Co-operation Newsroom

International round table “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine: Implementing the Istanbul Convention during armed conflict”
On 23 November 2022, the Council of Europe project “Combatting violence against women in Ukraine” (COVAW) organised an online international round table which brought together about 60 participants who discussed implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating...
The online course on access to justice for women is now available in Turkish
The course “Access to justice for women” in Turkish has been published on the Council of Europe HELP platform (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals Programme) providing the latest developments at both Council of Europe and European Union level. This online course provides a...
Three international organisations in Ukraine call for ending violence against women
In observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25, and the accompanying 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the EU Delegation to Ukraine, the EU Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform (EUAM Ukraine) in Ukraine, and the...
New report assessing the alignment of measures on violence against women in Kosovo* with the Istanbul Convention
Today, an assessment report on the alignment of laws, policies and measures in Kosovo* with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) was published. Forming part of the Council of Europe co-operation project...
Multi-agency cooperation in Azerbaijan
Over the course of two days, on 3 and 4 November 2022, 15 participants were provided with essential tools to draft a multi-agency cooperation plan for combating violence against women and domestic violence. These sessions follow the two initial sessions that took place in October. Participants...
Impact of COVID 19 on women’s access to justice: what are the next steps?
What can states do to address persistent and emerging challenges and barriers women face when accessing justice? How can the Covid-19 pandemic incentivise legal professionals in the national justice systems to rethink and reshape national approaches to access to justice and gender equality? ...
The digital dimension of violence against women in the Republic of Moldova
On 8 November 2022, the Council of Europe held a seminar on the digital dimension of violence against women. This event, which was moderated by La Strada Moldova, gathered key stakeholders including national authorities, civil society, and the private sector to identify steps to target online...
Ukrainian civil society organisations provide vital support to women during war
Projects by four Ukrainian civil society organisations have been successfully completed in October 2022, focused on protecting and promoting women’s human rights during the war in Ukraine, with financial support from the Council of Europe. The Ukrainian women lawyers’ association “JurFem”...
The Istanbul Convention entered into force on 1 November in Ukraine
Congratulations Ukraine! The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) entered into force on 1 November 2022, after approval by the Ukrainian Parliament on 20 June 2022 and ratification on 18 July 2022. 37 countries...
The Newsletter No 7 has just been issued!
This newsletter covers our activities relating to the following objectives of the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy for the period June to October 2022. Newsletter No 7 Subscribe to our newsletter
Communication and advocacy campaigns on the Istanbul Convention: Results of the call for projects for civil society organisations
The Council of Europe project “Ending violence against women: multi-country programme” has finalised a call for proposals for civil society organisations (CSOs) with expertise and experience in combating violence against women and domestic violence to support awareness-raising and advocacy...
Armenian Police officers trained on combating violence against women and domestic violence
The series of trainings of the specialised division of preventing juvenile crimes and domestic violence of the police of Armenia continued in October 2022 in Tsaghkadzor. A group of 50 police officers improved their knowledge on combating violence against women and domestic violence. A total of...
In the shoes of Armenian police officers: a uniform for victims of domestic violence to rely upon
As first-responders to domestic violence calls, police officers occupy a unique position to lead the response of criminal justice to domestic violence and violence against women. It is therefore useful to consider the perspectives of police officers themselves. The perceptions of police officers...
Improving the gender perspective in measuring and monitoring access to justice in Türkiye
“Adopting a gender-sensitive approach when measuring and monitoring access to justice highlights the challenges that women and girls face in accessing justice and paves the way towards developing justice policies and practices that address the needs and rights of women.” This was one of the main...
Aligning Azerbaijani laws and policies with international standards on violence against women and domestic violence
The project Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention and other gender equality standards in Azerbaijan has coordinated a gap analysis of the legislative and policy frameworks in the field of violence against women and domestic violence in Azerbaijan by comparing them with international...
Five steps to ensure women’s access to justice
Do you know how access to justice is linked to combating violence against women and sexism? Do you want to understand how the Covid-19 pandemic can offer an opportunity to radically rethink and reshape national approaches to access to justice and gender equality? Do you want to know how legal...
Easy-to-read version of the Istanbul Convention now available in Ukrainian
Over the course of Covid-19 pandemic, many governments imposed strict restrictions on freedom of movement, which proved to be effective in reducing the spread of the pandemic and saving lives. However, many women and girls have suffered as a result of the confinement measures, which have also...
Civil society organisations start activities to increase awareness on women’s access to justice in Türkiye
Four civil society organisations (CSOs) kicked off their activities targeting women and legal professionals in Türkiye to increase awareness and legal literacy among women. Their activities intend to empower women to claim their rights and to develop networks and capacities of legal professions...
Key stakeholders discussed how to improve inter-agency co-operation to support women’s access to justice in Türkiye
Women and men do not have equal opportunities or conditions when they need to seek justice. Access to information and support mechanisms, as well as legal aid, play a vital role in eliminating obstacles for women and empowering them to exercise their rights as equal citizens. Having this in mind,...
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Call for proposals for civil society organisations: Communication and advocacy campaigns on the Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe project “Ending violence against women: multi-country programme” is launching a call for proposals for civil society organisations (CSOs) with expertise and experience in combating violence against women and domestic violence in one of four countries: Bulgaria, Hungary,...
Supporting civil society organisations in raising awareness on the Istanbul Convention
On 14 September, the Council of Europe in co-operation with Women Against Violence Europe Network (WAVE) and UN Women launched a new methodology and toolkit to support civil society organisations (CSOs) in raising awareness on the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence...
Launching the HELP course on violence against women and domestic violence in the Republic of Latvia
On 5 September 2022, the Council of Europe in cooperation with the Latvian Judicial Training Centre - EJTN launched the HELP course on violence against women and domestic violence. This course, originally developed by the Council of Europe Gender Equality Division and the European Programme for...
Call for participants: supporting civil society organisations in raising awareness on the Istanbul Convention
The Council of Europe in co-operation with the Women Against Violence Europe Network (WAVE) and UN Women are organising an on-line event with the participation of civil society organisations from all over Europe. The main aims of the event are to: promote and answer questions related to a new...
New Pristina roundtable report “The digital dimension of violence against women: Recognising and combating the phenomenon”
The Council of Europe project “Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo* - phase III” published this roundtable report which summarizes speeches, findings and recommendations generated in the hybrid roundtable which was organised jointly with the...
Hundreds of professionals gather to discuss violence against women in conflict-affected Ukraine
On 21 July 2022, five hundred and twenty professionals who provide services to victims of violence against women, and ensure coordination of these services, participated in a one-day webinar organised by the Council of Europe. This webinar aimed to support participants’ important efforts to...
Services to victims of sexual violence in Ukraine strengthened through professional training
During the week of 18 July 2022, the Council of Europe provided training to 46 hotline operators, psychologists, psychiatrists and social work specialists throughout Ukraine to support sexual violence victims’ access to gender-sensitive and victim-centred social, psychological, medical and legal...
The United Kingdom ratifies the Istanbul Convention
Today, in Strasbourg, in the presence of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, H.E. Mr Sandy Moss, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Council of Europe, deposited the instrument of ratification of the Council of...
How to find a Council of Europe resource on gender equality and women's rights
The Gender Equality Division has developed a dedicated webpage on its website to showcase the wide range of resources (standards, publications, factsheets, brochures, audio-visual materials, etc.) offered by the Council of Europe to promote gender equality and women’s rights. With the help of...
Ukraine ratifies the Istanbul Convention
Today, in Strasbourg, in the presence of the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, H.E. Mr Borys Tarasyuk, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe, deposited the instrument of ratification of the Council of Europe...
Results of the national NGOs' campaigns "Mobilise against sexism!"
The Council of Europe awarded a grant to the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) to conduct national campaigns within the project “Mobilise against sexism!”. These campaigns were conducted by EWL member organisations in Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and...