It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our colleague, Sonia Parayre, on 21 February 2019, aged 45.

Sonia joined the Council of Europe in September 2000 as a lawyer and worked in many sectors including the Directorate of Co-operation for Local and Regional Democracy, the Division for Gender Equality and the Division of Children’s Rights. She took up her role in the EPAS secretariat as Deputy Executive Secretary in 2009 and co-ordinated the pan-European programme promoting diversity and fighting against discrimination in and through sport. She worked tirelessly towards eliminating all grounds of discrimination, whether it be based on ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.

Donations in Sonia’s memory can be made to the Ligue contre le Cancer du Bas Rhin or to the association af3m (L'association Française des Malades du Myélome Multiple). Both of these associations guided and supported Sonia, making life at home and in hospital much easier for her and her family. Our thoughts go out to her loved ones during this difficult time.

Sonia was a caring and wonderful person, greatly appreciated by all her colleagues and friends, and she will be forever remembered. We miss her enormously.