Speeches - Other

Speech

Presentation of the 2023 Annual Activity Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

22/01/2024 Strasbourg

Dear Mr. President, esteemed members of PACE, As I stand before you today to present my final annual report as Commissioner for Human Rights, I feel a profound sense of honour and responsibility. It has been, and it is still, a privilege to serve at the helm of this Institution, championing the...

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Speech

Reconquering Lost Ground: A Reflection on 75 Years of the UDHR in Europe

22/12/2023 Paris

Speech (delivered online) at the Conference organised by the Université Paris Nanterre to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Excellencies, Dear participants, It is a great honour for me to be...

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Speech

The resilience of the Ukrainian people stands as a testament to the indomitable spirit of freedom

07/12/2023 Kyiv

Speech by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović (delivered via video message) for the International conference "Freedom or Fear" dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, organised by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for...

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Speech

Europe 75 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A journey of progress, setbacks and persistence

30/11/2023 Berlin

Speech by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, at the event organised by the German Institute for Human Rights (Deutsches Institute für Menschenrechte) and Evangelical Academy of Berlin (Evangelische Akademie zu Berlin) to mark the 75th Anniversary of the...

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Speech

ENNHRI at 10: strengthening national human rights institutions

10/10/2023 Strasbourg

Opening remarks by Dunja Mijatović at ENNHRI's 10th anniversary conference: "Advancing human rights, democracy and rule of law at a critical time in Europe: the role of NHRIs and ENNHRI". "Dear all, dear friends, I am sorry that I cannot be with you in person to celebrate the 10th anniversary of...

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Speech

Speech at the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe

17/05/2023 Reykjavik

Speech delivered by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, at the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland Presidents, Ministers, Chairperson, Excellencies, Russia's war against Ukraine is the negation of all the values for which our Organisation stands....

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Speech

Presentation of the 2022 Annual Activity Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

24/04/2023 Strasbourg

Mr President, honourable members of PACE, dear colleagues, 2022 will be remembered as the year of mass atrocities on European soil. Exactly fourteen months ago today, the people of Ukraine woke up to the sound of explosions and shelling. For more than 400 days now, Russian forces have been...

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Speech

Commissioner stresses the importance of solidarity with and among human rights defenders

09/12/2022 Oslo

"Human rights defenders need more solidarity from member states, their citizens and civil society, as well as solidarity among themselves", said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, in a conference organised today in Oslo by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee in...

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Speech

Alarm and Hope. 21st Century International Conference On the Centenary of the Birth of Dr Andrei Sakharov

24/05/2021 Strasbourg

Alarm and Hope. 21st Century International Conference On the Centenary of the Birth of Dr Andrei Sakharov - Plenary session Peace, progress and human rights are about choosing the right side. When you decide to defend and promote them, you choose to take the side of those who seek freedom. You...

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Speech

The impact of COVID-19 on human rights and how to move forward

10/12/2020 Strasbourg

2020 has been a disastrous year for human rights in Europe. While, increasingly, commitment to upholding human rights standards has been faltering all over the continent for several years, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the erosion of the democratic fabric of our society, on which...

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Speech

Human rights and Business - Prosperity Through Diversity

25/06/2020 Strasbourg

Virtual conference under the auspices of the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Excellencies, dear participants, dear friends, The human rights responsibilities of business are not a new topic, but I think that the way in which we see them is evolving, and so are our expectations. For a...

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Speech

States must give a renewed impetus to realising human rights for all

03/06/2020 Strasbourg

The Commissioner participated today in the exchange of views organised by the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. She delivered the following speech: Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The...

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Speech

Human Rights in Europe: Forward and back? How we can regain the ground in polarising times

20/01/2020 Lund

Anna Lindh Lecture, Lund University I can hardly see a better occasion than today’s lecture to hold a conversation on human rights in Europe in this particular period of time. I would like to thank the University of Lund, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and the Anna Lindh Foundation for giving me...

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Speech

Ceremony for the 30th Anniversary of the European Committee for the prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

04/11/2019 Strasbourg

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased and honoured to address you today, at this ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. On this round anniversary of the CPT, I would like to pay tribute to those who were at the origins of the idea to have...

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Speech

From hostility to reconnection: how to make human rights relevant for all

20/09/2019 Utrecht

Peter Baehr Lecture, Utrecht University A big problem with human rights is that people often take them for granted. If you are wondering how I know this, it is because I was one of those persons. I was born in Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and until 1992 I barely understood the importance...

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Speech

Presentation of the Annual activity report 2018

08/04/2019 Strasbourg

Madam President, Excellencies, distinguished parliamentarians, ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured to have this unique opportunity to present my first annual activity report. You have all received the report, so I will not repeat what is in it; I would rather focus on my general assessment of the...

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Speech

Keynote speech at Warsaw Dialogue for Democracy

22/11/2018 Warsaw

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you for your kind invitation to this conference and an opportunity to visit Warsaw. I have been in Poland many times, and this is my second visit to Poland as Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. In August this year, I came to the...

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Speech

Protecting the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities

09/10/2018 Strasbourg

"Persons with psychosocial disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups in Europe. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the CRPD), ratified already by 46 of our member states, is my reference point regarding this group, as for all persons with disabilities. This...

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Speech

Commissioner’s message for the Fundamental Rights Forum 2018

25/09/18 Strasbourg

The Commissioner addressed the Fundamental Rights Forum #RightsForum18 in Vienna, Austria today via video message. Download the speech CommDH/Speech(2018)7 as pdf Watch the video on Youtube Dear participants of the Forum, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the Fundamental Rights Agency...

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Continued Reform of the European Human Rights Convention System – Better Balance, Improved Protection

Address at the High-level conference “Continued Reform of the European Human Rights Convention System – Better Balance, Improved Protection” by Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in Copenhagen, 12 April 2018. Read the speech CommDH/Speech(2018)3

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