News of the Council of Europe office - New York
Secretary General Berset to open Council of Europe UN Observer Office during General Assembly week in New York
The new permanent presence of the 46-member country Council of Europe comes as the Secretary General travels to New York and Washington to argue for closer links between international and regional organisations
Congress at the UN: Sustainable development requires democratic security and multilevel governance
“The Sustainable Development Goals will not be achieved in conference rooms alone. They will be achieved - or not - in our neighbourhoods, our towns, our cities and our regions. Every Sustainable Development Goal ultimately has a local address,” underlined Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen...
Petra Bayr welcomes UN General Assembly resolution reinforcing states’ climate obligations and the right to a healthy environment
The adoption yesterday by the UN General Assembly of a resolution on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on climate change sends a strong and timely message: climate action and human rights are inseparable. The resolution reaffirms that states have obligations under...
Council of Europe with international organisations at UN to fight anti-Muslim hatred
Additional measures to combat hatred have to meaningfully contribute to “living together”
Secretary General highlights gender equality as a democratic security imperative at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York
“Violence against women online is still violence – and justice must work in the digital world as it does offline,” Alain Berset pointed out.
Parliamentary Assembly President ends New York visit with an appeal for the election of a woman to the UN’s top job
Parliamentary Assembly President Petra Bayr has concluded a visit to the UN in New York by expressing strong support for the election of a woman as the next Secretary General of the UN. The President was participating in the 70th session of the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW70),...
Parliamentary Assembly President Petra Bayr at the UN in New York: ‘The backlash against women's rights is real, but it is not inevitable’
"The backlash against women's rights is real, but it is not inevitable. It can be resisted, and it can be reversed, if we act together," said PACE President Petra Bayr at the opening of a side-event on the margins of the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) in New York...
Congress contributes to UN Social Summit
Congress Recommendation 528 (2025) on the role of local and regional authorities in protecting and promoting social rights and fostering social development, adopted in March 2025 as a Congress...
First Council of Europe Business and Human Rights Forum
“Rights-based societies are the most innovative” – Alain Berset
Democratic security: Europe’s strategic imperative
Insights from Secretary General Berset’s weekly briefing to the Ministers’ Deputies
Secretary General Alain Berset concludes mission to UNGA80 with calls for democratic security, accountability, and reinforced global cooperation
European values brought to global debates in week of high-level
Democratic security: Secretary General to promote the core foundations of peace at the UN General Assembly week in New York
Alain Berset will engage in high-level discussions alongside addressing the general assembly
For women’s rights and dignity: a call from the Council of Europe
Alain Berset addresses United Nations General Assembly
United Nations High-Level Political Forum 2025: Cities and regions leading the way in global solutions
As the 2030 deadline of the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development draws near, the annual High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) is currently convening in New York to assess implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
30 years after the global recognition of women’s rights as human rights, gender equality remains a top priority for the Assembly
Joint statement by PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos and the Chair of the PACE Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Catia Polidori (Italy, EPP/CD), on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2025 Today, on International Women’s Day, the United Nations is calling for rights, equality...
Open Day at the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine: sharing values and achievements
The Council of Europe Office in Ukraine opened its doors for the Open Day to showcase its work dedicated to supporting reforms in human rights, democracy, and the rule of law as part of Ukraine’s path to European Union accession. The event, held on 27 February 2025 in Kyiv, brought together...
Parliamentary Assembly committee urges immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and repeal of the ban on UNRWA
PACE’s Social Affairs Committee has expressed its deep concern that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has deteriorated still further as a result of the ongoing military operations in Gaza, and urged all parties to the hostilities, in particular Israel, to reach an immediate, permanent and...
Secretary General meets UNESCO Director-General
Secretary General Alain Berset met with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at the Palais de l’Europe. The meeting followed up an exchange of views held on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79) in New York and provided an opportunity to highlight...
Congress supports including local and regional governments in the UN work
Speaking at the UN 4th Forum of Mayors, in Geneva on 30 September 2024, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori welcomed the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Pact for the Future and...
Secretary General meets UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. The excellent institutional co-operation between the Council of Europe and United Nations has been underlined during the exchange of views. Marija Pejčinović Burić...