The Gender Equality Commission (GEC) held its 15th meeting in Strasbourg from 22 to 24 May 2019. During this meeting there were exchanges of views with Dunja Mitajović, Commissioner of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Snežana Samardžić-Marković, Director General of Democracy of the Council of Europe, Feride Acar, President of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and Alia El-Yassir, Regional Director of UN Women, Europe and Central Asia. There were also presentations from colleagues from the Sports Division and the Pompidou Group about their gender equality-related work. Following the recent adoption of the Committee of Ministers recommendation on preventing and combating sexism, the GEC discussed how to promote and implement this recommendation in the member states. Thematic debates on women and peace and security - UN Security Council Resolution 1325, artificial intelligence, big data and algorithms and the gender equality backlash also took place. There was also a co-operation project fair/open space during the GEC meeting which showcased the various projects being carried out by the Gender Equality Division in the member states. The third day of the meeting was devoted to a thematic conference on “Women’s Rights at the Crossroads: Strengthening International Co-operation to Close the Gap between Legal Frameworks and their Implementation”. This conference, organised by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, its causes and consequences, and with the French Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, gathered together members of international monitoring mechanisms, including members of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) and the Committee of the Parties to the Istanbul Conference, GEC members, international experts and non-governmental organisations.