Publications
Green Paper on Social Economy in the Western Balkans
Publishing date: 26 February 2024
Content type: Study / report
What we do: Economic activities
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Green Paper on Social Economy in the Western Balkans is a key output of the OSCE/OCEEA extrabudgetary project Young Developers and Entrepreneurs Advancing Start-ups (YDEAS), which aims to provide opportunities for skills development, networking and job creation for young women and men in the Western Balkans, as well as promote an enabling environment for innovative, socially-impactful and green start-ups in the region through policy-relevant dialogue. The Green Paper analyses challenges and opportunities for social economy organizations in the Western Balkans, focusing on current trends, namely the digital and green transitions and the Common Regional Market. It concludes with a series of recommendations for key actors and policy makers on the international, regional and local levels, with the goal of fostering an enabling ecosystem for the social and green economy in the Western Balkans.
Handbook for the Observation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Elections
Publishing date: 26 February 2024
Collections: Election handbooks
Content type: Guide / manual / handbook
Where we are: OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
What we do: Cyber/ICT Security, Elections
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Almost all OSCE participating States use some form of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their electoral processes. These technological developments inevitably bring certain benefits but also many challenges that were not common for traditional, paper-based elections.
ODIHR 2023 publications
Publishing date: 16 February 2024
Content type: Brochure
Where we are: OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
ODIHR’s publications, factsheets, and practical guides are vital tools to assist all those working to strengthen democracy and human rights across the OSCE. The Office's 2023 publications covered a wide range of topics, including human rights, strengthening democratic institutions, parliamentary integrity, election observation, combating hate crime, combating human trafficking, Roma inclusion, and many more. Others were translated for the first time into other languages of the OSCE region.
Protecting People Fleeing Ukraine: A Compendium of Anti-trafficking Training Courses for First Line Responders
Publishing date: 9 February 2024
Content type: Guide / manual / handbook
Where we are: Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
What we do: Combating trafficking in human beings
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Capacity-building of relevant stakeholders, particularly those working on the front lines of humanitarian crises, is a key component of participating States’ anti-trafficking response. To support counterparts to minimize risks of human trafficking and work proactively to identify and assist victims, several international and non-governmental organizations have developed and are providing a number of training opportunities. The OSR/CTHB, through this resource, aims to facilitate access of related actors to such opportunities by compiling training courses and modules- that are readily available to or can be requested by authorities and organizations operating on the ground- on several issues connected with addressing trafficking in human beings in the context of the humanitarian crisis generated by the war against Ukraine.
Max van der Stoel Award
Publishing date: 2 February 2024
Content type: Factsheet
Where we are: OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Max van der Stoel Award recognizes extraordinary and outstanding achievements in improving the position of national minorities in the OSCE participating States.
Advancing a Just Energy Transition in Central Asia: Women’s Key Role in the Energy Sector
Publishing date: 23 January 2024
Content type: Study / report
What we do: Climate change, Environmental activities, Gender equality
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The OSCE study on “Advancing a Just Energy Transition in Central Asia – Women’s key role in the energy sector” analyzes – through a gender lens – the socio-economic benefits of the energy transition for the five OSCE participating States in the region. It provides specific considerations for the strategic development of an appropriately skilled labour force and also contains critical yet unpublished data on the job creation potential of renewable energy in each Central Asian country. The study closes with recommendations intended to help Central Asian governments, companies, academic institutions, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders ensure that the transition to renewable energy harnesses the full potential of women’s participation and leadership and leaves no one behind. The study was developed in partnership with the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET), and with contributions from experts at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Guidelines on Democratic Lawmaking for Better Laws
Publishing date: 16 January 2024
Content type: Guide / manual / handbook
Where we are: OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
What we do: Democratization, Good governance
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The quality of laws is a direct consequence of how they are developed and discussed. Lawmaking procedures and practices should follow democratic principles, adhere to the rule of law and comply with international human rights obligations and standards. At the same time, they should be evidence-based, open and transparent, participatory and inclusive, and subject to effective oversight.
Identification of trafficking in human beings related to the humanitarian crisis stemming from the war against Ukraine- Brief for first line responders
Publishing date: 9 January 2024
Content type: Brochure
Where we are: Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
What we do: Combating trafficking in human beings
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
As migration and humanitarian crises always demonstrate, first-line responses are the first point of contact and information for people requiring assistance. Having a variety of occupations, ranging from civil society organizations to international relief agencies and international organizations, their priority, in particular within the reception setting, is to attend to people’s immediate needs, such as food, accommodation, and medical care. Their capacity is often overstretched, and they may not have specialized anti-trafficking knowledge and expertise. To address this gap, the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings developed an awareness-raising brief that would sensitize first-line responders to human trafficking risks, provide information on THB signs and indicators and on how to address presumed cases in a gender-sensitive, age-appropriate and trauma-informed manner.
Guidelines for Activists Addressing Roma and Sinti Evictions
Publishing date: 21 December 2023
Content type: Guide / manual / handbook
Where we are: OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
What we do: Roma and Sinti
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The purpose of this guide is to give Roma and Sinti activists an easily accessible overview of the relevant international and regional human rights standards on forced evictions, with a particular focus on the findings of international and regional human rights tribunals in relation to Roma and Sinti evictions. In addition, by including numerous references to the judgments and decisions of international human rights courts, Roma and Sinti activists can familiarize themselves with these decisions and draw them to the attention of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and human rights lawyers with whom they cooperate. These can then be incorporated into their legal advocacy and litigation, rendering them more effective.
Understanding the Role of Women in Organized Crime
Publishing date: 13 December 2023
Content type: Study / report
Where we are: Transnational Threats Department, OSCE Secretariat
What we do: Policing
Publisher: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
This report offers empirical evidence and case studies from across the OSCE area on how women are recruited into organized crime groups, their roles within them, and how and why they exit these groups. It demonstrates that the role of women in organized crime is nuanced. Evidence shows that while women are often exploited and victimized by organized crime groups, they can also be important actors. Yet persistent gender stereotypes mean that women’s agency in organized crime is often not recognized by criminal justice practitioners. Failing to recognize women’s agency in organized crime impedes the understanding in participating States of the complexity of the organized crime landscape, and hampers their ability to combat transnational organized crime or support women to leave organized crime groups.