Newsletter December 2023
SRSG addresses Global Refugee Forum; CoE and FRA issue guidance note on protecting children at Europe’s borders; Network of Focal Points on Migration meets in Strasbourg
The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Leyla Kayacik, represented the Council of Europe at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF), which took place from 13 to 15 December 2023 in Geneva. In her speech, she highlighted Council of Europe´s work focusing on the...
PACE President: Politicians have duty to support children of Ukraine and their future
“We politicians have a duty to take action, to support the children of Ukraine and their future, in host countries and within Ukraine. And we also have a duty to make every possible effort to help the return of deported and forcibly transferred Ukrainian children,” PACE President Tiny Kox said at...
Let us keep doing our utmost to bring all Ukrainian children back home, says Commissioner Mijatović
In her video message to the Conference “Joint Steps to Bring Kids Back UA”, organised by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights in Kyiv on 8 December 2023, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović denounced Russia’s failure to return Ukrainian children...
Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine launched
The Council of Europe Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) held its first meeting in Strasbourg on 30 November - 1 December 2023, bringing together over 85 participants (in person and online) to discuss ways to effectively protect the rights of millions of Ukrainian children...
European Qualifications Passport for Refugees: A Beacon of Hope and Integration
At the UNHCR Global Refugee Forum held in Geneva, in a specific session dedicated to the sharing of best practices and achievements among national and international actors the Head of the Education Department of the Council of Europe Villano Qiriazi unveiled inspiring insights into the European...
CPT visits Slovakia and France's regional territories of Guadeloupe and French Guiana
The CPT carried out a periodic visit to the Slovak Republic from 28 November to 8 December 2023 during which the delegation also assessed the treatment of and legal safeguards afforded to foreign nationals held at Medveďov Immigration Detention Facility. Further, the CPT carried out an ad hoc...
GRETA carries out visits to Austria, Cyprus and San Marino
The Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out evaluation visits to Cyprus (4-7 December), Austria (11-14 December) and San Marino (18-20 December), during which it met the respective national authories in charge of dealing with...