The Council of Europe’s 4th Summit in Reykjavik recognised a crucial role played by local and regional authorities in protecting human rights, stressed Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein Sabine Monauni addressing the Congress session on 27 March 2024 on behalf of the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers.
She welcomed the strengthening of the Congress as a result, noting that the integration of the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance and the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) within the Congress secretariat provided additional resources for carrying out its statutory duties and implement more projects for the benefit of effective local democracy in member states.
Recalling a strong message of support to Ukraine sent by the Reykjavik Summit, the Deputy Prime Minister commended the readiness of the Congress to help to promote the Register of Damages for Ukraine and to assist local and regional governments and citizens in making claims to the Register. The Register represented the first step towards holding the Russian Federation to account for the destruction caused by its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
She also noted the important role of local and regional governments in supporting Belarussian civil society, and praised the Congress’ commitment to promoting youth participation in decision making – referring in particular to its Youth Delegates initiative – and to promoting environmental protection at local level.
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