The Committee of Ministers took note of Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1847 (2008) on “Combating violence against women: towards a Council of Europe convention”, including Resolution 1635 (2008) on the same subject, and agreed to bring these documents to the attention of the governments of the member states. It intends to transmit them to the ad hoc committee to be given the task of elaborating a Council of Europe convention on violence against women/domestic violence, to bear them in mind in its work. The Committee of Ministers intends to associate the Assembly as well as the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the Conference of INGOs with the drafting of the convention and counts on their support. It will keep these bodies informed of its future decisions in this respect.
With regard to the Assembly’s proposal to appoint a Council of Europe special rapporteur on women’s rights, the Committee of Ministers recalls that it considers “that gender equality should be central to Council of Europe action in line with the Organisation’s values, and ought not to depend on the institution of a separate ombudsperson” or, in this case, a rapporteur.Note
The Committee of Ministers will consider, once the future convention is finalised and in consultation with its partners active in the field concerned, possible co-operation and assistance measures to be taken in order to promote its ratification and implementation by the member states.
The Committee of Ministers recalls that throughout the Council of Europe Campaign on combating violence against women, including domestic violence (2006-2008), there was close co-operation with the various United Nations’ bodies in charge of this issue, in conformity with Resolution RES/61/13 of the United Nations General Assembly on co-operation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe. The Committee of Ministers is confident that this co-operation will continue in future, thus providing an opportunity for both organisations to make full use of the experiences gained and the results obtained within the framework of their respective campaigns.