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Equal rights for women and girls: the role of men and boys
Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the Committee of Ministers Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, President of the Parliamentary Assembly Tiny Kox and Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić have made the following statement: “Today, on International Women’s Day, we...
President of the Committee of Ministers calls for reopening of the Lachin corridor
Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, has made the following statement: “I am concerned about the increasingly precarious humanitarian situation of people living in Nagorno-Karabakh as a...
Movement along the Lachin Corridor should be restored as a matter of urgency to prevent a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh
“I have been closely following the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh following the blocking of the road running through the Lachin Corridor since 12 December. I am concerned that the prolonged disruption in the movement of people, preventing some from reaching their homes, and in access to...
Management of frozen or seized property: new report assesses compliance with Warsaw Convention
Most European states have put in place legislation or other measures to ensure the proper management of frozen or seized property, although improvements are still needed in certain countries, according to a report by the Conference of the Parties of Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and...
Human Rights Day: Council of Europe leaders call for collective action to end impunity for crimes committed against Ukraine
Ahead of Human Rights Day (10 December), the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and the Committee of Ministers Chair, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs, have issued a joint statement calling for a collective response to...
Statement by Committee of Ministers Chair, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs
“On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, I reaffirm Iceland’s steadfast commitment to gender equality and the protection of the hard-earned progress concerning the human rights of women and girls. Together, we must combat all forms of violence against women and...
Barnahus model helps children who suffered sexual abuse from feeling like victims for a second time, say Council of Europe leaders
Ahead of the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse marked on 18 November, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić and Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe,...
Secretary General in Berlin for the Opening Ceremony of the 8th World Congress against the Death Penalty
“Death is not justice. Capital punishment replaces justice with revenge. This has to be wrong – and it must be stopped”, said Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić in a panel discussion at the opening of the 8th World Congress against the Death Penalty which is held from 15-18 November in...
Iceland takes over Chairmanship of Committee of Ministers
Iceland has taken over the rotating Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers from Ireland during a meeting with representatives of the Organisation’s 46 member states. The incoming Chair – Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir –...
Astrea Justice (Zimbabwe) wins Council of Europe’s Democracy Innovation Award
At the closing session of the 10th World Forum for Democracy, the Council of Europe announced that the winner of its 2022 Democracy Innovation Award was the Justice Code Foundation Trust (Zimbabwe) for its human rights remedy application Astrea Justice. The Justice Code Foundation Trust uses...
Launch of a new project in Armenia to combat violence against women and promote gender equality
On 21 March 2023, the project “Ending violence against women and promoting gender equality” was officially launched in Yerevan. The project is being implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026 and its partners are the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the...
Improving financial investigations to better fight economic crime in Armenia
The Armenian authorities have set the fight against corruption and other economic crimes as a top national priority, and undertaken major legislative and institutional reforms in this direction. These include the establishment of a dedicated chain of Law enforcement and criminal justice...
Integrity Officers to support the application of Rules of Conduct by public servants in Armenia
Following the adoption of the Model Code of Conduct for Public Servants in Armenia in 2022, the Corruption Prevention Commission has moved on to actively promote its application by all public institutions of the country, with support from the Council of Europe. The steps undertaken for the...
Regional Project on Lawyers Concludes with the final Technical Committee meeting in Strasbourg
The Joint European Union and the Council of Europe regional project on strengthening the profession of lawyer in line with European standards in the Eastern Partnership countries held its final event on 27 February 2023 both remotely and in person in Strasbourg, France. The event which gathered...
New project launched to support decentralisation reforms in Armenia and promote cross-border cooperation with Georgia
Council of Europe values and standards are key to helping consolidate recent territorial administrative reforms in Armenia. At the launch of the “Democratic Development, Decentralisation, and Good Governance in Armenia (DDDGGA) – Phase II” project in Yerevan, Mr Vache Terteryan, Deputy Minister...
Advisors of the Ministry of Health have discussed the ethical rules for healthcare professionals and the new list of medical specialties
On 25-26 February the regular annual meeting of the Advisors of the Ministry of Health brought together healthcare professionals and decision makers to discuss ethical rules for healthcare professionals developed by the expertise and technical support of the Council of Europe and adopted by the...
Democracy starts at local level
During a recent visit to Armenia, Council of Europe Director of Programme Co-ordination Claus Neukirch visited a youth centre in Aparan municipality (Aragatsotn province). The centre was established in 2021 through a small grant under the Council of Europe project "Democratic Development,...
Director of Programme Co-ordination visits the Vocational Training Centre for Probation Beneficiaries
During his recent visit to Armenia, Council of Europe Director of Programme Co-ordination Claus Neukirch visited the Vocational Training Centre for probation beneficiaries in Ararat municipality. The Vocational Training Centre of the Probation Service is the first of its kind training institution...
Judges and prosecutors in Armenia enhanced their knowledge on combating hate speech
15 February 2023 – Twenty-five judges and prosecutors from Armenia have successfully completed the online training course on the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance’s General Policy Recommendation No.15 on Combating Hate Speech (GPR 15). The course, implemented from January to...
Council of Europe concludes the four-year PGGII project on implementation of judicial reforms in Armenia
The final conference organised in Yerevan on February 21, marked the official completion of the Project "Implementation of the Judicial reforms in Armenia", implemented by the Council of Europe within the joint European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance Programme...
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