OSCE PA Vice-President Walburga Habsburg Douglas (center) speaks at the OSCE-Japan Conference in Tokyo on 17 June. (courtesy MFA of Japan) COPENHAGEN, 17 June 2014 – A "sincere political push" by governments and lawmakers is needed to help close the nagging gender gap in society, politics and business, said OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President Walburga Habsburg Douglas (MP, Sweden) in Tokyo today. Speaking at the OSCE-Japan Conference at

COPENHAGEN, 15 June 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic issued the following statement today on the situation in Ukraine: "I strongly condemn the downing of a Ukrainian military plane by separatists in Luhansk. My deepest condolences go to the families of the victims and to the people of Ukraine, who yearn for an end to this conflict. This brazen act must convince all parties of the urgent need for real dialogue that

COPENHAGEN, 13 June 2014 – Enhanced confidence-building measures in the military sphere, democratic control of countries' armed forces and a comprehensive assessment of cyber threats are among key recommendations made by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Political Affairs and Security (First Committee) in its draft resolution for the PA's upcoming Annual Session. The resolution will be debated and may be amended by parliamentarians

OSCE PA human rights chair Isabel Santos (right) meets with the Chairman of the Committee on International Relations, Defense and Security of Kazakhstan’s Senate, Ikram Adyrbekov, on 10 June. COPENHAGEN, 11 June 2014 – Isabel Santos (MP, Portugal), the Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, met today with jailed Kazakhstani opposition leader Vladimir Kozlov at a penal colony

OSCE PA Vice-President Ilkka Kanerva (left) meets with Claus Neukirch, the Deputy Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre, with the PA’s Ambassador Andreas Nothelle and Senior Policy Analyst Francesco Pagani (in foreground) alongside. VIENNA, 11 June 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President Ilkka Kanerva (MP, Finland) held a day of meetings at OSCE offices in Vienna on 10 June. The discussions focused primarily on the current

OSCE PA President Ranko Krivokapic (left) meets German Bundestag President Prof. Norbert Lammert on 6 June. (courtesy Deutscher Bundestag/Achim Melde) COPENHAGEN, 6 June 2014 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Ranko Krivokapic has completed a visit to Berlin, where Ukraine mediation efforts topped the agenda in talks with the President of the German Bundestag and other parliamentary and government leaders. Krivokapic met with Bundestag