The European Social Charter, the human rights treaty on social and economic rights, guarantees the right to work with no discrimination (Article 1), the right to just conditions of work (Article 2), the right to safe and healthy working conditions (Article 3) and the right to a fair remuneration (Article 4), as well as the freedom to organise (Article 5) and the right to bargain collectively (Article 6).

To be considered fair within the meaning of Article 4§1 of the Charter, the minimum or lowest net remuneration or wage paid in the labour market must not fall below 60% of the net average wage. When the net minimum wage is between 50 and 60% of the net average wage, it is for the state to establish whether this wage is sufficient to ensure a decent standard of living. However, a net wage which is less than 50% of the net national average wage will be deemed to be unfair and therefore the situation of the State Party concerned will not be in conformity with Article 4§1 of the Charter. Under Article 7§5 of the Charter, domestic law must provide for the right of young workers to a fair wage and of apprentices appropriate allowances. The “fair” or “appropriate” character of the wage is assessed by comparing young workers’ remuneration with the starting wage or minimum wage paid to adults (aged 18 or above).

The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) monitors the implementation of the Charter, not only in law, but also in practice. The ECSR examined the situation with regard to the above mentioned rights .

As a general rule, the Committee considers that its case-law on the maximum limits of daily and weekly working time is still to be followed. However, the Committee considers that in certain sectors and in exceptional circumstances, workers performing specific functions may be allowed to exceed the 16 daily working hours limit or 60 weekly working hours limit. These sectors are, for example, healthcare; emergency and security services; military; sectors necessary for the uninterrupted functioning of services essential for the State (such as power plants, transport control centres) and the functions concerned are those that are essential for the functioning of the sectors mentioned. Circumstances that can be considered exceptional in those sectors are natural disasters, situations of force majeure, public health emergencies, situations of state of emergency.

 

The Committee further notes that, even in those sectors and exceptional circumstances, certain safeguards must exist. These safeguards include adequate rest periods and compensatory rest in case ordinary rest periods are missed due to exceptional situations, reasonable reference periods for calculation of average working hours (Statement of Interpretation on Article 2§1, Conclusions XIV-2 (1998)). Furthermore, employers must keep record of working hours and appropriate authorities must supervise that the working time limits are respected in practice; also, employers must ensure regular medical supervision of workers who exceed maximum limits of working time in exceptional circumstances.

Under Article 1§2 of the Charter, forced labour in all its forms must be prohibited. States Parties must adopt legal provisions to combat forced labour including within the family and protect domestic workers, as well as take measures to implement them. The ECSR examined the situation and measures taken by States Parties with regard to the implementation of Article 1§2 of the Charter in its Conclusions 2020.

The technical co-operation projects implemented by the Department of Social Rights provide targeted support to member states (Armenia, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) to align their legislation with the above mentioned Charter standards, with a particular focus on promoting fair and inclusive labour practices, including the protection of persons with disabilities, occupational safety and health, and prevention of workplace harassment and violence.

With a view to ensuring the effective exercise of Article 3 of the Charter which guarantees the right to safe and healthy working conditions, States Parties undertake to promote workplace safety and ensure the protection of all workers, including those in precarious employment. The ECSR examined the situation and measures taken by States Parties with regard to the right to safe and healthy working conditions in its Conclusions 2021.

Article 15§2 of the Charter requires States Parties to promote an equal and effective access to employment on the open labour market for persons with disabilities. Regarding work conditions, there must be obligations on the employer to take steps in accordance with the requirement of reasonable accommodation to ensure effective access to employment and to keep in employment persons with disabilities. The ECSR examined the situation and measures taken by States Parties with regard to Article 15§2 in its Conclusions 2020 .

The ECSR by its decision of 23 of March 2017 on the merits of the complaint Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) v. Greece (No. 111/2014) concluded that new legislation enacted as part of the austerity measures adopted in Greece during the economic and financial crisis affects workers’ rights in a manner that is contrary to the Charter and found violations of Article 1 (the right to work), Article 2 (the right to just conditions of work), Article 4 (the right to a fair remuneration) and Article 7 (the right of children and young persons to protection) of the 1961 Charter, as well as Article 3 of the 1988 Additional Protocol (the right to take part in the determination and improvement of the working conditions and working environment).

In its decision of 9 September 2020 on the merits of the complaint Confederazione Generale Sindacale (CGS) v. Italy (No. 144/2017), having regard to the situation of public education staff not registered in specific reserve lists (known as “eligibility ranking lists to be drawn upon exhaustion” - ERE lists) and recruited under successive contracts with interruptions for an overall length of more than 36 months, the ECSR considered that that there has been a disproportionate interference with their rights to earn their living in an occupation freely entered upon, on account of : (i) the absence of effective preventive and remedial safeguards against abuse arising from the undue recourse to fixed-term contracts, combined with (ii) the legal uncertainty, resulting from the repeated changes to legislation and case-law and (iii) the restricted chances of obtaining indefinite duration contracts regardless of actual competences and working experience. The ECSR therefore held that there has been a violation of Article 1§2 of the Charter.

The ECSR considered that an adequate balance must be struck between needs for flexibility and the rights of workers to earn their living in an occupation freely entered upon. In particular, fixed-term employment contracts should not be used to elude more stringent rules applying to indefinite duration employment contracts. To this effect, there must be adequate legal safeguards preventing abuse arising from the use of successive fixed-term employment contracts. Furthermore, where such abuse should occur, adequate, proportionate and dissuasive remedies must be effectively available in law and in practice (§113 of the decision on the merits). It also considered that where fixed-term contracts have been successively renewed over a very long period of time they can no longer be considered to respond to exceptional, unpredictable and temporary needs, and that this indicates that there has been no adequate prevention of abuse arising from the recourse to fixed-term contracts (§117 of the decision on the merits).

The ECSR adopted a Statement on Covid-19 and social rights on 24 March 2021.

In its Conclusions 2021, the ECSR adopted a Statement of interpretation on Article 3§2 (The right to safety and healthy working conditions) - Digital disconnect and electronic monitoring of workers

In its decision of 8 September 2021 on the merits of the complaint Youth Forum (YFJ) v. Belgium (No. 150/2017), the ECSR concluded that there was a violation of Article 4§1 of the Charter on the ground that the Labour Inspectorate is not sufficiently effective in detecting and preventing “bogus internships”. The ECSR examined the effectiveness of the inspection system regarding “bogus internships”. It considered that the inspection system should be adapted to the features of the targeted population, such as disadvantaged young interns. It noted that given that young interns might not be aware of their rights or might not want to take any legal action in case of abusive internships in order not to affect their potential for future employment in the labour market. Given this strong disincentive for young interns to take legal action and their possible lack of knowledge concerning their rights in the implementation of internship contracts, a proactive approach, apart from an efficient inspection service, by the relevant authorities may be necessary and governments should give serious consideration to monitoring internships to ensure that such internships allow for a real learning experience and are not used to replace regular workers. The ECSR also considered that the insufficient efficiency of the Labour Inspectorate in this respect inevitably will have discriminatory consequences in respect of “bogus interns” as this category of workers is in practice deprived of an effective right to a fair remuneration guaranteed to other workers who perform analogous or relevantly similar work under a regular employment contract. It held therefore that there was a violation of Article E read in conjunction with Article 4§1 of the Charter.

In its decision of 22 January 2022 on the merits of the complaint Unione sindacale di base (USB) v. Italy (No. 170/2018), the ECSR found a violation of Article 1§2 of the Charter on the ground of the disproportionate interference with the rights of the socially useful workers to earn their living in an occupation freely entered upon.

In its decision of 12 September 2023 on the merits of the complaints Union Syndicale Solidaires SDIS v. France (No. 176/2019) and Union Syndicale Solidaires SDIS v. France (No. 193/2020), the ECSR found a violation of Article 1§2 of the Charter on the ground of the discriminatory difference in treatment with regard to remuneration between certain volunteer firefighters and professional firefighters.

In its decision of 23 March 2022 on the merits of the complaints Confédération Générale du Travail Force Ouvrière (CGT-FO) v. France (No. 160/2018) and Confédération générale du travail (CGT) v. France (No. 171/2018), the ECSR found a violation of Article 24.b of the Charter in respect of adequate compensation. The ECSR considered that the ceilings set by Article L.1235-3 of the Labour Code are not sufficiently high to make good the damage suffered by the victim and be dissuasive for the employer. Moreover, the courts have a narrow margin of manoeuvre in deciding the case on its merits by considering individual circumstances of unjustified dismissals. For this reason, the real damage suffered by the worker in question linked to the individual characteristics of the case may be neglected and therefore, not be made good. In addition, other legal avenues are limited to certain cases. The ECSR considered therefore that the right to adequate compensation or other appropriate relief within the meaning of Article 24.b of the Charter is not guaranteed.

In its decision of 5 July 2022 on the merits of the complaint Syndicat CFDT de la métallurgie de la Meuse v. France (No. 175/2019), the ECSR found a violation of Article 24.b of the Charter on the same grounds, namely, adequate compensation.

Similar decision was taken by the ECSR in its decision of 19 October 2022 on the merits of the complaints Syndicat CFDT general des transports et de l’environnement de l’Aube v. France (No. 181/2019) and Syndicat CFDT de la métallurgie de la Meuse v. France (No. 182/2019), where the ECSR also found a violation of Article 24.b of the Charter in respect of adequate compensation.

Similarly, in its decision of 20 March 2024 on the merits of the complaint Unión de Trabajadores (UGT) v. Spain (No. 207/2022), the ECSR found a violation of Article 24.b of the Charter in respect of adequate compensation in cases of unfair dismissal.

 

HELP course on Labour Rights, developed in cooperation with the Secretariat of the European Committee on Social Rights of the Council of Europe. It has the following modules:

  1. Introduction
  2. Right to work and employment relationship
  3. Working time
  4. Fair remuneration and protection of wages
  5. Termination of employment
  6. Equality and non-discrimination
  7. Collective labour rights on all levels
  8. Occupational safety and health

The Department for the Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards contributes to the promotion of continued, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Through its co-operation project in the field of human rights and business the protection of human rights and environmental standards is enhanced by supporting the embedding of human rights and due environmental diligence into business operations and public policy frameworks. It is built on the key normative instruments of the Council of Europe, including Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3 on Human Rights and Business and CM/Rec(2022)20 on Human Rights and the Protection of the Environment, anchored in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

By strengthening the capacity of states and businesses to prevent and address adverse impacts on rights and the environment, these activities contribute directly to decent work, equitable economic participation and responsible corporate conduct — core components of SDG 8. To support sustained cooperation and transparency, the Council of Europe has established an online Human Rights and Business Platform, which serves as a central repository for a comprehensive resource centre, bringing together a wide range of information from diverse sources. The Department also convenes government representatives, business leaders, civil society and academia in forums such as BRAVE 2025 (the Council of Europe Business and Human Rights Forum) and the Online Academic Forum on Business and Human Rights — to explore synergies between human rights, democratic governance and ethical business practices.

The promotion of human rights of LGBTI persons in the workplace is ensured trough the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. A new toolkit

“Diversity in the Workplace, a Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or Expression and Sex Characteristics approach” is aimed at assisting member States to respect the employment-related measures highlighted in the Recommendation.

To enhance the employment and economic growth of Roma communities in Western Balkans and Türkiye, the EU/CoE Roma Integration III JP mainstreams Roma inclusion into employment-related public policies and measures. It supports the improvement of policy frameworks that promote equal access of Roma to decent and formal employment in both the public and private sectors, including in the context of the green and digital transition. By strengthening institutional capacities and policy coordination, the project enhances the effectiveness of employment policies in addressing barriers faced by Roma.  Similarly, the JP ROMACT delivered interventions targeting access to employment and Roma economic empowerment including through support with registering as a legal entity / social enterprise, to enable funding eligibility, bring training opportunities and possibility of employment offers.

The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) actively promotes and contributes to attain sustainable development goals proposed under the 2030 Agenda through its three lines of action “Investing in People and Enhancing Human Capital”, “Promoting Inclusive and Resilient Living Environments” and “Supporting Jobs and Economic and Financial Inclusion”.

The CEB will continue to provide financing for investment and working capital needs of MSMEs through intermediary financial institutions. These operations aim at promoting entrepreneurship and self-employment, supporting the establishment and scaling-up of micro-businesses, thereby contributing to income generation, preservation and creation of jobs, as well as the financial inclusion of vulnerable populations, including rural community, women, migrants and ethnic minorities, with the goal to address regional disparities, income inequalities and gender imbalances.

The Bank will prioritise financial intermediaries that support the financial inclusion of women and vulnerable groups or, more generally, are attentive to the social impact of their operations. The CEB will continue to support MSME lending for energy efficiency and climate adaptation and will aim to reach underserved regions and contribute to territorial cohesion by working more with smaller, local cooperative banks and providing incentives to commercial banks to operate in these areas.

 

The Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings is a ground-breaking and comprehensive instrument which is of relevance notably to achieving target 5.2 of Goal 5, target 8.7 of Goal 8 and target 16.2 of Goal 16. While building on existing international instruments, the Convention goes beyond the minimum standards agreed upon in them and strengthens the protection afforded to victims. The Convention has a comprehensive scope of application, encompassing all forms of trafficking and taking in all persons who are victims of trafficking (women, men or children). The Convention makes particular reference to children’s vulnerability in trafficking and requires States to take special account of their need for special protection and assistance. The Convention is not restricted to Council of Europe member States; non-members States and the European Union also have the possibility of becoming Party to the Convention. The implementation of the Anti-Trafficking Convention by the State Parties is monitored by the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) and the Committee of the Parties.

The Council of Europe offers member States and other stakeholders guidance and support for achieving targets 5.2, 8.7 and 16.2 to end human trafficking through the provision of recommendations resulting from the monitoring of the Convention by GRETA and expertise on human trafficking issues and activities, such as round-table meetings in the monitored countries. The round-table meetings are a tool for stimulating dialogue between relevant stakeholders in each country, and identifying areas where the Council of Europe can support national anti-trafficking efforts. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe also adopted in 2022 a  Recommendation to member States on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labour exploitation.

The Council of Europe supports the implementation of the SDGs that aim to end human trafficking by organising conferences and other events to raise awareness of the provisions of the Convention and GRETA’s recommendations. Further, in order to strengthen capacity in preventing and combating human trafficking, workshops and training seminars are organised for different professional groups.

A free online course on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings has been developed by the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals of the Council of Europe (HELP) and translated into a range of languages. The course was updated and revised in 2024. In addition, information and good practice examples are collected for the promotion of the implementation of the Anti-Trafficking Convention.

The Council of Europe furthers the achievement of the trafficking-related SDGs through the financing and implementation of anti-trafficking projects and activities whose results bring along the necessary outcomes at national or regional level, in line with the SDGs 5, 8 and 16 and its associated targets 5.2, 8.7 and 16.2. The projects support the national authorities in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, by addressing the legislation, policy and practice in particular fields.

The Council of Europe Landscape Convention (ETS No. 176) explicitly recognises landscapes as economic assets, especially within the context of sustainable tourism - a field closely aligned with the generation of employment and inclusive economic growth. The preamble underscores landscape’s potential as “an economic resource capable of generating employment in the context of the boom in sustainable tourism”. The Convention calls for high-quality specialist training and multidisciplinary education in landscape appraisal, management, planning, and operations for public authorities, professionals, and young people. By developing new skills and professions oriented around sustainable landscape management, the Convention underpins the creation of decent jobs and lifelong opportunities for workforce development. Mechanisms such as mutual technical assistance, the exchange of information, and the Council of Europe Landscape Award encourage innovation, excellence, and the spread of best practices in landscape-related economic activity. The Award itself is intended as a “stimulus to a process, which countries throughout Europe could set in motion, of encouraging and recognising quality stewardship of landscapes,” often with significant economic, employment, and entrepreneurial outcomes

Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)15 on the role of culture, cultural heritage and landscape contribute to this Goal by recognising the economic value and employment opportunities linked to cultural heritage; It states: “By supporting cultural heritage, member States can help develop local employment opportunities and promote sustainable economic activities“.

The Youth Department advocates and supports the development of youth policies that take into account the difficulties encountered by many young people to secure meaningful employment opportunities, putting a particular emphasis on young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods – based on CM Recommendations (2015)3 and (2016)7 (see also Goal 1) and (2016)7 (see also Goal 3).

The Committee of Ministers has recently adopted a CM Recommendation (2025)3 to member States on the social, economic and political participation of rural youth; it sets out a comprehensive list of measures aimed at overcoming the barriers faced by rural youth. The Recommendation emphasizes the importance of cross-sectoral co-operation, the development of youth work in rural communities, the creation of new spaces for young people, as well as ensuring equal opportunities for young women and girls in rural areas. Special attention is paid to supporting youth organisations and informal groups in villages, developing economic opportunities, vocational training and access to decent employment for young people. The Recommendation calls on States to ensure the participation of rural youth in the planning, implementation and evaluation of policies that affect their lives. In addition, the EU/CoE Youth Partnership has thoroughly researched the situation of rural youth, producing different papers, podcasts and other tools.

The situation of young people in rural areas is being explored by the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ) with a view to a possible Committee of Ministers recommendation. The EU/CoE Youth Partnership has throrougly researched the situation of rural youth, producing different papers, podcasts and other tools.

The Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card, in 2018, in a seminar entitled BRAIN DRAIN OR BRAIN GAIN?, looked at the role of the European Youth Card in providing opportunities for young people at home and abroad to support their economic autonomy, notably through social entrepreneurship, while maintaining links with their country of origin and supporting their social inclusion in the host country.

The EU-Council of Europe Youth Partnership organised a seminar on “Young people’s autonomy”, in the context of economic, political and social uncertainty, financial crisis and precarity in 2022. Young people, youth work practitioners, policymakers and researchers discussed and reflected on a wide range of topics including youth unemployment rates, contemporary nature of work (contractual precarity, unpaid labour/internships, quality of jobs for young people, etc.) and the resulting social and economic issues, that need to be addressed by the youth policy and practice, such as in-work poverty, housing and financial literacy. Other resources on the theme of youth transitions are also available.

In connecion with this specific SDG, the European Youth Foundation has funded projects that empower of young people for economic growth and employment opportunities through the lens of personal and community development. Notable contributions were achieved through the project “Bridging Cultures: from personal transformation to community development” implemented by the European Federation of YMCA organisations, and by the European Federation for Intercultural Learning through their project “Nurturing Sustainable Volunteer-Based Youth Work: Well-being, Intergenerational cooperation and visibility of youth workers as Active Global citizens at Local level” as well as the Solidarity Action day Movement in Europe NGO, through their “Youth Make Change Happen – Empowering Youth Engagement and Solidarity across Europe” project.

The Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA) on Cultural Routes’ mandate explicitly promotes Cultural Routes as instruments for sustainable territorial development. In this regard, Article 1§2 (Tasks) of the Committee of Ministers Resolution CM/Res(2013)66  defines among the tasks of the Enlarged Partial Agreement the development of a sustainable tourism offer based on Cultural Routes, with the objective of contributing to the economic well-being of regions, thus directly addressing Target 8.9 on promoting beneficial and sustainable tourism.

According to CM/Res(2023)2 Section I (List of eligibility criteria for themes), Cultural Routes must allow for the development of exemplary and innovative initiatives and projects in the fields of cultural tourism and sustainable cultural development (criterion 5). In addition, the themes must lend themselves to the creation of tourism products, developed in partnership with tourism agencies and operators (criterion 6), thereby further aligning with Target 8.9.

Cultural Routes also implement concrete capacity-building and employability initiatives. For instance, the Quest project developed by the Phoenicians’ Route, explicitly promotes quality internships in sustainable tourism and heritage management, with the objective of increasing student employability. Similarly, European Route of Industrial Heritage’s Young Professionals Network  provides a structured platform for exchange, mentoring and professional development for students and young professionals within the field of industrial heritage. These initiatives closely align with Target 8.6 on promoting youth employment, education and training.

Additionally, by valorising lesser known and rural heritage sites, and promoting community centered tourism initiatives, cultural routes create opportunities for local development and contribute to the socio-economic wellbeing of communities.

The 14th Advisory Forum on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe stressed the need to enhance the slow tourism potential of cultural routes by encouraging the creation of replicable, small-scale, local itineraries co-created with communities, promoting local producers and small businesses, contributing to Target 8.3 on supporting job creation and micro, small and medium enterprises.

The Parliamentary Assembly, through its Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, has undertaken a considerable amount of work towards this goal over the past years, including through its activities building up to Resolution 1993 (2014) on Decent work for all, Resolution 2068 (2015) Towards a new European Social Model, Resolution 2158 (2017) on Fighting income inequality as a means of fostering social cohesion and economic development, Resolution 2146 (2017) Reinforcing social dialogue as an instrument for stability and decreasing social and economic inequalities, Resolution 2312 (2019) on The societal impact of the platform economy and Resolution 2345 (2020) and Recommendation 2186 (2020) on “Artificial intelligence and labour markets: friends or foes?”. Resolution 2366 (2021) and Recommendation 2196 (2021) on the “Impact of labour migration on “left-behind” children”, Resolution 2410 (2021) and Recommendation 2216 (2021) on the “Best interests of the child and policies to ensure a work-life balance”, Resolution 2384 (2021) and Recommendation 2205 (2021) on “Overcoming the socio-economic crisis sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic” and Resolution 2393 (2021) and Recommendation 2210 (2021) on “Socio-economic inequalities in Europe: time to restore social trust by strengthening social rights” were adopted by the Assembly in 2021.

In 2022, the Assembly adopted Resolution 2442 (2022) and Recommendation 2234 (2022) “Eradicating extreme child poverty in Europe: an international obligation and a moral duty”, as well as Resolution 2467 (2022) and Recommendation 2239 (2022) “The future of work is here: revisiting labour rights”. In 2023, Resolution 2504 (2023) and Recommendation 2255 (2023) on “Health and social protection of undocumented workers or those in an irregular situation” and Resolution 2496 (2023) and Recommendation 2254 (2023)  on “Safeguarding democracy, rights and the environment in international trade” were adopted. 

In 2024, Resolution 2548 (2024) and Recommendation 2276 (2024) on “Children in the world of work: eradicating harmful child labour” were adopted, and a report on “European guidelines to counter social dumping and labour exploitation” is being prepared by the Committee.

In 2025, Resolution 2589 (2025) on “Women in the economy: employment, entrepreneurship and gender budgeting” was adopted. In 2019, the work of the Equality and Non-Discrimination Committee  led to the adoption by the Assembly of Resolution 2257 (2019) Discrimination in access to employment and Resolution 2258 (2019) For a disability-inclusive workforce.

In 2017, the work of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons led to the adoption by the Assembly of Resolution 2175 (2017) and Recommendation 2109 (2017) on Migration as an opportunity for European development, urging member States to recognise the economic value of migration and migrants’ importance for national labour markets. Furthermore, in October 2019, the Parliamentary Assembly adopted Resolution 2310 (2019) on Labour migration from eastern Europe and its impact on socio-demographic processes in these countries. In this context, the Assembly called for concerted action by both sending and receiving countries to “alleviate the negative impact of labour migration on the countries of origin, while doing everything needed to preserve the positive aspects”. Measures could include upping support for families left behind in countries of origin – particularly any children – and providing clear information on the opportunities and risks for migrant workers, as well as steps to help those who wish to return home. For their part, receiving countries should do all they can to stop “unofficial” labour migration, while helping migrant workers who come officially to integrate more fully.

In 2023, the Assembly adopted its Resolution 2502 (2023) “Integration of migrants and refugees: benefits for all parties involved”. The resolution recommends inviting migrants and refugees to accept a “new social contract” which sets out their rights and responsibilities.

The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights has also promoted the Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec (2016)3 on Human Rights and Business (see the Parliamentary Assembly’s Resolution 2311 (2019) and Recommendation 2166 (2019)). Additionally, in 2019, the Assembly  adopted Resolution 2318 (2019) on the protection of freedom of religion or belief in the workplace.

Based on the work of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the Assembly also adopted Resolution 2398 (2021) and Recommendation 2213 (2021) on “Addressing issues of criminal and civil liability in the context of climate change”.

The approach of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is based on three key principles: achieving SDGs is the shared responsibility of all levels of government; local and regional authorities must have the necessary competences and financial autonomy to achieve the goals in their respective areas; citizens must always remain at the heart of the action.

For a society to reach an inclusive and sustainable economic growth, conditions must be created to allow people to have quality jobs that stimulate the economy while not harming the environment. Congress contributes to these conditions to ensure and develop an equitable work environment, which includes all members of the society. The integration of disadvantaged populations is thereby an opportunity to stimulate economic and social growth, by undermining inequalities.

In recent years, the Congress has adopted the following texts in relation to SDG 8:

  • REC 511 (2024) - The UN Pact for the Future: The essential role of local and regional authorities in global sustainable development
  • RES 500 (2024) and REC 510 (2024) - Local and regional responses to natural disasters and climate hazards: from risk preparedness to resilience

The following thematic activities of the Congress are particularly related to SDG 8:

Congress has issued the following SDG 8 relevant publications:

 

The Commissioner for Human Rights has highlighted the important correlations of employment with income security, health, education and standard of living. Successive Commissioners have drawn attention to the new forms of poverty that have emerged in Europe in the context of the gig economy and the growing number of precarious and low-paid jobs, stressing that women, migrants, and persons with disabilities, as well as Roma and Travellers, are at significantly higher risks of unemployment and poverty in Europe.

See the Commissioner’s thematic webpage on social rights for further details and resources, including reports, recommendations and statements, from the current and previous Commissioners.

 

 

This page reflects recent and ongoing developments in the activities of the Council of Europe towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The Council’s historical activities in this area have been archived.