In March 2011, the Committee of Ministers adopted the Guidelines on eradicating impunity for serious human rights violations, on the basis of a draft prepared by the CDDH. This non-binding   legal instrument provides general standards for the prevention of impunity and specific   standards concerning, among others, the State’s duty to investigate serious human rights   violations and bring perpetrators to justice, as well as safeguards to protect persons deprived   of their liberty in these circumstances.

More than a decade after the adoption of these Guidelines, the evolution of international law   and the current international context, marked, in particular, by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, confirm the importance of a consolidated text setting out standards on the eradication of impunity and suggest a need to revisit the 2011 Guidelines.

On this basis and further to its terms of reference for 2024-2027, the CDDH established a Drafting Group on Eradication of Impunity for Serious Human Rights Violations (CDDH-ELI) to conduct preparatory work on a study on the need for and feasibility of (an) additional non-binding instrument(s) to complement the 2011 Committee of Ministers’ Guidelines.

The CDDH-ELI finalised the draft study during its sixth meeting held in October 2025. The study was subsequently adopted with certain amendments by the CDDH at its plenary meeting in November 2025. The CDDH decided to transmit the text to the Committee of Ministers for information and possible further action on the final recommendations. The CDDH recalled that the CDDH-ELI’s terms of reference foresaw continuation of its work, subject to decisions by the Committee of Ministers regarding possible further work.

 Study on the need for and feasibility of (an) additional non-binding instrument(s) to complement the 2011 Committee of Ministers’ Guidelines