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Congress President addresses European Mayors Summit against Antisemitism
The Summit brought together mayors and local officials from across Europe on 30 November 2023 in Dortmund (Germany). The local leaders discussed how to build social cohesion, strengthen Jewish life at local level and establish understanding between citizens of different cultural and religious...
ERIAC Board meeting: major new steps taken to further enhance Roma arts and culture in Europe
At the XII Board Meeting of the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) on 4 December in Berlin, Germany, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge emphasised that “the work of ERIAC, its results and visibility continue to be essential for promoting Roma inclusion,...
High-Level Dialogue on Democratic Governance Reforms in Ukraine
The High-level Dialogue II “Good Democratic Governance in Ukraine: achievements, challenges and the way forward in post-war period” took place in Kyiv on 4 December 2023. Following discussions moderated by the Council of Europe representatives, key national stakeholders, including representatives...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is holding its quarterly meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 5 to 7 December. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium,...
Violence against women in Liechtenstein: Council of Europe experts call for comprehensive strategy
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Violence against Women (GREVIO) has published its first report evaluating Liechtenstein’s implementation of the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (known as the “Istanbul Convention”). The report...
Council of Europe celebrates with local authorities and civil society their achievements on participatory democracy and human rights in Georgia
The closing event of the project "Strengthening Participatory Democracy and Human Rights at Local Level in Georgia” took place on 28 November 2023 in Tbilisi City Assembly (Georgia). The closing event “Participatory Democracy and Human Rights in Georgia – From Vision to Action!” provided a...
Deputy Secretary General at the 30th OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje to reaffirm Council of Europe’s unwavering support to Ukraine
Representing the Council of Europe at the 30th OSCE Ministerial Council in Skopje, North Macedonia, Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge congratulated the Chairpersonship for their leadership through yet another difficult year. The Deputy Secretary General took part, together with several...
Deputy Secretary addresses Roma and Traveller women´s conference in Skopje
At the opening of the 9th International Roma and Traveller Women’s Conference “Building Equality Together”, in Skopje, North Macedonia, Deputy Secretary General Bjorn Berge emphasised that the Roma Women’s conferences have provided the opportunity for Roma and Traveller women to address issues...
Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine launched
The Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) is holding its first meeting in Strasbourg on 30 November - 1 December 2023, bringing together over 85 participants to discuss ways to effectively protect the rights of millions of Ukrainian children residing in Council of...
Europe 75 years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A journey of progress, setbacks and persistence
Speech by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, at the event organised by the German Institute for Human Rights (Deutsches Institute für Menschenrechte) and Evangelical Academy of Berlin (Evangelische Akademie zu Berlin) to mark the 75th Anniversary of the...
History teaching challenged by limited time, curriculum overload and teaching pressures, new Council of Europe report reveals
The first general report by the Council of Europe Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE), released in Strasbourg today, highlights teachers' concerns that crowded curriculums and teaching pressures are the greatest obstacles to history teaching in Europe. The report, presented at the...
Anti-torture Committee publishes report on San Marino
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) publishes its report today on the September 2022 visit to San Marino, accompanied by the response from the Sanmarinese authorities. The CPT’s 5th periodic visit to the Republic of San...
EPAS Diversity Conference: “inclusion of child migrants and refugees in and through sport is investment with great returns”
For the first time, Liechtenstein hosted the Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) biennial Diversity Conference “Inclusion of Child Migrants and Refugees in and through Sport” under the framework of its Committee of Ministers presidency. One of the presidency priorities...
Secretary General meets Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić in her meeting with Lasha Darsalia, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, stressed the unwavering commitment of the Council of Europe to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, as well as support to Georgia’s European path. The...
Vigdís Prize for Women's Empowerment: call for nominations
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in partnership with the Government of Iceland, has issued a call for nominations for the first ever edition of the Vigdís Prize for Women's Empowerment. A joint initiative of the Icelandic Government and PACE, the Prize pays tribute to...
Secretary General at the International Conference on a Global Alliance to counter migrant smuggling in Brussels
“We must unite to close the loopholes in national legislation and international systems and prevent this criminal trade in human lives. The Council of Europe has been working in this direction for several years”, emphasised Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić while addressing the...
How the Istanbul Convention is saving lives
As we approach the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, sobering statistics remind us of the urgent need to stop this violence, and a landmark treaty is proving increasingly successful to do just that: the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating...
Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner: shortlist announced
The Committee of Ministers has submitted a shortlist of three candidates for the post of Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner to the organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly. The candidates are, in alphabetical order: - Meglena KUNEVA (Bulgaria) - Manfred NOWAK (Austria) - Michael O’FLAHERTY...
Croatia: “Marked improvement” in treatment of detained criminal suspects, but prison overcrowding a concern
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published the report of its periodic visit to Croatia in September 2022, together with the response of the Croatian authorities (see executive summary in English – in Croatian) - Read...
European organisations and national authorities to help Belarusian media in exile to continue their work in Europe
The Council of Europe has held the Second Workshop for Belarusian journalists in exile. The issues that were discussed included professional solidarity and cooperation among journalists in exile and national and international associations, support to Belarusian journalists through European...
