On 17 November 2025 in Warsaw, Poland, the annual Human Rights Seminar gathered some 200 participants to discuss current challenges to human rights, with a focus on migration and asylum. It was also an occasion to mark the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (4 November).
Opening the 16th edition of the seminar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski said that some of the consequences of migration are quite new for Poland, “because our country is quickly becoming more and more of a destination country than a country of origin, which it has been for tens or even hundreds of years.”
He also outlined the dangers that will arise if European democracies and international human rights organisations do not engage in an honest discussion about migration.
"They will be replaced by non-democratic groups that will take over the leadership and impose solutions that may completely ignore human rights obligations, and the consequences of this will be serious," said Minister Sikorski.
This year’s seminar combined reflection with action: honouring the Convention’s legacy while navigating today’s human rights challenges. By placing human rights and migration at its centre, the event accentuated the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights as essential actors in guiding states through difficult decisions.
Poland’s seminar provided a dynamic forum for experts and policymakers to share insights and shape solutions — strengthening Europe’s commitment to human dignity and democratic security.
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, highlighted the unique role of the Convention, which is a landmark step from the declaration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to a real, binding law. It is this transformation — from a moral obligation to a legal standard — which gives the Convention particular importance.
The event was attended by representatives of the Council of Europe, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Migration in Poland, and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE, and representatives of Council of Europe member states, the scientific community, non-governmental organizations and leading analytical centres.
The Warsaw Seminars are organised annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with domestic and foreign partners. They are an international forum for discussion and exchange of experience on topics related to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The seminars serve to disseminate standards of human rights protection and provide inspiration for efforts to improve compliance with these standards.
Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski opens 16th Warsaw Human Rights Seminar
