Human Rights and the Rule of Law at the Council of Europe

▶️ The European Committee of Social Rights (#ECSR) published today its decision on admissibility in International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH -Fédération internationale pour les droits humains) v. France, Complaint No. 240/2024, adopted on 19 March during its plenary session.   ▶️The complaint concerns the deprivation of drinking water in Guadeloupe as well as chlordecone contamination in Guadeloupe and Martinique.   ▶️The #ECSR declared the complaint inadmissible, as France has not so far decided to extend the #Charter’s application to its overseas territories. The #Charter guarantees that France has accepted as binding on its metropolitan territory, therefore do not apply to its overseas territories.   In this regard, the #ECSR President, Aoife Nolan, declared :   📍 “As President of the European Committee of Social Rights, I greatly hope that France will take the steps necessary to extend the scope of application of the European Social Charter to its overseas territories to ensure that their populations benefit from the same protection as persons resident in metropolitan territories.” https://lnkd.in/erDV3ECp Gioia Scappucci, Human Rights and the Rule of Law at the Council of Europe, Andrew Cutting, Dušan Vojnović

🌍 Combating migrant smuggling while upholding human rights Addressing the UK-led Border Security Summit in London. Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Gianluca Esposito, reaffirmed the need to combat migrant smuggling while safeguarding human rights. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dYnyMAXF With delegates from 40+ countries and international institutions, the Summit focused on strategies to tackle organised immigration crime. Key takeaways from the Council of Europe’s work: ✅ A new legal text is in development to counter migrant smuggling. ✅ The Network of Prosecutors on Migrant Smuggling is working to strengthen international cooperation. ✅ 26 migration country profiles provide valuable insights into national policies. ✅ Council of Europe conventions on cybercrime and digital evidence are being leveraged to disrupt criminal financial networks. 📣 Security and human rights must go hand in hand. As Esposito emphasised, a human rights-based approach - rooted in the European Convention on Human Rights - is essential in shaping fair and effective migration policies. 🔗 Full speech: go.coe.int/vTGU1 🔗 Let’s continue working together to protect borders without compromising human dignity. #HumanRights #Migration #CouncilOfEurope #BorderSecurity Human Rights and the Rule of Law at the Council of Europe , Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe , Commissioner for Human Rights , European Court of Human Rights , Social Rights at the Council of Europe , CEB - Council of Europe Development Bank , UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, IOM - UN Migration , Frontex , European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights , European Union Agency for Asylum – EUAA , Gianluca Esposito , Nikolaos Sitaropoulos , Petya Nestorova , Eva Pastrana , Dušan Vojnović , Sylvie Bollini , Anne Kayser , Leyla Kayacik , Jonas Grimheden , Philippe DE BRUYCKER Magnus Brunner

🛂 Border Security Summit Today, Director General of Human Rights and the Rule of Law Gianluca Esposito addressed the Border Security Summit #OIC in London on behalf of the Council of Europe. He underlined that: “Cracking down on smugglers while protecting the rights and dignity of migrants are two sides of the same coin... In Europe, we can and must do better—which is why new legal text to combat migrant smuggling is on the way.” ✅ Full speech: https://go.coe.int/vTGU1 🖼️ Photo gallery: Border Security Summit - Organised Immigration Crime - Day 1 https://lnkd.in/dwFUrhGZ

👨⚕️ Health and Children’s participation 🧑🧑🧒🧒 We warmly invite you to join : 📅 on 4 April 2025 ⏰ at 9:00-12:30 💡 a thematic session on "Promoting children’s participation in decisions about their health" 📍 in Strasbourg and online (registration required 👇)   Recently the Council of Europe published the "Guide to children’s participation in decisions about their health" and related child-friendly material. Building on this work, the session will provide a platform for leading experts in the field, healthcare professionals and a group of children to exchange on this topic. 👉 Register now to reserve your seat or follow the conference online: 🔗https://lnkd.in/dsBS3vcp   Let’s use this opportunity to increase awareness, discuss challenges as well as opportunities!   For deeper insights: 👉 Webpage of the session: https://lnkd.in/dbj-aA_G  📑 "Guide to children’s participation in decisions about their health": https://lnkd.in/dNtCpEvJ

📢 Border Security Summit 📅 31 March – 1 April, 🌍 London (Lancaster House) At the invitation of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI), Council of Europe, participates in the Border Security Summit. The summit is bringing together representatives from over 40 countries, as well as participants from various international institutions, to discuss the most effective ways to tackle criminal networks facilitating organised immigration crime and migrant smuggling. Migration and Refugees: Council of Europe Action

📢 Ombudsperson Institutions and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) - High level conference by the Council of Europe has just drawn to its end. This event, held on 27 and 28 March 2025 in Strasbourg, was one of the priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. See what Gianluca Esposito, Director General of Human Rights and the Rule of Law, Council of Europe, had to share about this event. 🦉 For more insights:  👉 Webpage of the conference: https://lnkd.in/e73DPjmb  👉 Venice Principles on Ombudsperson Institutions: https://lnkd.in/eS-7HD6m  👉 Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence: https://lnkd.in/eHfwABYD  👉 Huderia - Council of Europe tool to assess AI systems: https://lnkd.in/e2PPFVhY 

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗸𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘁𝘄𝗼-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝘆𝗶𝘃 - 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 #𝗥𝗗𝟰𝗨 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲. 🗂️ During their visit, the Board, together with the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and senior officials, launched 6 new claims categories. 🤝 The Board met with key stakeholders to strengthen outreach and engagement: Members of Ukrainian Parliament and Ukrainian Ombudsman; victims and survivors of war crimes; civil society organisations and international organisations; Ukrainian Bar Association members; and Business leaders at the Kyiv School of Economics. 💙💛 “We remain dedicated to ensuring that victims' voices are heard, their rights protected, and their sacrifices fully recognised,” stated the Board in Borodyanka, a solemn stop on the Board’s trip to Ukraine, where it engaged with local community representatives. ✅ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝟰,𝟰𝟲𝟰 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟯𝟴𝟳 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀. https://lnkd.in/eMJZbTVT Photos: ©RD4U #Ukraine #Justice #Accountability #Reparations

Formal Negotiations Begin on Treaty to Establish Claims Commission for Ukraine. The first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC) on an International Treaty to establish a Claims Commission for Ukraine took place in The Hague from 24 to 26 March 2025. Hosted by the Netherlands and Ukraine, this marks an important step toward creating a comprehensive compensation mechanism for damage, loss and injury caused by Russia’s aggression. The Claims Commission will be mandated to examine claims for compensation of damage being submitted to the Register of Damage for Ukraine (#RD4U) and determine any compensation due in each case. With participation from over 50 states from all continents, the EU, and the Council of Europe, the meeting underscored strong international commitment to ensuring fair reparation for Ukraine, sending a strong signal of support to advance justice and accountability. ⚖️ ➡️ https://shorturl.at/9d7l7 #Ukraine #justice #acountability

📅 When: 27-28 March 2025  🌍 Where: Strasbourg, Palais de l'Europe  📢 Ombudsperson Institutions and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) - High level conference by the Council of Europe In a time of backsliding on human rights and rule of law in Europe, the Council of Europe and the Luxembourg presidency of the Committee of Ministers hold a high-level conference gathering Ombudsperson Institutions and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) from across Europe on 27-28 March in Strasbourg.  The conference is tackling rule of law challenges and digitalisation today!  Hanne Juncher, Director of Integrity, Security and the Rule of Law, Council of Europe, shares how Ombudspersons and NHRIs can address in a concrete way new challenges to human rights stemming from the development of AI systems: Stay put for more key take aways!  👉 Webpage of the conference: https://lnkd.in/e73DPjmb #ResponsibleAI #HumanRights #RuleOfLaw Bjorn Berge Claudia Monti Michael O'Flaherty Teresa Anjinho Alexis Fricker Mykhailo Spasov Debbie Kohner Anahit Manasyan Adam Bodnar Louise Holck Reinier Van Zutphen Jarna Petman Joseph Zammit McKeon Ceslav Panico Ülle Madise Mario Hernández Ramos Noémie Sadler

📣 New Online Resource: Council of Europe Reference Documents on Migration & Refugees The Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) has published a comprehensive list of key Council of Europe treaties, recommendations, and reference documents addressing migration and refugees. EN:🔗 https://lnkd.in/dRqku6iW FR: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/di-yMS3d 🔹 Covers human rights, asylum procedures & social integration 🔹 Supports policymakers, legal professionals & researchers 🔹 Promotes a human rights-based approach to migration This web page will be regularly updated to reflect the latest developments. Explore it now and stay informed! #HumanRights #Migration #Refugees #Policy #Asylum Human Rights and the Rule of Law at the Council of Europe , Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe , Commissioner for Human Rights , European Court of Human Rights , Social Rights at the Council of Europe , CEB - Council of Europe Development Bank , UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, IOM - UN Migration , Frontex , European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights , European Union Agency for Asylum – EUAA , Gianluca Esposito , Nikolaos Sitaropoulos , Petya Nestorova , Eva Pastrana , Dušan Vojnović , Sylvie Bollini , Anne Kayser , Leyla Kayacik , Jonas Grimheden , Philippe DE BRUYCKER