The Council of Europe bases its action to promote gender equality on a set of conventions and recommendations, on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and the conclusions of the European Committee of Social Rights (European Social Charter), and on a strategy agreed amongst all its member states. Its combined approach includes developing standards, following them up and supporting member states through a variety of measures such as policy guidelines, capacity building, peer-to-peer exchange of good practice, and awareness-raising.

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Gender equality is included in all the policies and activities of the Organisation through gender mainstreaming. The Council of Europe maintains partnerships on this issue with other international and regional organisations (UN bodies, European Union and its specialised agencies, OSCE, OECD) and with civil society

Gender Equality Commission - GEC

The GEC steers the Council of Europe’s intergovernmental work in the field of gender equality and advises the Committee of Ministers on appropriate action to be taken in its field of competence, taking due account of relevant transversal perspectives.

Focus 2024-2027

• Implementation of the Gender Equality Strategy (2024-2029); preventing and combating sexism; artificial intelligence and gender equality; combating technology-facilitated violence against women and girls; deflecting anti-gender rhetoric and creating a new narrative; equal participation of women and men in political and public decision-making; gender equality in education; migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women ; involvement of men and boys in gender equality policies and in policies to combat violence against women.

Civil society involvement 

• Participant: Conference of INGOs (CINGO)
• Observers
• Consultation with civil society, either through direct participation in meetings, through dedicated hearings or in writing