by Muslims who want to show their solidarity with their fellow Jewish citizens. We must build on this,” said Baker speaking at the Third World Forum on Intercultural Dialogues that took place in Baku on 18-19 May 2015.

He noted that today many European Jews question their future in Europe. “An EU survey of Jews by the Agency for Fundamental Rights found that nearly 30 percent were considering emigration, while in some countries, notably Hungary, France and Belgium, this number was well over 40 percent,” Baker said.

Recalling the dangers the Jewish communities faced earlier this year as victims of terror attacks in Paris and Copenhagen, Baker applauded the French government for calling on the military to ensure that all Jewish schools and synagogues in France are protected. “But we know this is only a short-term solution and cannot be sustained indefinitely,” he said.

Underlining the important role that Muslim communities could play in this field, Baker called for more Muslim voices in Europe that will speak out and condemn anti-Semitism.

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ISSYK-KUL, Kyrgyzstan, 8 July 2016 – A five-day training course supported by the OSCE Centre in Bishkek on a risk-oriented approach in supervising activities related to anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism concluded today in Bosteri village, in the Issyk-Kul region.

The aim of the workshop, which was organized by the State Financial Intelligence Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic (SFIS) in partnership with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was to update the relevant State agencies and financial institutions on the practical aspects of a risks-oriented approach in their work. Some 46 officials from law enforcement agencies, supervisory agencies and financial institutions took part.

“A risks-oriented approach is the process which allows the countries to identify, assess and understand risks to effectively combat money laundering and financing of terrorism,” said Nana Baramidze, Senior Economic and Environmental Officer at the OSCE Centre. “The OSCE Centre in Bishkek fully supports the efforts of the Kyrgyz Government in its attempt to establish effective systems to counter money laundering and the financing of terrorism.”

Chyngyz Kenenbayev, Head of the Organizational and Legal department of the SFIS, said: “We are holding this educational seminar to train representatives of national authorities and the private sector so that we can successfully pass the second round of the evaluation by the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG). In order to fulfil international obligations under the EAG, the Kyrgyz Republic is to conduct a mutual assessment of its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism system. From 28 November to 9 December 2016, a visiting mission of EAG evaluators will conduct this assessment within the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) initiative."

The training course, which was conducted by two IMF experts and three SFIS officials, was part of the OSCE assistance to the Kyrgyz Government in preparing for the second round of the FATF evaluation.

VIENNA / WARSAW, 29 July2016 – To combat human trafficking,  a comprehensive, co-ordinated and victim-centred approach that includes creating opportunities for regular and safe migration, as well as protecting the human rights of migrants, is urgently needed by all state actors, civil society and multilateral organizations, said senior OSCE officials today ahead of World Anti-Trafficking Day on 30 July.

Multiple and complex security challenges such as armed conflict, the spread of violent extremism and radicalization leading to terrorism and climate change, have recently pushed millions of people into mass, mixed migration flows throughout the OSCE region, putting an increasing number of  them at risk of being trafficked.

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier emphasized that “effective and early identification of potential victims and the fight against the impunity of perpetrators need to be at the core of any resilient security governance strategy. This is particularly important within the context of mixed migration flows, which expose already vulnerable individuals to trafficking syndicates.”   

“Human trafficking is a grave violation of the human rights of its victims – human beings who are exploited, most often for profit,” said Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). “A victim-centred approach, placing the protection of all human rights at the heart of efforts to prevent and end trafficking, is essential if we are to ensure that anti-trafficking measures do not further threaten the safety, dignity and rights of those we are responsible to help and protect.”

OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Madina Jarbussynova stressed that crisis situations are placing strenuous challenges on already vulnerable groups within and around the OSCE region. “As we join the efforts of the United Nations on this World Day against Trafficking in Persons to raise awareness and promote the protection of rights and dignity of all, any protective measures should first and foremost be conducted in the best interest of potential victims, especially amongst irregular migrants, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and unaccompanied minors.” Focusing on the complex nexus between trafficking and conflict situations, Ambassador Jarbussynova will on Monday start a week-long official visit to Ukraine to raise awareness of human trafficking threats.  

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DUSHANBE, 15 July 2016 – Combating the illicit trade in cultural property and the smuggling of historical artifacts was the focus of a week-long workshop organized by the OSCE for representatives of Tajik Border Troops, Customs Service, State Committee of National Security, the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Internal Affairs, in Dushanbe from 11 to 15 July 2016.  

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