The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović, expressed concern that legal proceedings initiated against several media outlets in Kazakhstan might severely undermine media pluralism in the country.

“I recall that during my recent official visit to Astana the authorities assured me of their commitment to further improve media freedom. Recent developments, which may result in the closure of up to 30 media outlets, would send just the opposite message,” Mijatović said.

The office of the Almaty Chief Prosecutor on 20 November sent a petition to courts demanding that they close dozens of newspapers, television stations and websites on extremism charges. Among these media outlets are newspapers Vzglyad, Respublika and Golos Respubliki; K+ television station; and online news sites respublika-kz.info and stan.tv.

“In the letters I sent to Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov and Presidential Adviser Yermukhamet Yertisbayev on this matter, I stated that the courts should investigate the prosecutors’ demand with due consideration for media freedom and media pluralism. It is of utmost importance that print and online information resources remain accessible to the public in Kazakhstan,” said Mijatović.

“The government and the judiciaries should not fight threats to our societies on allegations alone, thereby jeopardizing media pluralism, which is a vital OSCE commitment. I remain hopeful that the Kazakh authorities will find a solution that will honor their OSCE media freedom commitments.”

Mijatović said she would continue to follow media developments in the country closely.

Beham met with representatives of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, civil society, academia, members of the Portuguese Commission for Citizenship and Equality and the interministerial working group on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security. She also visited a shelter for women victims of violence.

“There is a particular need to uphold women’s rights now when the economic crisis is hitting women harder than men,” Beham said. “This is a matter for the security and stability of the whole society.”

She underlined that Portugal was among the first countries in the world to develop a National Action Plan on the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and has in place a comprehensive legal framework on gender equality issues.

Beham said that the discussions on the implementation of UNSCR 1325, combating violence against women, gender budgeting and other related issues were constructive and result-oriented. The meetings showed that there is a lot of common ground for expanding co-operation between the OSCE and Portugal in the promotion of gender equality, she emphasized.

The OSCE assists participating States in the implementation of gender-related commitments. In 2012 it has been focusing specifically on the implementation of UNSCR 1325.

The goal of the OSCE-supported regional conference that started on Monday in Ohrid, FYROM, is the exchange of best practices among anti-corruption agencies from South Eastern and Eastern Europe, and the discussion on the introduction of systems of integrity in public institutions.

During the event, representatives of national public institutions and regional anti-corruption agencies from Slovenia, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia will share their countries’ experiences on the application of integrity models and on their policies to prevent corruption.

The project is part of a three-year plan of the OSCE Mission to Skopje to support the implementation of the State Programme for Prevention and Repression of Corruption 2011-2015, in co-operation with State Commission for Prevention of Corruption and Transparency International Macedonia. The State Commission is expected to introduce a system to promote integrity in the national institutions through legislative amendments in 2013.

Ambassador Natalya Drozd, the Deputy Head of OSCE Mission to Skopje, stated that “According to the state programme, in the context of implementing good governance principles public institutions should introduce measures to promote integrity and prevent corruption.” Therefore, “the OSCE Mission to Skopje organized this conference to help identify the most suitable model for the host country, learning from the experiences of others who have already implemented similar initiatives in the region.”

Ljubinka Koraboska, the President of the State Commission said: “This regional conference will give us an opportunity to learn from renowned experts from other countries, and compare their experiences and opinions. This will help our Commission to effectively implement best practices in co-operation with local institutions and decide on the main elements of the integrity-promotion concept in our country.”

The tour of the “Casa M.”, a theatre play written and directed by Luminita Ţâcu raising awareness of violence against women, started on 3 November in Ceadar–Lunga, a town in southern Moldova.

The artistic offer was organized by the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Mission to Moldova in partnership with the Coliseum Art Centre.

“What we see in the play are real stories and interviews given by victims from shelters and prisons. They reflect the trauma women around the world go through every day,” said Ambassador Jennifer Brush, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. “Domestic violence should be treated as a social problem, not as a private family issue. The play is a call for action for all of us.”

The documentary-style theatre play will be performed in several towns of both sides of the Dniestr/Nistru in November. It will be staged for the first time in Bǎlti, Gagauzia and Transdniestria.

The play aims to prevent domestic violence by raising public awareness and informing people about available remedies and assistance for victims; each performance is followed by an interactive debate with the audience, when information materials are distributed.

Since 2010, the “Casa M.” project has been a part of the anti-trafficking and gender programme of the OSCE Mission to Moldova. The play has participated in international festivals in Georgia, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and Romania.

Yesterday opened in Rome a two-day OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) conference on supporting democratic transition and political reforms through economic co-operation in the Southern Mediterranean region.

The 2012 OSCE Mediterranean Conference brings together 130 representatives of the 56 OSCE participating States and the six Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation – Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia – as well as from other OSCE partner countries, and several relevant international and non-governmental organizations.

As posted on the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website today, the Italian Under-secretary of Foreign Affairs, Staffan Domingo de Mistura opened the conference on behalf of the host country, and highlighted the OSCE’s vision in establishing the Partnership more than a decade ago.

He stated: “We all have perception of the Arab Spring and its implications in the international agenda nowadays. But if we look back at the 1996, when the Partnership was set up, we can say OSCE was farsighted. Farsighted enough to believe that its role and its experience in the democratic transition since the Nineties could be extended to the Southern Mediterranean Countries.”

He also stressed how “As for euro-mediterranean cooperation, we appreciate the key role played by the 5+5 Dialogue, whose recent Summit represented the occasion to reaffirm our common will to reinforce political dialogue between the two shores of the Mediterranean, on the basis of the shared values of democracy, freedom and respect for human rights.”

OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier commented: “I am personally committed to making our partnership more operational and dynamic. We are currently exploring options for action-oriented and results based co-operation with the Mediterranean partnership in a number of areas where the OSCE can offer substantial expertise and experience.”

Participants will discuss economic and social challenges in the region, as well as OSCE best practices in enhancing economies, co-operation on sustainable energy including renewable energy sources, OSCE experience in addressing transnational threats to security, and enhancing the participation of women in political and public life.