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Europe 75 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A journey of progress, setbacks and persistence
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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ILGA Europe Annual Conference 2023: the resilience of the movement for LGBTI equality hinges on solidarity
Opening speech by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović at ILGA Europe Annual Conference Ljubljana 2023 “Rising to the moment” - Plenary and panel discussion: The practice of solidarity – Reflections on unity, trust and true connections. Good morning, it is a...
Speech
ENNHRI at 10: strengthening national human rights institutions
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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Member states must act now to strengthen journalists’ safety
Speech delivered on behalf of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, at the Conference “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword? Meeting today’s challenges to freedom of expression and the safety of journalists”, organised under the Latvian presidency of the Committee of...
Oral submission
Hearing of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Others
Oral submission by Dunja Mijatović "Madam President, Distinguished members of the Court, I decided to intervene in this case concerning climate change because of its special importance for the protection of human rights and the environment, a priority of my mandate. There is no doubt that climate...
Speech
Encryption in the age of surveillance
Opening intervention at European Digital Rights Association (EDRi) event: "Encryption in the age of surveillance", by Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights "First of all, I want to thank the organisers, our partners at EDRi, for inviting me to this important event. It...
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Speech at the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe
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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IDAHOT+ Forum 2023: member states should build on momentum to end conversion practices targeting LGBTI people
Address to the European IDAHOT+ Forum 2023, hosted in the framework of Iceland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik, Iceland Dear Ministers and state representatives, dear activists, dear friends, Each year, the IDAHOT forum is an important opportunity to take stock of progress and...
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CHACHIPEN Project "History, Memory and Justice for #Roma in Europe
Message to the Final Conference, CHACHIPEN Project "History, Memory and Justice for #Roma in Europe Distinguished participants, Dear organisers, dear colleagues, Thank you for your invitation to the final event of the CHACHIPEN Project on "History, Memory and Justice for Roma in Europe". I am...
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Presentation of the 2022 Annual Activity Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
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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The human rights challenges faced by intersex people need to be urgently addressed
At the Conference on Advancing the human rights of intersex people. High-Level session: launching the work on the drafting of a new Committee of Ministers Recommendation on equality of rights of intersex people, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, gave the...
Speech
Commissioner stresses the importance of solidarity with and among human rights defenders
"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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Addressing the rights of women with disabilities in Europe: observations and perspectives
Online intervention at the University Women of Europe webinar: "Addressing the rights of women with disabilities in Europe" Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Friends, It is an honour to be with you today. Allow me first to thank the organisers for inviting me to this important and timely event. It is...
Speech
Speech at the European Anti-SLAPP Conference
Speech given at the Council of Europe European Anti-SLAPP Conference Dear President Metsola, Dear Vice-President Jurová, Dear Secretary General Pejčinović Burić, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, I can hardly see a better occasion than today’s conference to reinforce synergies to tackle SLAPPs,...
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Speech at European Parliament seminar on safeguarding media freedom in Europe
At the European Parliament seminar on media freedom organised for the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize 2022, the Council of Europe Commissioner for human rights gave the following speech: Dear Vice-President Picierno, Dear Matthew, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great honour for me to be among the...
Speech
Europride 2022 - closing remarks by Dunja Mijatović
At the closing session of the International Human Rights Conference held in Belgrade for Europride 2022, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, gave the following speech: "Dear colleagues, dear Europride organisers, dear activists, dear friends, This Europride has...
Speech
At the crossroads – Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights pronounced the following keynote speech at the Solemn Hearing of the European Court of Human Rights on 24 June 2022. President Spano, President of the Hellenic Republic, Distinguished Judges, excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, As Commissioner...
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Beyond the Horizon: A New Era for the Rights of the Child
Intervention at Rome High-level Launching Conference for the launching of the new Strategy for the Rights of the Child 2022 – 2027 Your excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Co-panelists, dear Chair, dear children present here today, I first want to thank the Italian Presidency of the...
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Combating violence against women in a digital age utilising the Istanbul Convention: GREVIO General Recommendation No.1 on the Digital Dimension of Violence against Women
Dear GREVIO members, Distinguished speakers, Colleagues and friends, Let me begin by congratulating GREVIO on the adoption of General Recommendation No.1 on the digital dimension of violence against women. I wish to extend my congratulations to all the experts and actors who worked on this...
Speech
Climate change, human rights and environmental defenders – what role for the academia?
"Human Rights and Climate Change", International virtual symposium convened by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Professor Jaspars, Professor Zenner, Dear Dr Boyd -- dear David, Dear Friends, What a pleasure to be with...