In accordance with Article 69 of the Istanbul Convention, GREVIO may adopt general recommendations on the implementation of the convention. General recommendations have a common meaning for all Parties and concern articles or themes covered in this Convention. They are not country-specific but serve as an important reference for Parties by offering clear guidance that can contribute to an effective implementation of the provisions contained in the Convention through the prism of a specific theme or type of violence. 
GREVIO’s General Recommendation No. 1

In its General Recommendation No.1 on the digital dimension of violence against women, adopted on 20 October 2021, GREVIO offers a full reading of the provisions of the Istanbul Convention viewed through the lens of violence against women committed online or through the use of technology. By coining the term “the digital dimension of violence against women”, it offers Parties to the Istanbul Convention a comprehensive guide to the convention’s application to online acts of violence against women and girls as well as such acts perpetrated through technology, including technology yet to be developed. GREVIO’s first thematic evaluation round devoted to the theme of “Building trust by delivering support, protection and justice” is showing how in some Parties to the Convention this guidance is being put into practice.

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Launching video of GREVIO's General Recommendation No.1

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Read more on the Istanbul Convention and the digital dimension of violence against women
Protecting women and girls from violence in the digital age (2021) - The relevance of the Istanbul Convention and the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime in addressing online and technology-facilitated violence against women 

GREVIO’s General Recommendation No. 2

GREVIO’s General Recommendation N°2 on gender-related killings (femicides) – working title

The prevention of gender-related killings of women (femicides) is a key component of the Istanbul Convention, whose ultimate goal is to save lives. Gender-related killings constitute the most extreme and brutal manifestation of violence against women and girls. They also form part of the continuum of violence against women, to which the Istanbul Convention aims to respond in a holistic manner.

In view of its findings made under the baseline evaluation round and those emanating from the first thematic evaluation round, GREVIO decided, at its 35th meeting in March 2025, to develop guidance on the prevention, protection and prosecution of gender-related killings of women and girls by developing a second general recommendation on this topic. Throughout the four pillars of the convention, this recommendation will identify key issues and steps to be taken by the Parties to the convention to promote a comprehensive response to these crimes, from integrated policymaking to prevention, protection and prosecution. This work is carried out by a working group mandated by GREVIO for the period of March 2025 to the end of 2026.