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Presentation of the 2022 Annual Activity Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
Mr President, honourable members of PACE, dear colleagues, 2022 will be remembered as the year of mass atrocities on European soil. Exactly fourteen months ago today, the people of Ukraine woke up to the sound of explosions and shelling. For more than 400 days now, Russian forces have been...
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Commissioner stresses the importance of solidarity with and among human rights defenders
"Human rights defenders need more solidarity from member states, their citizens and civil society, as well as solidarity among themselves", said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, in a conference organised today in Oslo by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee in...
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Alarm and Hope. 21st Century International Conference On the Centenary of the Birth of Dr Andrei Sakharov
Alarm and Hope. 21st Century International Conference On the Centenary of the Birth of Dr Andrei Sakharov - Plenary session Peace, progress and human rights are about choosing the right side. When you decide to defend and promote them, you choose to take the side of those who seek freedom. You...
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The impact of COVID-19 on human rights and how to move forward
2020 has been a disastrous year for human rights in Europe. While, increasingly, commitment to upholding human rights standards has been faltering all over the continent for several years, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the erosion of the democratic fabric of our society, on which...
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Human rights and Business - Prosperity Through Diversity
Virtual conference under the auspices of the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Excellencies, dear participants, dear friends, The human rights responsibilities of business are not a new topic, but I think that the way in which we see them is evolving, and so are our expectations. For a...
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States must give a renewed impetus to realising human rights for all
The Commissioner participated today in the exchange of views organised by the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. She delivered the following speech: Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The...
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Human Rights in Europe: Forward and back? How we can regain the ground in polarising times
Anna Lindh Lecture, Lund University I can hardly see a better occasion than today’s lecture to hold a conversation on human rights in Europe in this particular period of time. I would like to thank the University of Lund, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and the Anna Lindh Foundation for giving me...
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Ceremony for the 30th Anniversary of the European Committee for the prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very pleased and honoured to address you today, at this ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. On this round anniversary of the CPT, I would like to pay tribute to those who were at the origins of the idea to have...
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From hostility to reconnection: how to make human rights relevant for all
Peter Baehr Lecture, Utrecht University A big problem with human rights is that people often take them for granted. If you are wondering how I know this, it is because I was one of those persons. I was born in Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and until 1992 I barely understood the importance...
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Presentation of the Annual activity report 2018
Madam President, Excellencies, distinguished parliamentarians, ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured to have this unique opportunity to present my first annual activity report. You have all received the report, so I will not repeat what is in it; I would rather focus on my general assessment of the...
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Keynote speech at Warsaw Dialogue for Democracy
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you for your kind invitation to this conference and an opportunity to visit Warsaw. I have been in Poland many times, and this is my second visit to Poland as Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. In August this year, I came to the...
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Protecting the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities
"Persons with psychosocial disabilities are one of the most vulnerable groups in Europe. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the CRPD), ratified already by 46 of our member states, is my reference point regarding this group, as for all persons with disabilities. This...
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Commissioner’s message for the Fundamental Rights Forum 2018
The Commissioner addressed the Fundamental Rights Forum #RightsForum18 in Vienna, Austria today via video message. Download the speech CommDH/Speech(2018)7 as pdf Watch the video on Youtube Dear participants of the Forum, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank the Fundamental Rights Agency...
Continued Reform of the European Human Rights Convention System – Better Balance, Improved Protection
Address at the High-level conference “Continued Reform of the European Human Rights Convention System – Better Balance, Improved Protection” by Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in Copenhagen, 12 April 2018. Read the speech CommDH/Speech(2018)3
Address at the 34th Session of the Congress
"Sharing experiences among local and regional authorities is crucial to improve human rights protection". Address by Nils Muižnieks Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights at the 34th Session of the Congress Strasbourg, 27 March 2018 Read the address CommDH/Speech(2018)2
Human rights and Business - Promoting the effective implementation of global and regional instruments
Human rights and Business. Promoting the effective implementation of global and regional instruments. Speech by Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the Council of Europe High-level Seminar (9 June 2017, Strasbourg) Read the speech: CommDH/Speech(2017)4
Populism? Human rights regression and the role of the ombudsman
Populism? Human rights regression and the role of the ombudsman. Keynote speech by Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the IOI Europe Conference (Barcelona, 3-4 April 2017) Read the speech: CommDH/Speech(2017)3
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Ensuring respect for fundamental rights in European Union member states
Ensuring respect for fundamental rights in European Union member states. Keynote speech by Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the International Conference "What Europe stands for" (Chamber of Deputies, Rome, Italy, 13-14 March 2014) Read the speech...
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Human Rights Diplomacy: Notes from the field
"Human Rights Diplomacy: Notes from the field". Public Lecture by Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (Riga, 10 October 2013) CommDHSpeech(2013)10
The role of legal professionals in defending human rights and preserving the human rights protection system
The role of legal professionals in defending human rights and preserving the human rights protection system". Address by Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the Conference organized by the HELP Programme of the Council of Europe on "Cross-cutting issues on human...