The United Nations is a major partner for the Council of Europe and an ideal platform for global outreach. The universality of values shared by the member States of the Council of Europe constitutes the basis for cooperation. Due to its global nature both in thematic and geographical terms, the UN constitutes an “across the board” partner for the Council of Europe.

At their 4th Summit held in Reykjavik on 16-17 May 2023, Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe committed to strengthening the role of the Council of Europe in the European multilateral architecture and in global governance by enhancing its external dimension. They called, inter alia, for more political dialogue with other international organisations, including the UN, to strengthen the existing partnerships. They also considered that “further synergies are possible, notably when it comes to the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

     Reykjavík Declaration - United around our values

Co-operation between the CoE and the UN started with the “Agreement between the Secretariat General of the Council of Europe and the Secretariat of the United Nations”, signed on 15 December 1951. This agreement was updated on 19 November 1971 through the “Arrangement on Co-operation and Liaison between the Secretariats of the United Nations and the Council of Europe”. The Council  of Europe also concluded agreements and works closely with a number of UN bodies and specialised agencies (see list of agreements). On 17 October 1989, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a Resolution, proposed by a number of Council of Europe member States, granting observer status to the CoE (A/RES/44/6). Consequently, the Council  of Europe is invited to participate in the sessions and work of the General Assembly of the UN and its six main committees.

Since 2000 (every second year since 2004), the General Assembly of the United Nations adopts a Resolution on co-operation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe.

These Resolutions show that co-operation between the UN and the Council of Europe is well established, inter alia, in the fields of the protection of human rights, the fight against racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance, the fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime, cybercrime, corruption and money laundering, the protection of minorities, the prevention of torture, the fight against trafficking in human beings and violence against women, the protection and promotion of the rights of children, intercultural dialogue, information society and Internet governance.

Such an open- ended variety of fields allows for a dynamic and flexible response to the needs of co-operation in a given time.

Furthermore, the Permanent Delegations of the Council of Europe to the United Nations Offices at Geneva and Vienna are contributing to the enhancement of co-operation and the achievement of greater synergy between the United Nations and the Council of Europe.

Document DER/INF (2021) 1 on Co-operation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe