Newsletter October-November 2024
Council of Europe reaffirms commitment to supporting member states in protecting migrant and refugee rights
On 9 October, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), David Best, presented a report to the Committee of Ministers following his fact-finding mission to Finland in May this year. The purpose of the mission was to identify how the Council of Europe can...
PACE undertakes range of migration-related initiatives
PACE has recently undertaken a range of migration-related initiatives, emphasisng human rights, international cooperation, and the urgent need for policy reforms. These include a proposal for the Council of Europe to draw up a new legal instrument on migrant smuggling to ensure consistency in its...
Migration "top topic" of my work, says Human Rights Commissioner
In his speech at a joint debate with the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, held on 2 October, Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty underlined that in addressing migration-related issues he draws on his work...
ECRI publishes several country reports and reviews implemention in five member states
Sixth country monitoring cycle of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI): ECRI assessed the implementation of its priority recommendations by Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary and Monaco, and published its country reports on Andorra, Italy, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and...
Protecting rights of children displaced by conflicts and preventing children trafficking
On World Children’s Day, 20 November, the Council of Europe released a Mapping study on children of Ukraine’s access to education in Council of Europe member states. The study prepared by the Secretariat of the Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine in collaboration with the Education...
Stateless children's access to nationality: CDCJ adopts feasibility study and agrees to complement CM recommendation
At its 103rd plenary meeting, the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) adopted a feasibility study for a non-binding legal instrument regarding stateless children’s access to nationality and agreed to revise Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)13 on the nationality of children to be...
Young Migrant and Refugee Women: What access to rights and services?
Twenty-seven youth multipliers met at the European Youth Centre Budapest to participate in the study session “Human Rights-Based Advocacy Unleashed: Access to Rights and Services for Young Migrant & Refugee Women in Europe”. In cooperation with the Voices of Young Refugees in Europe (VYRE), the...
Recognition of qualifications, a powerful tool for refugees’ integration
On 18 November 2024, the Council of Europe and Hellenic National Academic Recognition and Information Centre (DOATAP) co-organised the event “Recognition of qualifications, a powerful tool for refugees’ integration: the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees example” in Athens. The event...
North-South Prize awarded to Initiative Empowering Refugees to Compete in Olympic and Paralympic Games
In its thirtieth edition, the Jury* of North-South Prize of the Council of Europe has decided to honour the initiative enabling refugees to compete in the Olympic and Paralympic Games (led by the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the International Paralympic...
Council of Europe field offices strengthen member states capacity to protect rights of displaced people
In October and November, the Council of Europe Office in Armenia, organised a number of events aimed at strengthening the country's capacity to help those displaced by the conflinct in the Karabakh region. The Council of Europe, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of the Republic of...
ECtHR rules in several migration-related cases
On 15 October, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in the case H.T. v. Germany and Greece (no. 13337/19), concerning a Syrian national who was removed from Germany to Greece on the day of his arrival, under an administrative arrangement between the two countries, despite his having expressed...
New Manual for Ukrainian Prosecutors on “Working with victims of sexual violence during armed conflict” released
A new Council of Europe publication - a Manual “Working with victims of sexual violence during armed conflict: A manual for Ukrainian prosecutors” has been released targeting Ukrainian prosecutors who organize pre-trial and support public prosecution in cases of conflict related sexual violence....