Speech by Rafael Benitez, Director of Social Rights, Health and Environment
Chair, distinguished members of the Committee, colleagues,
It is a particular pleasure and honour for me to address your committee for the first time since the Human Rights and Biomedicine Division became part of the Directorate for Social Rights, Health and Environment, which I have the privilege to lead.
This organisational change reflects a broader vision: one that seeks to align more closely the structure and coherence of the Council of Europe’s programme of activities while making the best possible use of resources.
Within this new framework, the Secretariat of your Committee is now part of a new Health Department that also includes the Pompidou Group a partial agreement of the Council of Europe focusing on addictions, as well as the health-related criminal conventions, namely the MEDICRIME Convention on counterfeiting of medical products and the Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs also known as the Santiago de Compostela convention.
Indeed, we believe that this consolidation will foster greater transversal cooperation and enhance the visibility of the Council of Europe’s substantial contributions to the protection of human rights - especially social rights - within the health sector. I mention social rights because, after all, the European Social Charter; a human rights treaty is the only one which enshrines the protection of health as a right, in Article 11.
This transversality applies throughout the directorate touching also on environment and beyond both in the Directorate General and in relation to other sectors since there are many areas of common interest and concern.
Allow me to take this opportunity to commend your committee for the quality and relevance of your work. Your ability to respond rapidly to new and complex challenges, as demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic, and your constant efforts to improve working methods are particularly commendable.
As you work on shaping a new Strategic Action Plan, I would encourage you to be guided by the priorities of the Reykjavik Declaration of which you have heard so much. This important document, adopted in 2023 by the 46 member States Heads of State and Government reaffirms the Council of Europe’s pioneering role in setting global standards, including in emerging policy areas. Among these are technology-related challenges, such as the rise of neurotechnologies and artificial intelligence, which are increasingly impacting healthcare and human rights.
In this regard, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland for co-organising with us the recent Conference on AI, healthcare, and human rights, held in Helsinki on 21 May. The discussions there provided strategic insight and inspiration, and I am confident they will serve as a valuable foundation for your committee’s future work.
Staying within the Reykjavik spirit, I also want to commend your efforts to incorporate a youth perspective into intergovernmental deliberations, as well as your continued engagement with civil society, notably in the area of mental healthcare. These approaches are not only timely - they are necessary.
This year, on the occasion of World Health Day, the Secretary General, Alain Berset, reminded us of the mounting pressures on healthcare systems: from demographic shifts and growing inequalities to environmental challenges and the expansion of digital health technologies. As he rightly said, healthcare today is about trust, safety and access, and meeting these imperatives requires a holistic approach.
In this evolving context, the Council of Europe remains firmly committed to defending the human rights that underpin our health systems. Your committee has a central role to play in this mission - both as the guardian of the Oviedo Convention, and as the main steering committee addressing human rights challenges in the biomedical and health fields.
Looking ahead, I am pleased to announce that a transversal, multi-sectoral conference on the protection of health will take place on 15 October 2025 in Strasbourg at the Palais de l’Europe and online. This event will bring together all relevant Council of Europe sectors and will highlight the impact of the Council of Europe’s work on health protection and dedicate space to identifying future challenges. It will also involve partner international organisations such as the EU and the WHO and stake holders including NGOs and patients’ associations.
Your recent horizon-scanning exercise will be a key contribution to this discussion, as will the exchange planned between your Chair and the Committee of Ministers on the same day.
The conference will also coincide with Health-related Open Doors, where various Council of Europe sectors will showcase their work through interactive stands, further promoting our collective contributions to health protection.
Most importantly, the conference will also coincide with a dedicated treaty event at which member States will have the possibility of undertaking additional commitments on health protection related Council of Europe treaties including the Oviedo Convention and its protocols.
I use this opportunity to call on you to consider the possibility of undertaken those additional commitments in support of the Oviedo Convention system[1]; I also call on you to disseminate information about the conference and related events, the save the date of which has already been issued.
Dear members of the Committee,
In the face of worrying signs of democratic backsliding and erosion of rights, it is more essential than ever that we redouble our efforts to protect human dignity, equality, and the rights of those in vulnerable situations. These themes are at the heart of the 2025 Secretary General’s Report, and central to the Democratic Pact he has called for. He highlighted the importance of a broader human rights perspective - one rooted in collective responsibility. In this light, topics such as misinformation, digital literacy, transparency, civic participation, and critical thinking are highly relevant to your agenda.
Your continued commitment to added value, complementarity, and engagement with international partners and civil society, including young people, is exemplary. You are showing the way forward.
You can count on the unwavering support of the Secretariat as you continue this important work.
I wish you a very fruitful and productive meeting and remain at your disposal for any questions or observations you may have.
Thank you for your attention.
[1] See document CDBIO2024)4 and https://www.coe.int/en/web/human-rights-and-biomedicine/oviedo-convention