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Deputy Secretary General and Finnish Sports Minister discuss values-based sport
On the occasion of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) annual plenary meeting in Strasbourg, Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge has met with the Minister of youth, sport and physical activity of Finland, Sandra Bergqvist. Their meeting focused on current global challenges for sports...
Launching Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029; ten years since Istanbul Convention entered into force
A conference entitled “United around gender equality: making space for women and girls” will launch the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029 and mark ten years since the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (also...
Secretary General marks 10 years of the Istanbul Convention launching the Gender Equality Strategy 2024-2029
“Throughout my mandate, I have returned over and over to the importance of the Istanbul Convention. Marking its 10 years in force here today, I am very happy to speak about it once again. The Istanbul Convention is a landmark treaty in the battle to end violence against women and domestic...
Stricter regulation needed to prevent corruption in top executive functions of central governments, says GRECO
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has called on governments to adopt stricter regulations to prevent corruption and promote integrity in the top executive functions of central governments, particularly regarding lobbying and contacts with third parties, and to...
Ministerial 2024: a vision for an agile and flexible Commissioner's mandate
Address at the 133rd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe Mesdames et Messieurs les Ministres, Monsieur le Président, Excellences, Il y a un an, à Reykjavik,...
IDAHOT+ Forum 2024, not a time for business as usual: wake up!
Speech given at the Opening Plenary Session of IDAHOT+ Forum 2024 at The Hague Minister, Excellencies, Friends, It is a great pleasure to be with you. I'm a 65-year-old gay Irish man,...
Slovak Republic: new draft laws risk having a chilling effect on civil society and interfering with independence of public service media
In a letter addressed to the Deputy Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic (Parliament) and several Committee chairpersons, published today, the Council of Europe...
Commissioner O'Flaherty calls for greater efforts to protect press freedom
Ahead of World Press Freedom Day 2024, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, issued the following statement: “Despite a growing awareness...
Human Rights Commissioner O’Flaherty calls for stronger support to Ukraine
From 23 to 25 April 2024, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty carried out a visit to Ukraine (Kyiv). This was his first visit to a member state...
Serious human rights concerns about United Kingdom’s Rwanda Bill
“The adoption of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill by the UK Parliament raises major issues about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law more...
