


Introduction
With its global and overarching political approach, UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development has been highly relevant for the Council of Europe, which has, from the outset, been contributing to the process which led to the adoption of Agenda 2030.
As Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland pointed out in his letter to then-Secretary-General of the United National Ban Ki-moon in May 2015, “The Council of Europe is an organisation founded on the universal values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Our contribution must therefore focus on these values. They are not only values in their own right, but important factors of sustainability for any societal model”.
By definition, our philosophy is that most, if not all, of the Council of Europe’s activities are relevant and contribute to the implementation of Agenda 2030. In this context, as of the next biennium (2018-2019), the Council of Europe’s programme of activities and budget will indicate links, where relevant, to specific Sustainable Development Goals.
The unique added-value of the Council of Europe is a combination of:
- its pan-European membership: 47 member States;
- its standards: a comprehensive measurable normative framework which can be used as indicators/benchmarks;
- its multi-stakeholder dimension: in addition to its intergovernmental bodies, the Council of Europe’s unique structure includes the Parliamentary Assembly1, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Commissioner for Human Rights the Conference of International NGOs, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, the case law of which covers almost all SDGs. The annual World Forum for Democracy is also an important platform reaching out to civil society to consolidate democratic institutions. These various bodies and instruments are precious to support States in their efforts to translate the global agenda into action at both national and local levels;
- its monitoring/follow-up bodies and processes: essential to gather data, assess progress and provide further guidance;
- its technical support provided to individual countries for capacity-building and removing obstacles to implementation; and
- its global outreach: most of the organisation’s legally-binding conventions and activities are open to participation by non-member States, in particular, those benefitting from observer status and from the neighbouring regions

Documents
- “Voluntary contributions 2019 – Facts and figures”
- European Conference of Presidents of Parliament, Strasbourg, 24-25 October 2019 – conclusions by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly on, inter alia, Implementing the UN 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals
- Written statement by Ms Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General the Council of Europe to the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) under the 74th Session of the General Assembly on “Accelerating the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”
- Report of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE region, Geneva, 1-2 March 2018
- Letter of 8 May 2018 of the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina J. Mohammed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the Council of Europe contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region, Geneva, 1-2 March 2018, High-Level Policy Segment -Statement by the Council of Europe
- Cooperation between the Council of Europe and UNESCO, DER/Inf(2017)3
- Report of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE region, Geneva, 25 April 2017
- Letter of 17 May 2017 of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the Council of Europe contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Council of Europe contribution to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Indicative list (not exhaustive) of Council of Europe Conventions and Partial Agreements contributing to the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development goals
- SG’s 2017 report on the “State of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe”
- Council of Europe Programme and Budget 2018-2019 – Appendix II – “Council of Europe’s contribution to UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable Development”
- Council of Europe extra-budgetary projects’ contribution towards the implementation of the UN Agenda 2030 sustainable development goals
- Relevant Council of Europe co-operation programmes/projects by sector
- Ending all forms of violence against children by 2030: The Council of Europe's contribution to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals
- Voluntary National Reviews
- Letter of 29 May 2015 of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the Council of Europe contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women and Girls
