News & Events
Council of Europe continues strengthening mediators’ skills in restorative justice for criminal cases Involving children
The Council of Europe Project “Protecting the Rights of Ukrainian Children and Ensuring Child-Friendly Justice”, in cooperation with the Coordination Centre for Free Legal Aid, has organised on 26-29 October 2026 a 4-day offline training session within the 3rd specialised training programme for...
Ensuring equivalence of prison healthcare services: Ukrainian delegation exchanges practices with Swiss counterparts
From 27 to 29 October 2026, a study visit to Swiss Confederation brought together a delegation of ten representatives of the Healthcare Centre of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine to explore application of comprehensive prevention, harm reduction, treatment and rehabilitation...
Judges from Ukraine’s frontline regions trained as trainers on non-discrimination and combating hate speech
In September – October 2026, the second Training of Trainers (ToT) course entitled “Combating Discrimination, Hate Speech, and Hate Crimes: International Standards, Judicial Practice, and Methodology for Judicial Training” was organised by the Council of Europe in co-operation with the National...
From online violence to real-world threats: how to counter impunity for crimes against media workers
Every year on November 2, the world marks the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. The relevant resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 18, 2013, to draw global attention to the issue of impunity for individuals who commit violence, threats,...
Ethics in wartime: How local authorities can maintain public trust
How can local authorities maintain public trust when faced with difficult decisions, limited resources and the pressures of martial law? In her article, Tetiana Vasylevska, consultant to the Council of Europe Project “Strengthening Multilevel Governance and Local Democracy to Support Ukraine’s...
Ukraine discusses priorities after the publication of GREVIO’s report
On 7 October 2026, a hybrid event in Kyiv and online presented GREVIO’s Baseline evaluation report on Ukraine’s implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention). More than 50 representatives of...
Volyn Regional Youth Centre implements trauma-informed youth work
On 21-23 October 2026, the Volyn Regional Youth Centre held a specialized training "Trauma-Informed Youth Work" within the framework of the state programme "Youth Worker" in Lutsk. The training took place in a shelter and brought together youth workers of the Volyn region. The participants...
Business, AI and environmental protection: Ukrainian students join Council of Europe HELP courses on human rights
More than 60 students of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv started three Council of Europe HELP tutored courses on 20 October 2026, covering European human rights standards in business, artificial intelligence and environmental protection. Vadym Popko, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs...
Council of Europe hosts international conference on training and education on human rights in the armed forces
Human rights education should be integrated throughout military service — before, during and after service — to protect the rights of service personnel, support veterans’ transition to civilian life and strengthen the effectiveness of the armed forces. This was a key message of an international...
Council of Europe Congress reaffirms its support for Ukraine’s recovery, reconstruction and decentralisation reforms
During its 51st session in Strasbourg, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted on 28 October 2026 a Declaration entitled “Intensifying attacks of the Russian Federation against Ukraine”, presented by Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden, SOC/G/PD) and Mihkel Juhkami...
Adequate housing for all: draft law “On Social Housing” nears completion
How can social housing be made available to those who need it most? Under what conditions can Ukraine’s social housing system become financially self-sufficient? And where do people and their needs fit into this system? These and other questions were at the heart of the Expert Meeting of the...
Ukraine at the Congress: recovery, reconstruction and decentralisation
Ukraine, where a just and lasting peace remains the Council of Europe’s absolute priority, has been at centre stage of discussions at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe again this week. Kherson resilience amidst the war The 51st session of the Congress opened...
Application of the European Court of Human Rights case law: meeting with Mykola Gnatovskyy, judge of the European Court
On 27 October 2026, a meeting was held with Mr Mykola Gnatovskyy, judge of the European Court of Human Rights (the Court, European Court) in respect of Ukraine, focusing on the admissibility of applications to the Court, the application of the European Convention on Human Rights, and current...
Five Ukrainian communities used CivicLab methodology to develop solutions to local challenges
From 20 to 22 October 2026, public consultations using the updated CivicLab methodology were held in five Ukrainian communities: Varva, Letychiv, Voznesensk, Vyshniv and Shpaniv. The consultations were conducted with the expert and methodological support of the Council of Europe project...
International law and accountability in cyber-enabled warfare
How can international law ensure accountability for cyber operations and the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in armed conflict? This question was at the centre of the workshop “Prosecuting cyber-enabled international crimes”, held on 15 October 2026 during the Octopus Conference 2026...
The Register of Damage for Ukraine strengthens cooperation with civil society organisations in implementing a gender-sensitive and survivor-centred approaches
The Register of Damage for Ukraine, together with the Council of Europe project “Combating Violence against Women in Ukraine - Phase III” (COVAW-III), held an event entitled “The Register of Damage for Ukraine: Submitting Claims Related to Violations of Personal Integrity” on 12 October 2026 in...
National Preventive Mechanism Department staff strengthen their skills in using the automated system
On 26–27 October 2026, the Council of Europe organised a two-day online training session for staff of the Department of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM). The aim of the event was to deepen participants’ knowledge of the capabilities of the NPM automated system, developed with the support...
Mariana Betsa meets Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine Valentina Falco
On 23 October, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa met the newly appointed Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, Valentina Falco. Mariana Betsa congratulated Ms Falco on her appointment and thanked the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine for its consistent...
Council of Europe completed the professional development programme for juvenile prosecutors: strategies for conducting criminal proceedings involving children
On 21-23 October 2026, the Council of Europe Project “Protecting the rights of Ukrainian children and ensuring child-friendly justice” in cooperation with the Prosecutor General’s Office and Prosecutors’ Training Center of Ukraine have conducted the last training session within the framework of...
Democracy in Defence: international conference in Lviv explores European legal frameworks and national context
On 23–24 October 2026, the international conference “Defending Democracy: European Legal Frameworks and the National Context” took place in Lviv, Ukraine, with the support of the Council of Europe. The event brought together judges of the European Court of Human Rights, the Supreme Court and the...
