The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has announced updates to the saveONenergy Retrofit Program that provide additional financial incentives for Ontario businesses to reduce energy used by lighting, HVAC systems, refrigeration systems, and building plug loads.

Environment Canada announced that it is moving forward with regulatory measures to limit the growth of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). It has published a Notice of Intent to Regulate Hydrofluorocarbons in the Canada Gazette outlining the scope of the proposed measures for HFCs, which are considered potent greenhouse gases.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that Canada has topped its international rankings of the Top 10 Countries for LEED. The list highlights countries outside of the U.S. that are making significant strides in sustainable building.

GDI Integrated Facility Services Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of Ainsworth Inc., a subsidiary of CEDA International Corp. The acquisition unites GDI’s cross-Canada commercial janitorial services platform with Ainsworth’s cross-Canada HVACR, mechanical, electrical, and technical services business.

HVAC efficiency standards have changed in the U.S., creating an opportunity for Canadians dealers. Distributors and manufacturers in the Southeast and Southwest regions of the U.S. need to sell 13 SEER inventory by July 2016. Canadian dealers can purchase this equipment at significant savings.

Ameresco Inc. announced that it has partnered with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) on a new energy savings project. The $3.9 million (CAD) comprehensive energy efficiency and facility renewal project at NRC research facilities is expected to save over $330,000 annually in utility costs.

Posted by Nanog News on Nov 13

Paul Davis Restoration pledges $1 million to the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. This proactive donation ensures the Red Cross is equipped to meet the needs of those affected by disasters across the U.S. Discover how this significant contribution, along with volunteer efforts, supports disaster relief and community resilience. 

The 90-minute LeadSafe Video Solutions “RRP Lead Safe Practices” video and manual offer real-world examples of lead-safe practices to help embrace the new RRP rules

The FireBird Fury features 750 CFM of airflow for a safe temperature rise and maximum heat circulation. With its integrated 12” inlet and outlet duct connections and included remote thermostat, the Firebird Fury can effectively deliver heat and control temperature even into remote or inaccessible spaces.

Meyer’s Zephyr duct cleaning vacuum features a 31-hp engine, which powers both its custom-engineered fan and KleanSweeper compressor to help eliminate potential problems and maintenance on a second engine, while saving weight and space.

EagleView Technologies, the leader in 3D aerial roof measurements, offers a mobile app optimized for your iPad or Tablet.

When it comes to management software for restoration contractors, DASH beats every competitor hands down!

11/18/2024 - 8:30 AM - Venue: First United Methodist Church

In May 2014, the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), McLean, Va., launched a national effort to encourage consumers to take a fresh look at frozen foods.

Companies selling dairy products in Oregon must understand whether they have obligations under the EPR law.

The data is a day later than normal this week due to the US holiday on Monday.

The numbers via oilprice.com on Twitter:

--

Expectations I had seen centred on:

• Headline crude +0.1 mn barrels
• Distillates +0.2 mn bbls
• Gasoline +0.6 mn

---

This data point is from a privately-conducted survey by the American Petroleum Institute (API).

• It's a survey of oil storage facilities and companies
• The official report is due Wednesday morning US time.

The two reports are quite different.The official government data comes from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA)

• Its based on data from the Department of Energy and other government agencies
• Whereas information on total crude oil storage levels and variations from the previous week's levels are both provided by the API report, the EIA report also provides statistics on inputs and outputs from refineries, as well as other significant indicators of the status of the oil market, and storage levels for various grades of crude oil, such as light, medium, and heavy.
• the EIA report is held to be more accurate and comprehensive than the survey from the API

Chinese media, Global Times, citing a state media report (CCTV):

• China’s annual production of new energy vehicles surpassed 10 million units on Thursday, info via China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
• the first country to reach this milestone globally
• output for the whole year is expected to reach 12 million

The US and EU have quickly built walls (tariffs and other imposts) to protect domestic vehicle producers. This is not usually a recipe for thriving industry.

The dollar continues to push higher in the post-election period and in the case of USD/JPY, that momentum is helped by higher yields as well. The pair has been on a tear since October trading, racing up from 143.00 all the way to touching 156.00 earlier today. The break above 155.00 yesterday is a crucial one, signifying another breach of a key technical/psychological level.

When it comes to USD/JPY, there's always something about big figure levels. And this is arguably no exception.

With buyers clearing the key daily moving averages and 150.00 mark last month, the focus has been drawn on the 155.00 mark since. And inevitably with Trump winning the election, we've finally gotten there today.

And having done so, we're into a bit of a pocket of space with little to no technical resistance all the way to 160.00 potentially.

It doesn't mean we'll get there overnight but it does present an attractive level for buyers to take aim at. Nonetheless, the pace of any further gains will of course be another thing to be mindful of though.

That might invite scrutiny from Japan officials to verbally intervene. As for any real intervention threat, it's going to be tough to fight the underlying market momentum in play currently. So, I wouldn't imagine Tokyo trying that out - at least for the time being.

The bond market is once again going to be a key driver to be mindful of when it comes to USD/JPY. But for now, the overall dollar bullishness is also helping to underpin the pair rather strongly. That especially when the greenback is starting to creep up on some key technical levels in the bigger picture, as seen here with EUR/USD.

The pullback in gold continues to play out since the post-election period. The precious metal is now down for a fifth straight day in what is already easily its worst weekly showing so far this year. It has more or less been a case of waiting for said pullback to reach some key technical levels on the charts. And we're just about there already in trading today.

The 100-day moving average (red line) is the key technical focus right now and that is seen at roughly $2,543. The last time gold actually had a brush against the key level was all the way back in February. And the last time that gold traded back below either that or its 200-day moving average (blue line) was all the way back in October last year.

That underscores the breathtaking momentum that has been in play for gold all through this year so far.

As such, this makes the 100-day moving average an even more important technical juncture now. A break there will not only signify a break in the bullish bias in gold. However, it could set off another wave of selling that leads to an even bigger pullback.

Traders love key levels like these and USD/JPY is a good example of that when it broke its own 100-day moving average back in late July as well. The drop there of course owed to a myriad of other factors but the technical consideration certainly exacerbated things. And it could also be the case for gold when we get there in the sessions ahead.

I'm still an advocate for gold in the bigger picture of things. However, I would say dip buyers will need to be patient to let this correction run its course before coming back in. From earlier this week: Gold pullback might prove to be timely for dip buyers

Why it's important?

The ranges of estimates are important in terms of market reaction because when the actual data deviates from the expectations, it creates a surprise effect. Another important input in market's reaction is the distribution of forecasts.

In fact, although we can have a range of estimates, most forecasts might be clustered on the upper bound of the range, so even if the data comes out inside the range of estimates but on the lower bound of the range, it can still create a surprise effect.

Distribution of forecasts for PPI

PPI Y/Y

• 2.4% (11%)
• 2.3% (68%) - consensus
• 2.2% (16%)
• 2.0% (5%)

PPI M/M

• 0.4% (2%)
• 0.3% (13%)
• 0.2% (74%) - consensus
• 0.1% (7%)
• 0.0% (2%)
• -0.1% (2%)

Core PPI Y/Y

• 3.1% (12%)
• 3.0% (47%) - consensus
• 2.9% (35%)
• 2.7% (6%)

Core PPI M/M

• 0.3% (57%) - consensus
• 0.2% (40%)
• 0.1% (3%)

Analysis

We can ignore the headline PPI as the market will focus on the Core figures. We can notice that the expectations are skewed to the downside, so a higher than expected reading would be taken as more hawkish and likely give the US Dollar another boost. Conversely, a soft print could trigger a pullback.

The US Dollar remains in an uptrend as the market continues to price out the rate cuts expected in 2025. Right now we have another 25 bps cut priced for December and just two 25 bps cuts priced in 2025 which is already much lower than the Fed's projection of four.

Therefore, there's still a couple of rate cuts to price out in 2025 if the data continues to run hot, but at that point we would need a real acceleration in inflation to have the market pricing in a rate hike. For now, the bar for rate hikes is really high as the maximum the Fed is willing to do is to pause the easing cycle.

Valhalla, Floki’s PlayToEarn Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) blockchain game is proud to announce a partnership in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

On Nov. 13, Valhalla unveiled a partnership with Dubai's Mall of the Emirates, marking a milestone in its global outreach efforts.

The partnership will see Valhalla’s branding prominently displayed across 93 screens in the mall for a four-week campaign running from November 15 to December 12.

Mall of the Emirates, located in the heart of Dubai, is one of the world’s most prestigious shopping destinations. Since opening in 2005, it has become an iconic landmark, attracting millions of visitors each year. The mall sees daily traffic of approximately 111,500 people, making it a prime venue for Valhalla’s campaign to reach a diverse and international audience.

The mall’s strategic location on Sheikh Zayed Road, a prime area in Dubai, combined with its diverse visitor base, offers Valhalla an opportunity to engage both local and international audiences.

Spanning an area of 255,489 square meters, the multi-level mall boasts over 630 retail outlets, 80 luxury stores, and 250 flagship stores. It also features some of Dubai’s most popular attractions, including the indoor ski resort Ski Dubai, the Magic Planet entertainment center, and VOX Cinemas. The mall’s dining options, with over 100 restaurants and cafés, further enhance its appeal as a top destination for both residents and tourists.

The Campaign’s Goal

Valhalla is ramping up its presence in the UAE, a key market for crypto adoption.

Despite its smaller population, the UAE ranks as the third-largest crypto economy in the MENA region, with $34 billion in crypto transactions recorded between July 2023 and June 2024. This represents an impressive 42% year-on-year growth, far outpacing the MENA average of 11.73%, according to Chainalysis.

Dubai’s rapid evolution into a crypto hub has been fueled by initiatives like the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), which offer crypto-friendly regulatory frameworks. This has drawn major players and startups, solidifying Dubai’s status as a global crypto leader.

Valhalla’s campaign at Mall of the Emirates aligns perfectly with this momentum. By showcasing its brand in one of Dubai’s busiest and most iconic locations, Floki aims to boost awareness and adoption of its ecosystem.

This campaign follows Floki’s recent four-week marketing initiative at WAFI Mall in Dubai, running from November 8 to December 5, where its branding appears across 18 digital screens. Together, these efforts are part of Floki’s larger strategy to dominate the Dubai crypto scene.

About Valhalla

Valhalla (https://valhalla.game/) is a blockchain-based MMORPG inspired by Norse mythology, offering players the chance to discover, tame, and battle with creatures called Veras. The game features a player-driven economy and a hexagonal battlefield designed for dynamic combat. Users can learn more at Valhalla.game.

About Floki

Floki is the people’s cryptocurrency and utility token of the Floki Ecosystem. Focused on utility, community, philanthropy, and strategic marketing, Floki is working toward becoming the world’s most recognized and used cryptocurrency. With over 490,000 holders globally, Floki has already established a strong brand presence.

Key players from the financial services industry are looking forward to the latest edition of the highly anticipated Finance Magnates London Summit (FMLS:24), taking place at the historic Old Billingsgate between 18-20 November, in the heart of the City.

Now in its 13th year, the summit is expected to bring together more than 3,500 attendees, over 150 speakers, and 120+ exhibitors from across the world. As one of the premier financial events on the calendar, FMLS:24 is where executives in fintech, online investing, crypto and payments go to connect.

Among the most notable firms signed up to attend is X Open Hub, a leading provider of liquidity services. The company has just been confirmed as an official exhibitor at the event, meaning it will have a prime position on the expo floor via its own dedicated exhibition stand.

Open for business in London

X Open Hub will be bringing its expert team of professionals along to the prestigious UK event, with representatives on hand to showcase the excellent range of innovative products and cutting-edge technologies available to potential clients from Booth 77.

Interested attendees are invited to visit the booth within this high-calibre setting, which serves as an ideal meeting point for meaningful interactions, personalised live product demonstrations, and potential networking opportunities. With its visible presence in London, the company not only reinforces its position as a top-tier liquidity provider but also signals its commitment to growth and expansion in both the UK and broader international markets.

Top provider of award-winning services

Alongside its attendance at FMLS:24, X Open Hub has been nominated for a prestigious industry award, with the firm on the shortlist to be crowned ‘Best B2B Liquidity Provider (Prime of Prime)’ at the London Summit Awards.

This latest nomination represents the latest in a long line of industry recognition the company has received over the years, underscoring its commitment to delivering high-quality liquidity solutions, while further solidifying its standing as a trusted partner in the financial services industry.

The voting round closes on 11 November, with the winners set to be announced at a special awards ceremony at the London Summit on 20 November. For those wishing to cast their vote for X Open Hub, please visit Finance Magnate’s website.

The go-to liquidity provider

With its extensive experience in the financial sector, built up over a number of years since its inception in 2013, X Open Hub has a track record for providing world-class trading technology to banks, brokers and startups.

The exhibition offers the perfect opportunity for interested parties to meet the team face-to-face and explore the latest market trends, strategies, and best practices for thriving in today’s ever-evolving financial landscape. Thanks to its mission of providing unmatched liquidity solutions designed to meet the needs of today’s trading environment, X Open Hub is a standout choice among its peers within the financial services industry. With deep order book execution and ultra-fast data feeds, the firm delivers not only reliable performance and seamless market access but also upholds full regulatory compliance with EMIR and MiFIR standards. Adding to this, its flexible offerings – such as rebates for spreads and book-share models – further enhance the value provided to clients. At FMLS:24, X Open Hub welcomes potential collaborators to explore strategic partnership opportunities designed to drive mutual growth and innovation. Visitors are encouraged to discuss customised liquidity solutions tailored to meet industry demands and engage directly with the X Open Hub team to discover their adaptable, high-performance offerings.

To schedule a meeting at the upcoming FMLS:24 event, please click here.

About X Open Hub

X Open Hub is a leading CFD liquidity provider, offering over 5,000 instruments. This includes more than 2,500 stocks and ETFs on 16 major exchanges worldwide, over 60 currency pairs, more than 50 cryptocurrencies across 9 exchanges, over 30 indices, and the most popular commodities. The company has 100+ partnerships in more than 25 countries. It also holds licences in multiple jurisdictions, including the FCA, CySEC, KNF, FSC, DFSA, FSCA and FSA, enabling it to provide compliant broker solutions with risk sharing. X Open Hub is dedicated to delivering tailor-made solutions that support clients in achieving their business ambitions.

Follow X Open Hub on its social media channels for live updates and exclusive content during the FMLS:24 event, including on LinkedIn and Facebook.

St. Louis Fed Pres. Musalem is scheduled to speak at the top of the hour. Musalem is a voting member in 2025. Back on October 7, Musalem spoke and said:

• More rate cuts likely given economic outlook.
• Won't predict timing or size of future Fed easings.
• Personal rate outlook is above Fed’s median view.
• Costs of easing too much outweigh easing too little.
• Supported Fed’s decision last month to cut rates by 50 basis points.
• Policy patience has served Fed well.
• Cooler job market still consistent with strong economy.
• Expects inflation pressures to continue to abate.
• Expects inflation to converge to 2% over next couple of quarters.
• Financial conditions remain supportive of growth.
• Some economic activity slowed by rate policy, election uncertainty.

That was over a month ago. So how he weighs in now will be interesting given the backup in yields and other economic and other developments since that time

Citi analysts suggest that while the USD/JPY may briefly surpass ¥155, any sustained rally in the dollar against the yen could be capped by potential intervention from the Japanese government and anticipated rate hikes by the Bank of Japan.

• USD/JPY breach of ¥155, Citi notes that the Bank of Japan may have a stronger incentive to raise rates to 0.5% in its upcoming December meeting to counterbalance yen weakness.

• Despite current dollar strength, Citi maintains a bearish outlook for the USD/JPY in the longer term, suggesting limited upside for the pair heading into next year.

2100 GMT / 1600 US Eastern time on Thursday, November 14, 2024:

• Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey will deliver a speech at the Annual Financial and Professional Services Dinner, Mansion House

We last heard from Bailey a week ago:

• BOE governor Bailey: I will not specify what gradual means for rate cuts
• BOE governor Bailey: We do not have a specific equilibrium level of interest rate in mind
• BOE governor Bailey: We still need to see services inflation to come down more broadly

Justin had the news from the People's Bank of China here on Monday:

• PBOC governor will maintain yuan exchange rate at a reasonable, balanced level

And on Wednesday we saw the Bank trying to support CNY at the reference rate setting:

• PBoC promised stronger damping to support CNY, and that's what are seeing

And again today:

• PBOC sets USD/ CNY reference rate for today at 7.1966 (vs. estimate at 7.2326)

Offshore yuan may have seen the memo but its not paying it much heed:

The PBoC supported the CNY through the last bout of USD/CNY super-strength. They'll be doing the same again this time around, wary of capital outflow if they let the yuan drift too much lower. They'll be hoping US inflation doesn't take off higher and the Fed pauses ... or reverses.

Mann spoke Wednesday:

• BOE's Mann: I describe myself as an 'activist' rather than a 'gradualist' on rates
• BOE's Mann: Inflation has definitely not been vanquished

Mann was the sole dissent at the previous BoE meeting, voting to keep the Bank rate on hold.

Speaking again at 1300 GMT / 0800 US Eastern time:

• at the Society of Professional Economists Annual Conference

Also on the speaker circuit is Governor Bailey:

• GBP traders heads up - Bank of England Governor Bailey is speaking late Thursday

Non policy-related comments.

Manufacturing

CPAs from SC&H and Cherry Bekaert LLP Named Runners-Up

NEW YORK (Sept. 7, 2017) –  BDO executive Kelly Johnson, CPA, is the winner of CPA.com’s 2017 Innovative Practitioner Award, which recognizes innovation in process, services or technology implementation in public accounting firms.

Johnson, BDO’s national leader of business services and outsourcing, led the development of BDODrive, a cloud-based, integrated solution for financial management, accounting services and business intelligence. The platform provides real-time, streamlined accounting information via dashboards for clients, operational efficiencies and access to the Top 10 accounting firm’s specialized expertise for businesses. While CPA.com administers the voting process online, winners of the Innovative Practitioner Award are chosen by their peers.

“The tangible growth in client accounting services that’s been documented in research by the AICPA and CPA.com is due to the kind of fully realized offerings being developed by BDO and others,” said Erik Asgeirsson, president and CEO of CPA.com. “Kelly is a deserving standard-bearer for our Innovative Practitioner Award, and I want to thank all our finalists in the competition who are helping drive innovation in the profession. It was a strong field this year.”

Johnson will be recognized as the award winner at the 2017 Digital CPA Conference, which she will be invited to attend as a guest. The event will be held Dec. 4-6, 2017, at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco.

Among the finalist group, two other runners-up were recognized for their innovative work. They are:

First Runner Up

• Michael Lynch, CPA, principal of SC&H Group’s CFO Advisory Services practice, developed an outsourced accounting practice focused in part on emerging life science and software-as-a-service companies. He uses technology to automate workflow and transactional processing, and acts as a trusted advisor for management on business development, financial leadership and strategy.

Second Runner-Up

• Jonathan Kraftchick, CPA, managing director, Cherry Bekaert LLP, developed training programs to educate auditors on coming changes in artificial intelligence and machine learning and how these innovations might impact the profession. Within his firm, he is also involved with two beta projects with vendors to improve data analytics and machine learning in audit applications.

To read more about these practitioners, please visit the award page. More information about the Digital CPA Conference can be found at digitalcpa.com.

About CPA.com

CPA.com offers a growing list of products and services for practice management, client advisory services and professional development. The company has established itself as a thought leader on cloud technology and has been a driving force around the reemergence of virtual CFO/controller services by firms.

The RIVIO Clearinghouse, a joint venture between CPA.com and Confirmation.com, is an online financial document clearinghouse that enables private businesses to exchange key financial information with lenders and investors.

CPA.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of the American Institute of CPAs, the world’s largest member body representing the accounting profession. For more information, visit CPA.com.

The main objective of this OSCE project is to create evidence including in the context of conflict/crisis  to be used in the long term for improved programming and policy-making.

The contractor will be expected to undertake all aspects of work relating to the survey and additional qualitative research, including:

• pre-test/pilot study of the new conflict module;
• development of country/area specific research tools;
• qualitative key expert interviews and focus group discussions;
• interviewer selection (female interviewers only);
• interviewer training;
• random selection of respondents;
• questionnaire finalisation and translation of fieldwork and interviewer training materials;
• all fieldwork/data collection;
• data entry and processing;
• data analysis and drafting several thematic and regional reports.

The data will be collected through the use of structured, quantitative survey interviews and additional key expert interviews and focus group discussions. The survey interviews will be carried out face-to-face in each country/area by female interviewers who have completed in-depth, in-person training dedicated to the topic of the survey.

The interviews will be conducted using a standardised questionnaire already developed. Part of the contract will be testing revisions on this questionnaire and finalizing it.

The required net sample size is a minimum of 1500 women per country/area using a strict random (probability) sample.

The Contractor will be responsible for ensuring the quality, consistency and timeliness of work carried out in each country/area selected to take part in the study. The consistency of the methods and procedures applied in the various countries/areas and strict compliance with the detailed methodology of the survey needs to be ensured by the Contractor. The foreseen total duration of the assignment is 15 months.

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For more details please see attached the Request for pre-qualification.

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Background

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international non-profit organization with its Secretariat in Vienna, Austria; detailed information about the work of the OSCE and its presence is available at www.osce.org

Risk Management at the OSCE

The Department of Management and Finance (DMF) provides services in the area of finance, budget, information and communication technology, procurement and assets management, as well as in maintaining the system of internal control and a supporting risk-based approach to management decision-making that facilitates achieving OSCE´s objectives. This is achieved through proactive identification, evaluation and control of major, security and operational risks across the OSCE.

In 2008, the OSCE implemented a web-based Enterprise Risk Management software that supports the collection of risks across the OSCE and reporting on them.

At present, the OSCE is satisfied with the current software solution but interested to learn about alternative products, their technical capabilities, and related pricing information.

Requirements

In view of the above, the OSCE is interested to receive feedback from the market on the following requirements:

1. Product name;
2. Service options - cloud based vs. on premises;
3. Functional capabilities including:
• Multiple browser;
• Enable the OSCE to manage risk in a structured way and assist with embedding the ownership, management, review and reporting of risks to stakeholders;
• Provide full mapping of risks, controls, ownership, risk status, control status;
• Access real-time interactive dashboards and reporting tools allowing to get to the data that is needed promptly for further analysis and/or decision-making;
• Customize reports and their format;
• Customize naming of the fields to be consistent with the OSCE naming convention;
• Operate two sets of naming for the fields to allow for differing terminology for security and operational risks;
• Create drop-down lists with standardized sets of risks and controls;
• Register cross-cutting risks;
• Possibility to include audit recommendations, tracking, compliance and other business functions.  Possibility to cross-link the data (e.g. audit recommendations to the new controls proposed).
4. Technical requirements;
5. Data migration from existing platform to a new solution;
4. Availability of technical support function and related cost. If initial support is provided for free, please specify the timeframe;
5. Possibility of data exchange (integration) with Oracle ERP;
6. Demo access;
7. Success stories (e.g., implementation and usage in the international organizations and agencies e.g., UN, World Bank, etc.;
8. Pricing and licensing information.

The feedback on the above requirements is required by the OSCE to evaluate the quality of current system and support the decision making process toward new system.

Request for Information procedure

Interested Vendors wishing to participate in the pre-qualification process are requested to submit relevant pre-qualification documentation by email to Yury Golovkov at yury.golovkov@osce.org by 28 August 2016 22:00HRS CET.

All responses will be rated against the mandatory requirements and pre-qualification criteria. At the end of the evaluation process, Vendor will be notified where its response rated as acceptable or not.

OSCE Disclaimer

The OSCE reserves the right to accept or reject any pre-qualification documentation, and to annul or to suspend the pre-qualification and subsequent tender process and reject all solicitations at any time and without reason prior to the date of Contract Award, without thereby incurring any liability or responsibility to affected participants of this pre-qualification or tender process.

END.

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mobile voice and data services to the OSCE centre in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

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TASHKENT, 7 April 2016 – The implementation of traffic management and effective road safety measures were the focus of an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion for some 40 representatives of the Interior Ministry, Parliament, state agencies, media and civil society, and a two-day seminar for 25 traffic police officers, held in Tashkent from 5 to 7 April. 

The roundtable saw discussions focus on the measures Uzbekistan has been taking in implementing the state programme on traffic safety and ways to strengthen road traffic security. Three experts from Turkey and Serbia shared best practices on traffic management, public awareness campaigns and road safety measures implemented in their countries. Special emphasis was put on the importance of effective communication between different stakeholders with the overall aim of preventing traffic accidents and promoting good practices.

“It is important to maintain a constructive dialogue between different stakeholders involved in implementing newly-adopted regulations aimed at enhancing the efficiency of traffic-safety measures and raising awareness among the population about road-related risks,” said Nataša Rašić, Acting OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.

Following the roundtable discussion, officers from the Interior Ministry’s Traffic Safety Police Department enhanced their knowledge during a seminar about best practices in enforcing traffic regulations. The experts from Turkey and Serbia provided a comprehensive overview of the road safety situation in their countries while highlighting the advantages of integrated road systems and new technologies in road safety, including the video control of roads.

The seminar’s participants also exchanged views on new methods of traffic police training and stressed the importance of improving driver education as well as the procedures for granting driver’s licences.

The events were organized in co-operation with the Interior Ministry as part of a joint project aimed at improving the efficiency of traffic safety measures in Uzbekistan.

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The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the Supreme Court of Ukraine organized on 10 June 2016 in Kyiv a joint roundtable discussion on protection of property in times of conflict, bringing together over 60 representatives of Ukrainian legislative and executive powers, leading judicial and law schools, as well as judges and international and local experts.

The participants discussed the guarantees of exercising the right to property and the mechanisms of its protection under special circumstances, such as armed conflict, occupation, annexation of territories and anti-terrorist operations. They identified mechanisms of protection, which would be efficient in terms of practical implementation and useful for judicial practice, and produced recommendations to keep up with international standards in this field.

The participants shared visions about international standards and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) case law regarding the protection of the right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions, and reviewed the experience of other states which faced similar circumstances, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia and Moldova. They also discussed problems of the judicial settlement of disputes related to the protection of property rights of individuals and legal entities in the conflict zone.

The event is part of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator’s project on safeguarding human rights through courts, which is implemented with financial support from the Government of Canada. The project also addresses the problem of property rights protection through development and piloting specialized courses for judges on the application of the ECtHR case law in the context of Article 1 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights.

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Thirty experts were trained to deliver specialized training courses for judges on how to review corruption–related disputes and prevent corruption in the judiciary during a two-day session, organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the National School of Judges on 5-6 July 2016 outside Kyiv.

The trainees, judges-lecturers of five regional branches of the School, enhanced their knowledge of anti-corruption legislation, including national regulations and relevant international conventions, major aspects of judges’ ethics, including the identification and prevention of real and potential conflicts of interest, and judicial review of corruption-related disputes. The purpose of the session was to create a pool of experts able to deliver training courses for their peers at the National School of Judges on a regular basis.

According to the Judicial Education Concept adopted by the School, the training methodology was based on interactive techniques and included discussions, case studies, mini-lectures, various exercises and role plays, and screenings of short simulation videos on the topic.

To ensure the sustainability of OSCE efforts, the training course on anti-corruption will be submitted for institutionalization at the National School of Judges by the end of the year. This course will form part of the School’s mandatory curriculum for every judge appointed to the post.

The training session was part of a project by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine to enhance the quality of judicial education and training.

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KYIV, 15 July 2016 – The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine today opened a new sphere of project assistance to Ukraine – improving democratic control of defence and security sectors – with a presentation of international experience and best practices at a conference in Kyiv.

The event, co-organized with the Parliament and the Ministry of Defence, brought together more than 120 parliamentarians, military and civilian representatives of various ministries, experts, and civil society activists to learn about the basic principles in this area, as well as practical examples from other countries.

During the conference, the OSCE Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security and the OSCE Security Sector Governance and Reform Guidelines were presented. Ukrainian translations of these documents can be found at www.osce.org/fsc/41355  and www.osce.org/uk/secretariat/253156, respectively.

The participants discussed in detail the national models of parliamentary and civic control over the defence sectors of Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, and Norway.

“The ability of Parliament, and of society at large, to exercise control over its security services is a true litmus test for democracy and rule of law,” said Jeffrey Erlich, Senior Project Officer at the OSCE Project Co-ordinator’s Office. “Such oversight contributes to a much more effective security sector by rooting out corruption, and by strengthening the bond between society and the armed forces.”

Igor Dolgov, Deputy Minister of Defence, said: “For me there is no question of whether it is possible to simultaneously deal with current crisis and implement reforms in defense sectors, including strengthening mechanisms of democratic control over armed forces. It is needed and it is already happening.”

Until the end of the year, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator will provide expertise in developing a concept paper and implementation plan for democratic oversight; assist in promoting dialogue between the military, parliamentarians, experts and civic activists; and contribute to raising awareness among the public by publishing relevant online resources.  Further assistance efforts will continue after 2016.

In partnering with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF), the project will also draw on their expertise.

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KHARKIV, Ukraine, 18 July 2016 – Today is the first working day for eighty-four cyber-police officers, trained by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine on the grounds of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. 20 special agents and 64 inspectors make up one-third of the personnel of the new Cyber Police Department, which was created within the National Police of Ukraine as part of the wider law enforcement reforms in the country.

The Project Co-ordinator helped to organize the selection process by facilitating the integrity testing of over 500 candidates in 2015, developing the 760-hour training curricula and materials, and supporting four months of training for the selected officers.

“Cyber security is an important area of efforts for the National Police of Ukraine,” said Khatia Dekanoidze, chief of the country’s National Police. “It took us a lot of time to find good people for this job. They had to pass a difficult competitive selection, and the training was delivered not only by local, but also by international experts. And we are grateful to our partners, the OSCE for making this happen.”

Jeffrey Erlich, Senior Project Officer of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator, said: “As Ukraine moves into the new economy, crimes affecting e-governance, e-banking, e-commerce and other highly technological areas are shadowing this progress. This is a threat to people’s human rights, it hurts their economic wellbeing, some perpetrators may even threaten national and international security.”

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator has been building the capacity of Ukrainian law enforcers in their responses to cybercrime since 2011. The Project Co-ordinator has helped to equip a training room with modern equipment in two police education establishments and headquarters, and trained police staff with the support of international practitioners. 

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The OSCE Mission to Moldova held the final in a series of three training sessions for 12 psychologists and professionals working with domestic violence victims. The session took place on 27 June 2016 in Rybnitsa, a town on the left bank of the Dniester/Nistru River.

The event aimed to equip participants with essential skills in family counselling and post-traumatic stress rehabilitation. Participants studied means to identify family violence, various coaching techniques to use when working with families, as well as methods for handling trauma and post-traumatic stress among domestic violence victims.

In the past week, similar training events have been held in Chisinau and Tiraspol with the total participation of 50 professionals from Bender, Causeni, Chisinau, Comrat, Drochia, Rybnitsa and Tiraspol.

Participants in the training sessions included psychologists, teachers, medical professionals, lawyers and social workers, all of whom encounter cases of domestic violence in their work through Moldova’s referral system.

The training events were held as part of the Mission’s project to strengthen the capacity of those who provide crisis services to women and families on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River. The project was developed following a country-wide assessment conducted in 2014 and 2015. The assessment identified a number of challenges in this field in Moldova, most notably the difficulties in accessing domestic violence services – including shelters and crisis centres – for those living in rural areas, and a lack of state resources. 

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SARAJEVO, 30 June 2016 - The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office on Gender Issues Ambassador Melanne Verveer is to visit the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) from 1 to 4 July 2016, where she will meet with officials and activists and discuss the status of women in the country.

In Sarajevo and Zenica, Verveer will meet with the BiH Ministers of Human Rights and Refugees, Security and Defence, as well as representatives of the Gender Equality Committee of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, State Gender Equality Agency, Entity Gender Centers, international organizations and civil society.

“Gender equality remains high on the agenda of Germany's 2016 OSCE Chairmanship and I am pleased that the OSCE Mission to BiH already has extensive co-operation with the governmental and non-governmental sector in BiH on promoting gender equality,” said Verveer. “I am very hopeful that during my visit we will get concrete proposals on how the OSCE can further assist BiH officials in achieving full respect for human rights and by that, women’s rights in BiH.”

Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH Ambassador Jonathan Moore said: “This is not the first visit of Ambassador Verveer to BiH, but the first in her capacity as the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender Issues. We are looking forward to faciliting her visit and continuing our efforts to support women’s political, social and economic empowerment in BiH.”

Ambassador Verveer spent four years working with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to co-ordinate foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women. In 2009, the President of the United States Barack Obama nominated Verveer to be the first ever U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the Department of State, and appointed her to serve as U.S. Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

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KHUJAND, Tajikistan, 13 July 2016 – A two-day workshop for civil society and police officers on improving the local referral mechanisms for the protection of domestic violence victims concluded today in Khujand.

The workshop brought together some 23 representatives of crisis centres, the police, state services for social protection and the Committee of Women and Family Affairs from the Sughd region of Tajikistan.

Participants exchanged good practices on inter-agency co-operation to assist victims of violence in the region, discuss current challenges and ways to improve the current mechanism of the multi-disciplinary approach.

“This is an opportunity for the OSCE-supported Women’s Resource Centres from the regions to share the experiences and plans for further activities on strengthening women’s rights in the region,” said Viorelia Rusu, the OSCE Office’s Gender and Anti-Trafficking Officer.

Within separate sessions, participants from the crisis centres shared experiences related to the rehabilitation and protection of domestic violence victims, and police inspectors discussed the provisions of the updated Instructions on dealing with domestic violence cases. Police officers also received copies of the new Manual on Countering Domestic Violence, published by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

“We learned from similar meetings organized earlier in Khatlon region that such discussions, including on concrete cases, contribute to a better co-ordinated and victim-centered, multi-agency approach in protecting domestic victims at the local level, and it harmoniously compliments the Ministry’s plans on gender mainstreaming into police reform,” said Ali Bobonazarzoda, National Co-ordinator on Police Reform under the country’s Interior Ministry.

The event is part of the annual activities of the Office’s Gender and Anti-Trafficking Unit aimed at strengthening the current local protection mechanisms for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking.  

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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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The OSCE Office in Tajikistan on 24 July 2016 organized the first regional forum for promoting women’s political participation in Khujand, with the aim of increasing community outreach, engaging women leaders in the region and supporting women’s empowerment in political and public life.

The forum brought together 40 experts from political parties, local authorities, international organizations and civil society members, and is designed as a platform for dialogue between women politicians and communities. They will work to motivate young girls who aspire to become leaders or hold decision-making positions in public life, and aim to gain support from communities and local authorities for the advancement of women in political life.

“Our project aims to build strong support for women leaders, to tackle gender stereotypes, to surface and articulate the aspirations, choices and skills of women and girls of Tajikistan, so that they can realize their full potential in public and political life,” said Vesna Ivanovikj-Castarede, Head of the Democratization Unit at the OSCE Office. 

Shanjeev Thiruchelvam, OSCE Field Officer in Khujand, said: “Both male and female community leaders, politicians and civil society representatives have expressed keen interest in the continued work of the Sughd Women's Forum, which recognizes, and aims to provide opportunities to develop female leadership in Sughd public life.”

Similar forums are to be organized across the country. 

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