The Council of Europe at a glance
46 Member States - 700 million citizens
Mission
To promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law across Europe and beyond
Top priority
To support Ukraine against Russia’s aggression and help ensure accountability and justice
What we do
Set standards, monitor compliance and work with states to:
- Fight violence against women, child sex abuse, corruption, cybercrime, discrimination, racism, human trafficking, money laundering, organ trafficking, terrorism and torture
- Protect freedom of speech, media freedom, free elections, privacy, personal data, social rights, national minorities and minority languages
- Promote democratic citizenship, human rights education, youth participation, integrity in sport, culture and Europe’s cultural and natural heritage
- Support civil society
- Tackle future challenges, such as artificial intelligence, bioethics and the environment
Main entities
Secretary General
- Leads the organisation, providing strategic management
Committee of Ministers
- Main decision-making body, representing member states
Parliamentary Assembly
- Democratic forum for monitoring and debate among national parliamentarians
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
- Strengthens local and regional democracy
European Court of Human Rights
- Rules on individual complaints against member states
Commissioner for Human Rights
- Independently addresses key trends
Monitoring and advisory bodies
- Review compliance and guide member states