OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

13/05/2026

Tomorrow, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will convene the 2nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Fight against Organized Crime in the OSCE Region, “ – Fighting Drug Trafficking Together to Defend Security, Health, and Legality,” taking place on 14–15 May at Palazzo Montecitorio.

In this video, OSCE PA Vice-President and Special Representative on Combating Organized Crime Eugenio Zoffili speaks about the conference, which will bring together parliamentarians from across the OSCE region to strengthen co-operation against drug trafficking and organized crime.

The programme also includes a private audience with Pope Leo XIV.

Follow OSCE PA on social media for live updates and livestream coverage throughout the conference

07/05/2026

🕊️ On 21 April, during National Sovereignty and Children's Day celebrations in Türkiye, OSCE PA Counter-Terrorism Committee Chair Kamil Aydın took to the floor of the Grand National Assembly TBMM with an urgent message: we must do more to protect our children, online and offline.

Following tragic school attacks in Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa, Aydın called for a holistic, preventive approach to child safety, one that goes beyond school security and tackles the root causes of violence, radicalization, and digital harm.

His three-pillar strategy? Education. Awareness. Dialogue.

From unregulated social media to peer bullying and eroding values, the threats facing young people today are complex and our responses must be too.

Today's children grow up in both physical and digital environments. Without awareness, they become more vulnerable in both, he said.

🏫 Schools must be more than places of learning. They must be safe spaces where every child feels seen, heard, and secure.

This vision is at the heart of the OSCE PA School Dialogues, our initiative that brings counter-terrorism awareness directly into classrooms, engaging students in conversations that build resilience against radicalization and violent extremism. Already successfully implemented in schools in Italy and Montenegro, the programme is next headed to Azerbaijan.

29/04/2026

✍ In a joint op-ed just published, OSCE PA President Pere Joan Pons and PACE President Petra Bayr argue that there can be no lasting peace without the basic norms of human rights and international law.

🔗 https://www.oscepa.org/en/news-a-media/op-eds/not-the-law-of-the-strongest-just-the-law-for-everyone

24/04/2026

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly continues to strengthen its engagement in Central Asia 🌍

This week, a high-level OSCE PA delegation participated in the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, a major gathering of over 1,500 stakeholders focused on climate change, water security, and the green transition.

Led by President Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, the delegation included:
▪️ Azay Guliyev, Chair of the Second Committee
▪️ Angelos Syrigos, Special Representative on Central Asia
▪️ Ainur Argynbekova, Special Representative on Climate Change
▪️ Roberto Montella, Secretary General

📌 Key highlights from the visit:

🔹 Participation in the Regional Ecological Summit (22–24 April), addressing urgent regional challenges such as water scarcity, desertification, glacier melt, and biodiversity loss.

🔹 Organization of a parliamentary roundtable on “Parliamentary Diplomacy for Climate Action and Sustainable Development: The Central Asian Perspective” (22 April), hosted by Senate Chairman Maulen Ashimbayev — advancing dialogue on inter-parliamentary co-operation and concrete climate solutions.

🔹 High-level meetings with:
▪️ President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
▪️ Senate Chairman Maulen Ashimbayev
▪️ Mazhilis Chairman Yerlan Koshanov
▪️ Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov
▪️ Minister of Energy Yerlan Akkenzhenov
▪️ Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Bakhtiyar Mukhametkaliyev

🔹 Engagement with OSCE institutions and academia, including a visit to the OSCE Programme Office in Astana and a lecture at Maqsut Narikbayev University.

💬 Across all meetings, discussions focused on strengthening inter-parliamentary co-operation, supporting reforms, and advancing joint responses to climate, energy, and water challenges in the region.

A clear message emerged: the priorities are set, now the focus must be on implementation and delivering tangible results.

Read more: https://www.oscepa.org/en/news-a-media/press-releases/2026/osce-pa-high-level-delegation-visits-kazakhstan-for-regional-ecological-summit-and-meets-president-tokayev
More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/oscepa/albums/72177720333296609/

23/04/2026

A high-level OSCE PA delegation is in Astana this week to attend the Regional Ecological Summit, a platform for developing joint and practical solutions to climate and ecological challenges. 🌍

Yesterday, the delegation co-hosted a high-level roundtable on climate change with Senate Chairman Maulen Ashimbayev, bringing together parliamentarians and stakeholders to advance concrete responses at the intersection of climate, security, and sustainable development in Central Asia. 🤝🌱

The three-day visit also includes an extensive bilateral programme, in particular high-level meetings with the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Chairman of the Senate Maulen Ashimbayev and the Chairman of the Mazhilis Yerlan Koshanov.

13/04/2026

Hungary’s parliamentary elections: vibrant, but no equal opportunities for contestants, international observers say

The 12 April parliamentary elections saw active citizen engagement, with record voter turnout and genuine choice, but there was no level playing field, with the ruling party benefitting from systemic advantages that blurred the line between state and party, international observers said in a preliminary statement released today. While the campaign was marred by divisive and fear-mongering rhetoric on the part of the ruling party, including unsubstantiated claims of foreign interference advanced by the government, candidates were able to campaign freely.

Read the full press release and statement here: https://www.oscepa.org/en/news-a-media/press-releases/2026/hungarys-parliamentary-elections-vibrant-but-no-equal-opportunities-for-contestants-international-observers-say

13/04/2026

The leaders from the election observation mission to will present their statement of preliminary findings and conclusions today at 15:00 local time (CEST).

The press conference will be streamed live on https://www.oscepa.org/en/news-a-media/press-releases/2026/international-election-observers-for-hungarys-parliamentary-elections-to-hold-press-conference-on-monday

12/04/2026

Election Day in Hungary

134 observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly joined colleagues from ODIHR and PACE across the country to follow every stage of the process — from the opening of polling stations to voting and closing procedures.

Polls closed at 19:00, and our teams remain deployed, continuing their work on the ground.

Tomorrow, observers will gather for a debrief, followed by the presentation of the preliminary statement of findings and conclusions at a 15:00 press conference.

🔗 More info: www.oscepa.org

11/04/2026

MEDIA ADVISORY: Photo and interview opportunity on election day in Hungary with OSCE observation leaders / Fotólehetőség a magyarországi választások napján az EBESZ megfigyelői misszió vezetőivel

📍Budapest
📅12 April 2026
🕰️10:00 am

BUDAPEST, 10 April 2026 – Sargis Khandanyan (MP, Armenia), the OSCE Special Co-ordinator responsible for leading the short-term OSCE observer mission for the parliamentary elections in Hungary, and the Head of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s mission, Rupa Huq (MP, United Kingdom), will be avai...