Newsletter April 2024
Council of Europe launches package of measures in response to refugee influx in Armenia
On 11 April, the Council of Europe launched a comprehensive response package to the refugee influx in Armenia of € 2.8 million. The package of measures is a result of the visit by the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG) in October 2023, during which...
SRSG takes part in Council of Europe/UNHCR roundtable in Sofia
A round table on the protection of unaccompanied and separated asylum-seeking and refugee children, organised on 23 April in Sofia, by UNHCR, and the Office of the Council of Europe’s Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, demonstrated a determination to work hand in hand with national...
PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons discusses reports under preparation
The April part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) provided an opportunity for the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons to address a broad range of issues covered in reports under preparation, chaired by Oleksii Goncharenko (Ukraine, EC/DA). Ms...
Congress supports multi-level coordination and dialogue on migration in Romania
Representatives from Romanian local and central authorities, as well as civil society and international organisations gathered in Bucharest on 11 April 2024 for a roundtable to discuss “The current and future role of local public authorities in the context of a multilevel governance on migration...
Human Rights Commissioner expresses serious human rights concerns about United Kingdom’s Rwanda Bill
“The adoption of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill by the UK Parliament raises major issues about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law more generally”, said Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. “The United Kingdom government...
Temporary Protection in European Union: seminar and presentation of new Council of Europe HELP online course
On 11 April, a joint EU-CoE seminar on Temporary Protection in the European Union was held in Brussels. It was open to European lawyers and covered aspects related to the Temporary Protection Directive covering people fleeing the war in Ukraine. The event is organised under the Council of Europe...
Conference of INGOs releases a communication on migration and electoral context
On 10 April 2024, during its Spring session, the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe adopted a communication on “Migration and electoral context”. Echoing a recent report and Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly [Resolution 2525 (2024)], the Conference of INGOs deplores that hate...
European Youth Centre Strasbourg hosts intensive programme on culture, health, migration, religion and education
From 15 to 19 April, the European Youth Centre Strasbourg is hosted 40 young people for a study session “United in Diversity - Youth educating Young Catholic Students” organised by the JECI-MIEC, in cooperation with the Youth Department of the Council of Europe. The intensive programme included...
Council of Europe field offices strengthen member states capacity to deal with refugee and migration challenges
On 11 April 2024 – the same day as the launch of the Council of Europe’s comprehensive response package to the refugee influx in Armenia – about 20 representatives of local communities in Armenia participated in a workshop on Resilience Building Strategies (ReBuS) organised to support...