www.osce.org is the official website of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. It is managed by the Public Website Unit of the Press and Public Information Section at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna.

Information available on the OSCE website

The information on the OSCE website is accessible in several ways. From the main menu on the OSCE homepage, the "About" section provides information on the structure of the Organization and its parts. The "Activities" section provides information about what the OSCE does in the field. The "Regions" section provides information on particular regions that the OSCE is involved in, such as Central Asia or South-Eastern Europe.

Search - A quick search function is always available on the top right corner of the OSCE website. Furthermore, an advanced search function allows you to narrow your search criteria. You can search through any or all OSCE webpages, press releases, features, documents, photos and events.

Resources - The Resources section provides access to documents, events, features, photos and publications. The "Resources" link is available at the top of every OSCE webpage.

Press centre - The Press centre offers useful information for media professionals with easy access to new and archived press releases and media advisories. The "Press centre" link is available at the top of every OSCE webpage.

E-mail subscription services - E-mail subscription services are offered to media professionals and to general subscribers. Information about these services and their online subscription forms can be found in the footer and the Press centre.

Events calendar - The Events calendar offers a quick view of upcoming and recent OSCE events. It also allows you to search for and to retrieve more details about individual events. It is accessible near the bottom right of the homepage and from the Press centre.

Photo archive - The Photo archive allows you to search for OSCE photos. You can download high resolution versions of many photos by clicking on the "high resolution" icon. You must credit the OSCE appropriately when using photos from the website. The Photo archive can be accessed through the Resources section.

Technical requirements and accessibility

The OSCE website is optimized for viewing on monitors with a 15-inch screen and a pixel resolution of 896 x 600 or greater. The site is still viewable and functional in lower resolutions, but the entire width of the page will not be visible simultaneously, requiring horizontal scrolling.

Adobe Reader (or any other PDF viewer) is required to view or download the documents and publications in PDF format on this site. A 'view as HTML' function is also provided for such PDF files.

The OSCE website is designed using modern web standards to assure interoperability, accessibility and efficiency. These well-established standards are supported by modern web browsers. Common browsers with such support include, but are not limited to, Mozilla Firefox (and other Mozilla-based browsers), Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or higher, Netscape 6 or higher, Opera 7 and Apple Safari. Older browsers may not display the site's visual design 100 per cent as intended, though its functionality should be unaffected.

Netscape 4.5 (or higher) or Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 (or higher) is needed to use the online application forms for REACT or seconded positions in the Employment section.

Privacy policy

The OSCE is committed to safeguarding the privacy of the users of the OSCE website, while aiming to provide a personalized and valuable service.

Information collected - During a visit to the website, the following types of information are collected: browsing patterns, website preferences, location of the user. This information is only used in aggregate forms: statistical reports on number of monthly visits, typical user paths, etc. These reports are used:

• to monitor the use of the website;
• to identify audience profiles;
• to support strategic planning.

Personal information is collected via registration forms. In case of registration for the general e-mail subscription service, the information is used in aggregate forms only. For the registration to the media e-mail subscription service, additional information is requested for accreditation. In case of on-line job applications, the website acts only as a vehicle to deliver job-application information to the specified OSCE section.

Use and disclosure of personal information - The OSCE processes personal information collected via its website for the purposes of:

• providing a personalized service;
• receiving enquiries and requests for information;
• running recruitment competitions;
• providing information about the resources and services available.

The OSCE does not disclose any personal information to any outside parties.

Copyright

Content on the OSCE website is subject to copyright.

The OSCE must be credited as source when using content from its website. For texts, the publication or page the texts originate from must be given. Photos credited to the OSCE may be reproduced without charge for non-commercial purposes only. When using photographs from this website, both the OSCE and the photographer must be credited in the following format: OSCE/photographer's name.

Disclaimer

The OSCE strives to provide its website audience with the most up-to-date information possible, however, it cannot guarantee its accuracy at all times. While much of the content on the OSCE website is maintained by a central team within the Secretariat's Press and Public Information Section, OSCE missions and institutions are responsible for most of the content that appears on their respective web pages.

Links to other websites

The OSCE encourages links to and from other relevant websites. However, links to other websites from the OSCE website imply neither responsibility for, nor approval of, the content on those other websites on the part of the OSCE. Please note that the content and privacy standards of these sites may be different from the ones of the OSCE.

Your feedback

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Please send them to help@osce.org.