“During the Council of Europe’s 75th anniversary year, we will be making the case for as many countries as possible to sign and ratify our key conventions, at a time of democratic backsliding, for our member states to do ever more to uphold our values, both in words and in action. That is the way to a better, democratic future for our citizens”, declared Secretary General Alain Berset while addressing the Summit of the Future 2024, at the 79th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (UNGA 79).
The Secretary General highlighted the relevance of the Council of Europe’s role in preserving multilateralism amid today’s challenges - democratic erosion, war, climate change, rising intolerance, and racism. Moreover, he praised the adoption of the ground-breaking Pact for the Future: a landmark commitment to concrete actions towards a safer, more peaceful, sustainable, and inclusive world for future generations.
“We know that the obstacles to digital equality between citizens are numerous and complex. These obstacles can threaten the human rights of individuals. They can create democratic deficits and lead to the emergence of cracks in the rule of law. The responses to these problems cannot just be national; they must be multilateral and to be effective, they must also have legal force. This is where the Council of Europe's normative action is so important. The most recent example is the new Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence”, emphasised the Secretary General, underlining how the treaty promotes a development of ethical, human-centred AI and that it is available for signature by countries around the world.
The Secretary General also highlighted new Council of Europe instruments to tackle migrant smuggling and the triple planetary crisis caused by pollution, climate change and the loss of biodiversity. He also emphasised the need to put forward the Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (known as Istanbul Convention) and contribute to gender equality.
“Right now, our top priority is to do all that we can to help our member state, Ukraine. Earlier this year, our Register of Damage became fully operational and is now receiving submissions on the loss and damage inflicted by the Russian Federation’s war of aggression. This is the first and necessary step towards an international compensation mechanism. We are also helping Ukrainian children and refugees and contributing to rebuild through our Action Plan on Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction. The European Court of Human Rights is the only international court adjudicating on human rights violations in the context of the war”, said the Secretary General.
On the margins of the session, Alain Berset met with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The meeting focused on the central importance of strengthening human rights in the multilateral system, and increased co-operation between the two organisations. They also discussed the war in Ukraine and the fight to prevent any kind of impunity.
