Mission, Roles & Responsibilities

The Directorate of Human Rights works to promote, protect and develop human rights and rule of law as guaranteed in particular by the European Convention on Human Rights and other related instrument, to develop justice and legal cooperation norms and activities, and to ensure the compliance of the Council of Europe's member States. For this, the Directorate puts into practice the Council of Europe's unique strategic triangle of standard-setting, monitoring and co-operation, which establishes mutual links between developing legally binding standards which are monitored by independent mechanisms and supplemented by co-operation and support activities.

 

 Secretariat of the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT)

The Secretariat of the CPT is responsible for the functioning of the independent monitoring mechanism set up by the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. It supports the CPT in carrying out its mandate. The CPT examines how persons deprived of their liberty are treated, by means of visits to prisons, juvenile detention centres, police stations, holding centres for immigration detainees, psychiatric hospitals, social care homes, etc. Its findings and recommendations are set out in a report addressed to the State visited. The CPT also requests a detailed response to the issues raised in its report. These reports and responses form part of the on-going dialogue with the State concerned.

 

 Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights

The Department assists the Committee of Ministers in its supervision of the execution by member States of the European Court’s judgments and decisions rendered against them. It is responsible for providing independent expert and legal advice to the Committee of Ministers for the prioritisation of its supervision action according to the Committee’s working methods and for its assessment of the measures taken and/or envisaged by states to implement the judgments of the European Court and in the identification of the responses to be given, under the form of

  • analysis of States’ action plans/action reports and proposals for action (proposals of classification/changes of classification of cases under the twin-track procedure;
  • analysis of the States’ action plans/reports;
  • proposals of cases for the draft orders of business of the Committee’s Human Rights meetings;
  • draft decisions/interim resolutions/final resolutions/monitoring of payment of just satisfaction).

The Department provides support to the Committee in its on-going reflections on further enhancing the efficiency of its supervision as well as in strengthening its institutional dialogue with the Court.

The Department furthermore supports member States in their efforts to achieve full, efficient and rapid implementation of the judgments and decisions to which they are parties through a co-operative and inclusive bilateral dialogue aimed at identifying the individual and general measures required. Upon request by member States, it offers targeted technical and legal advice to facilitate their efforts in this respect. The Department ensures transparency and visibility of the supervision process and promotes synergies with other relevant sectors of the Organisation, its monitoring and advisory bodies, to ensure that issues relating to the execution of judgments are taken into account in cooperation programmes and activities. The Department promotes and facilitates exchanges of good practices and expertise among member states. 

To achieve the aims above the Department further engages in interaction with the civil society, NGOs and national human rights institutions as well as develops synergies with other international organisations.

 

 Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standard-Setting Activities 

In the Field of Human Rights, the Department manages intergovernmental cooperation activities for effective implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and other related instruments at the national and European level. It contributes through the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) to reforming the ECHR system, promoting its effective implementation, develops common European legal standards to respond to new human rights challenges and follows up the process of EU accession to the ECHR. It supports the implementation of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine (Oviedo Convention), including through targeted cooperation projects, and serves the Steering Committee on Human Rights and Biomedicine (CDBIO).

In the field of Justice and Legal Cooperation, the Department provides secretariat to the three Council of Europe advisory bodies in the field of independence and efficiency of justice. 

The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) evaluates the efficiency and quality of judicial systems in Europe.It provides data, analysis, tools and guidelines that States can use when defining public policies of justice. Legislators, policy makers, national judiciaries, other international organisations and academic institutions all use the CEPEJ resources. Member States and Neighbourhood countries are supported in the implementation of CEPEJ tools through targeted cooperation projects. 

The Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) and the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) advise on the role and status of judges and prosecutors, and are regularly called upon to provide ad hoc opinions on matters related to the role and status of judges and prosecutors .

The Department provides secretariat to the Steering Committee on Legal Cooperation (CDCJ), which develops and updates standards on public and private law issues, including the elaboration of a new draft Convention on the protection of the profession of lawyer.  

It also develops partnerships with other international institutions in the human rights area, including the EU, the UN, the OSCE and a number of their subordinate bodies.

 

 Implementation of Human Rights, Justice and Legal Co-operation Standards 

The Department for the implementation of Human Rights, Justice and legal co-operation standards supports national authorities, independent national human rights institutions and civil society in Council of Europe member States and in the Neighbourhood with a view to strengthening the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and other related human rights instruments, as well as European standards on the independence and efficiency of justice, and on legal co-operation. It carries out its work both in the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg and in field offices.

The Department implements numerous targeted cooperation activities (mainly through bilateral,regional and multilateral cooperation projects) for the effective implementation of Council of Europe standards in its fields of competence. These activities aim for example at bringing the principle of subsidiarity, which lies at the core of the ECHR system, into practice at national level by creating sustainable solutions helping national courts and other authorities to apply the ECHR, and more generally at capacity building for legal professionals, national human rights institutions and other relevant stakeholders. They also encompass legal and practical advice on justice reforms and other matters related to the independence and efficiency of justice. The Department supports the development of domestic professional training and research on justice and human rights, notably through the Council of Europe Programme on Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) and the Open Council of Europe Academic Networks (OCEAN). 

The Department pursues the Council of Europe’s policy and strategic objectives. Its activities build on findings of the Council of Europe judicial and monitoring mechanisms and on relevant intergovernmental/consultative work (including CDDH, CCJE, CCPE, CDCJ), in light of its experience and presence on the ground. In line with the outcomes of the Reykjavík Summit of the Council of Europe and of the Programme and Budget 2024-2027, priority is given to assisting member States in their efforts to implement judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, in particular to resolve the systemic and structural human rights problems identified by the Court.