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Speech
Social Rights are Human Rights!
Introductory speech at the opening session of the High-Level Conference on the European Social Charter, organised in Vilnius, under the auspices of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Minister, as part of the follow-up to the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe Ministers, Excellencies,...
Speech
How standing up for social rights can help counter Russia's war on human rights in Ukraine
Opening remarks at the side event “Protecting social rights in times of war in Ukraine” on the occasion of the High-Level Conference on the European Social Charter, organised in Vilnius, under the auspices of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Minister, as part of the follow-up to the...
Country visit report
Germany: Follow through with human rights commitments and improve access to social rights
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today the report following her visit to Germany from 27 November to 1 December 2023, with recommendations regarding the available structures and legal frameworks to protect human rights, and on access to social rights, in...
Country visit
Germany: address growing poverty and inequality by better protecting social rights and reinforce general frameworks for human rights protection
“While Germany has a well-developed welfare system, persistent challenges in accessing social rights have resulted in disquieting levels of poverty, social inequality and homelessness, affecting a growing part of the population. Rapid action must be taken to better protect the right to an...
Letter
Ireland: Secure dignified accommodation for all refugees and asylum seekers through a government-wide approach
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Ireland, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, published today, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović raises concerns about the...
Letter
Commissioner calls on Belgium to ensure accommodation and material assistance for asylum seekers
In her letter addressed to Belgium’s State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Nicole De Moor, published today, the Commissioner expresses her concerns about the current situation of individuals seeking international protection in Belgium. A lack of available accommodation in reception facilities...
Country visit report
United Kingdom: Commissioner warns against regression on human rights, calls for concrete steps to protect children’s rights and to tackle human rights issues in Northern Ireland
“Both the overall system for protecting human rights, and the rights of specific groups, are currently under pressure in the United Kingdom (UK). The authorities should spare no effort to reverse this trend”, warns today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, while...
Country visit
Spain should advance social rights, better guarantee freedoms of expression and assembly and improve human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants
“Spain has made significant efforts to advance the protection of social rights in recent years. Crucial legislative reforms, currently pending in Parliament, provide an opportunity to align Spanish legislation with international and European human rights standards, including in the field of the...
Statement
Eradicate poverty through human rights-based fiscal policies
“With extreme poverty on the rise, I call on all member states to address poverty systematically and comprehensively, including by pursuing fiscal policies that are firmly based on human rights”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, on the occasion of...
Country visit report
Georgia should ensure effective implementation of the anti-discrimination legislation and improve protection of human rights in the fields of labour and the environment
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today the report following her visit to Georgia in February 2022, with recommendations on combating discrimination against LGBTI people and those belonging to religious minorities, as well as protecting human rights...
Country visit
United Kingdom: backsliding on human rights must be prevented
“Legal reforms should not weaken human rights protections in the United Kingdom”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, following a five-day visit to the country (27 June to 1 July), which focused on the system for human rights protection, the situation...
Statement on World Health Day
Inclusive and resilient health care for all – are we closer?
It has been over a year since I published my Issue paper on protecting the right to health. In February 2021, as Europe was gripped by the multiple impacts of COVID-19, I addressed recommendations to member states on how to secure access to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental...
Letter
Germany should pursue efforts to fully ensure children’s rights
In a letter addressed to Christine Lambrecht, the Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection and Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of Germany, made public today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, urges the German...
Human Rights Comment
Boosting child and youth participation - from voice to choice
Amid the ongoing pandemic and its disastrous effects on multiple aspects of human rights protection across the globe, there is consensus in one area: children and young people have been particularly hard hit. While – thus far at least – they have largely been spared from the direct health effects...
Human Rights Comment
Reform of mental health services: an urgent need and a human rights imperative
Already in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO) was warning that substantial investment in mental health services was necessary to avert a mental health crisis. The evidence for the devastating impact of the pandemic on mental health is now overwhelming....
Issue Paper
States must act now on their duty to ensure the best attainable standard of physical and mental health for all
"For one year now, countries around the world have been battling with the catastrophic consequences of COVID-19. As governments are making mass vaccination their top priority, they should act now to rebuild inclusive health care systems," said today Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe...
Country visit report
The Republic of Moldova should ratify the Istanbul Convention, improve its response to hate speech and advance access to quality healthcare, affordable housing and social inclusion for all
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today a report on her visit to the Republic of Moldova in March this year – which included travel to Comrat (Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia) and Tiraspol - with recommendations on violence against women and...
Human Rights Comment
Learning from the pandemic to better fulfil the right to health
The COVID-19 pandemic has concentrated minds about the resilience of our health care systems and it is challenging member states’ health policies and their effectiveness. In addition, doctors, medical staff and health care staff are under unprecedented pressure. Do we have sufficient medical...
Country visit
The Republic of Moldova should ratify the Istanbul Convention, strengthen protection against hate speech and improve access to quality healthcare and social housing
“The Republic of Moldova has made commendable progress in aligning its legislation on women’s rights and domestic violence with international standards and worked gradually to strengthen its implementation on many levels. A speedy ratification of the Istanbul Convention will send a strong message...
Human Rights Comment
The right to affordable housing: Europe’s neglected duty
Increasingly making the headlines, the scarcity of affordable housing in Europe is a serious and growing problem that pushes an ever-larger number of people into housing insecurity and homelessness. Unless governments in Europe step in to take decisive measures to turn back the tide, this crisis...
Country visit report
Romania should improve the implementation of laws and ensure funding to effectively protect the rights of persons with disabilities and protect women from violence
“There are systemic obstacles which seriously hinder the effective protection of the rights of persons with disabilities in Romania”, said today Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, publishing the report on her visit to the country in November 2018. The report focuses...
Country visit report
Greece should safeguard social rights for all and improve the reception and integration of migrants
“Greece should take urgent steps and adopt long-term policies to improve the reception and integration of migrants and to reverse the adverse effects of austerity measures on access to health care and education”, says Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, publishing...
Country visit report
Albania should continue improving child protection and inclusion of persons with disabilities
“The protection of children and inclusion of persons with disabilities has improved in Albania, but the authorities still have to address remaining shortcomings”, said today Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing the report on her visit to the country...
Human Rights Comment
Keeping the promise: ending poverty and inequality
Poverty and inequality are closely interlinked. People living in poverty are much more likely to be relegated to low-income work, poor housing, and inadequate health care, as well as to experience unemployment and face barriers to lifelong learning. Being born into a low-income household often...
Country visit report
Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities should spare no effort to build a truly cohesive society and effectively protect media freedom
“The authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina should lay the foundations for a more cohesive society by tackling the disruptive legacy of the war. It is particularly crucial to step up the prosecution of wartime crimes and uphold the human rights of all civilian war victims, especially internally...
Country visit report
Slovenia should pursue its efforts to protect vulnerable people
“Slovenia has undertaken a number of initiatives in recent years to address major human rights issues concerning migrants, Roma, the “erased” and people living in poverty. It is crucial to reinforce these efforts to ensure that no one is left behind and the human rights of all are upheld”, said...
Human Rights Comment
Protecting the human rights of sex workers
The lived realities of sex workers across Europe raise serious human rights concerns. It is crucial to approach this important and complex issue with a full understanding of the human rights consequences of the experience of high levels of violence and inadequate protection from law enforcement...
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