On 4 March, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted two Recommendations addressing the intersection of technology with gender equality, non-discrimination and violence against women and girls, including migrant, refugee and asylum seeking women and girls.

• Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)1 on equality and artificial intelligence provides guidance to member states and other stakeholders to promote equality, including gender equality, and prevent and combat discrimination in all activities within the lifecycle of AI systems. The Recommendation emphasises transparency, explainability, procedural safeguards and remedies in AI systems to help individuals recognise discrimination and access redress. It also points to awareness-raising, training and independent oversight and identifies policy fields in which AI may have a particularly acute impact on equality, including gender equality. Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)1 was prepared by the Committee of Experts on Artificial Intelligence, Equality and Discrimination (GEC/ADI-AI), a joint expert committee of the Gender Equality Commission and the Steering Committee on Anti-discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion.
• Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)2 on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls provides guidance for member States on enhancing their legal, institutional and regulatory responses. Accountability for such violence includes prevention measures to foster the necessary environment in which it is neither facilitated, condoned, accepted nor ignored. This is the first international legal standard focused on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. It builds upon existing standards including the Istanbul Convention. Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)2 was prepared by the Committee of Experts on combating technology-facilitated violence against women and girls (GEC/PC-eVIO), a joint expert committee of the Gender Equality Commission  and the Council of Europe Committee on Crime Problems.

On 10 June 2026, the Recommendation CM/Rec(2026)2 on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls will be officially launched at the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg. The event, entitled From standards to action: making accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls a reality, will focus on the way forward for implementation and explore concrete steps different stakeholders can take to implement the Recommendation in their work.