The Department is part of the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Human Rights and the Rule of Law (DGI).

It 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.

 

 Discover the Department’s structure:

 

For more information on all the Council of Europe cooperation activities, see the website of the Council of Europe’s Directorate of Programme Co-ordination