Strasbourg, 19 June 2026 - The fight against intolerance and discrimination is a cornerstone of the Council of Europe’s mission, reinforced by decades of European Court of Human Rights case law, binding treaties, Committee of Ministers’ recommendations, and ECRI standards. Addressing intolerance targeting religious communities remains a crucial focus within this broader work.
In today’s fast evolving digital environment, these forms of intolerance have acquired new scale and speed. Advanced AI systems can both detect and amplify harmful behaviours, while automated content moderation does not always guarantee the protection of vulnerable groups.
To address these emerging challenges, the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, and all forms of religious intolerance, Ms Irene Kitsou-Milonas, in cooperation with the Digital Development Unit, has convened, for the first time in this context, intergovernmental policymakers (Mr Serge Robillard (Monaco) for CDMSI and Ms Anne Gosset (Luxembourg) for CDNET, civil society (Mr Gilbert Flam, Vice President of LICRA), and algorithmic systems experts. Together, they explored how the Council of Europe latest human rights-based media literacy and AI governance standards — set out in the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and applied through the HUDERIA risk assessment methodology — can turn longstanding commitments into practical solutions. The discussion highlighted existing gaps in order to design the steps needed to foster the living together in the digital era.
The panel discussion was opened by Ambassador Thomas Schneider, former Chair and Vice-Chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI) and current Vice-Chair of CDNET and concluded by Ms Nihal Saad, Director of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC).
