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Speech
Exchange with the Committee of Ministers: facing the hard winds to deliver human rights for all
Commissioner's introductory remarks at the exchange of views with the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Deputies Merci Madame la Présidente, dear Ambassadors, Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity to be with you this afternoon to present my annual report for 2025. I hope you've all had a...
Annual activity report
In the midst of a "change of era," Council of Europe Commissioner urges action to reclaim the treasure of human rights that we risk losing
Presenting his 2025 Annual Activity Report to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, warned that Europe, and the rest of the world, is no longer merely in an "era of change" but is experiencing a profound...
Speech
What would a human rights-based response to disinformation and information manipulation look like?
Speech dlivered at the High-Level Conference on Media Literacy and Information Integrity: Building Resilience to Disinformation and FIMI in Europe. Dear Friends, There have been three notable occurrences this week that I consider to be deeply relevant to our topic. The first is the death of...
Speech
Protecting human rights in the digitalisation of social welfare systems
Speech delivered on the occasion of the Side event: "Digitalisation of social protection systems in Europe -The promise of efficiency versus the reality of exclusion" of the High level Conference on Social Rights, Chișinău, Republic of Moldova This week, we are going to focus attention on the...
Chair’s Notes
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights warns against AI deregulation
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, has issued his Chair’s Notes on AI governance following a consultation with civil society organisations. During the consultation, held on 6 and 7 November 2025, participants sounded the alarm on the simplification of AI...
Speech
AI: protecting human rights through smart oversight
Transcript of the keynote address delivered by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty at the Parliamentary Conference on Artificial Intelligence, organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the parliament of the United Kingdom House of...
Speech
Exchange with the Committee of Ministers: human-centred pathways to peace in Ukraine, AI oversight and defending the ECHR
The Commissioner held an exchange of views with the Committee of Ministers on Tuesday 18 November. Below is the published version of his introductory remarks: Thank you very much, Madam President, and my warm congratulations and best wishes to you as you take up the presidency. I walked past the...
Speech
AI in policing: risks, duties and partnerships
Transcript of Michael Oflaherty’s keynote speech delivered at the 15th Europol Data Protection Experts Network (EDEN) conference “Data Protection & Cybersecurity in Law Enforcement”. Deputy Executive Director, Commissioner Gafà, dear Colleagues and Friends, As you heard, it is my second EDEN. I...
Report
The human line: safeguarding rights and democracy in the AI era
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has issued his Chair’s Notes following a consultation with experts on AI and human rights. The report provides a new governance roadmap and warns that a lack of human-centric design poses a high risk to democracies and human rights. The...
Statement
Regulation is crucial for responsible AI
“Rapidly evolving technologies like AI are having a profound impact on human rights and dignity. We need regulation that engages the private sector in developing practices compliant with human rights law”, said Commissioner O’Flaherty today at the European Forum Alpbach during the panel...
Speech
Tech regulation and innovation should go hand in hand
The Commissioner participated in the European Dialogue on Internet Governance, which had the overarching theme: “Safeguarding human rights by balancing regulation and innovation”. Below is the published version of his introductory remarks: “Dear Ministers, dear Secretary General of EuroDIG, dear...
Speech
Human rights oversight of artificial intelligence
Speech delivered at the Embassy of Ireland in Paris. Monsieur l’Ambassadeur, Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs, Chers amis, Many years ago, I was sitting on a hotel terrace, looking across the lawn. As I sat there, I became aware of a little machine going up and down the grass, cutting as it...
Interview
AI and Human Rights: Interview at the Web Summit 2024
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/0ElgxEIiMXQ
Statement
AI instrument of the Council of Europe should be firmly based on human rights
“I have closely followed negotiations at the level of the Council of Europe Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI). As they reach their final stage, I reiterate my position that the legally binding instrument on AI and human rights should contain unambiguous obligations for states parties to...
Follow-up recommendation
Ensure human rights in the era of AI and unleash its potential to protect rather than harm
“As AI development affects nearly every aspect of our lives and its influence will further increase in the foreseeable future, member states must take concrete steps to ensure that people’s human rights are safeguarded in the design, development and deployment of AI systems” says Council of...
Statement
National human rights structures play a key role in addressing the impacts of artificial intelligence on human rights
“Effective and independent national human rights structures are guardians of human rights at the national level in the member states and key partners for me. They play a crucial role in the prevention, mitigation, and oversight of the human rights impacts of AI systems”, said the Commissioner at...
Speech
Artificial Intelligence – Intelligent Politics. Challenges and opportunities for media and democracy
On-line keynote speech at the Council of Europe Conference, of Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society. Dear Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to be with you today, even if only remotely. We would all have preferred to meet in person in Cyprus as originally...
Speech
Human Rights in the Era of AI Europe as international Standard Setter for Artificial Intelligence
Dear Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ensuring that technological development works for and not against human rights, democracy and the rule of law is one of the biggest tasks that states face. Early on in my mandate I warned about the human rights implications of new technology, including AI...
Speech
Governing the digital world to protect democracy and security
Thirty years ago, tomorrow, crowds of East Germans crossed the border peacefully and climbed on the Berlin Wall together with West Germans. That symbolic moment, which catalysed months of civil unrest in Eastern Europe, told the world that a new era had just started. Over the past thirty years,...
Speech
Justice in Europe facing the challenges of digital technology
"Humans and machines are living in an ever-closer relationship. One that provides great opportunities but also threats. Indeed, technology is never neutral. It is very personal because it carries ethical, political and legal implications. No doubt criminal justice systems can benefit greatly from...
Speech
Speech by Commissioner Dunja Mijatović, at the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age, RightsCon 2019, Tunis, 11 June 2019
Last week, Muslims around the world celebrated the end of Ramadan. Celebrations were held in many countries, including here. There was however a notable exception: China. There the authorities banned such celebrations. This is not surprising. A recent article of the New York Times from the city...
Recommendation
Unboxing artificial intelligence: 10 steps to protect human rights
“Ensuring that human rights are strengthened and not undermined by artificial intelligence is one of the key factors that will define the world we live in”, says Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, in a Recommendation published today. This Recommendation – entitled...
Human Rights Comment
Ethnic profiling: a persisting practice in Europe
Racial or ethnic profiling in policing has been defined as “the use by the police, with no objective and reasonable justification, of grounds such as race, colour, languages, religion, nationality or national or ethnic origin in control, surveillance or investigation activities”.[1] Though by no...
Speech
We need to act now and put human rights at the centre of artificial intelligence designs
"Dear Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The impact of artificial intelligence’s on human rights, democracy and the rule of law is one of the most crucial factors that will define the period in which we live – and probably the whole century. How artificial intelligence is designed and...
Human Rights Comment
Safeguarding human rights in the era of artificial intelligence
The use of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives is on the increase, and it now covers many fields of activity. Something as seemingly banal as avoiding a traffic jam through the use of a smart navigation system, or receiving targeted offers from a trusted retailer is the result of big...
Human Rights Comment
Highly intrusive spyware threatens the essence of human rights
Over 18 months have passed since an international coalition of brave investigative journalists released the Pegasus Project. The disclosure of the leak of over 50,000 phone numbers, including those of many human rights defenders, journalists, academics, and opposition leaders, that had been...
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