02/12/2022 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The severe destruction or deterioration of nature “that could be qualified as ecocide” may occur in times of peace or war. It is therefore “necessary to codify this notion in both national legislations, as appropriate, and international law” the PACE Committee on Social Affairs said today, while...
01/12/2022 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Conflict-related sexual violence, “which can be a constitutive element of genocide”, is a preventable phenomenon, which can be combated through “concerted international action, protective national policies and strictly enforced punishment for perpetrators”, PACE’s Committee on Equality and Non...
01/12/2022 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The fight against gender-based violence has been historically led by women and women’s rights organisations. However, men and boys, in all their diversity, “also have an important role to play”, according to PACE’s Committee on Equality, since they “can be agents of change by speaking out against...
01/12/2022 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
The Equality Committee, meeting in Paris, today welcomed the influence of the Istanbul Convention on national legislation to fight gender-based violence and the changes it has inspired in policies and awareness-raising actions. It also welcomed the high number of ratifications – 37 to date, with...
29/11/2022 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), PACE’s rapporteur for follow-up on the implementation of Resolution 2446 (2022) on “Reported cases of political prisoners in the Russian Federation”, today reacted to news about Alexei Navalny’s indefinite solitary confinement in the penal colony where he is...
25/11/2022 | Standing Committee
PACE President Tiny Kox and Birgir Ármannsson, Speaker of the Alþingi, the Parliament of Iceland, opened today's meeting of the Standing Committee in Reykjavik, bringing together around 60 members of the Parliamentary Assembly. “We are gathered here shortly after the historic decision by the...
25/11/2022 | Standing Committee
"The atrocities uncovered in the liberated Ukrainian territories unfortunately underline once again how crucial the fight against impunity is," declared Damien Cottier (Switzerland, ALDE), opening a current affairs debate in Reykjavik on escalation in the Russian Federation’s war of aggression...
25/11/2022 | Standing Committee
Opening an event organised on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, marked every year on 25 November, PACE President Tiny Kox underlined that while important gains in the fight against gender-based violence have been made over decades of activism, “it is clear that...
25/11/2022 | Standing Committee
The Standing Committee today welcomed the Committee of Ministers’ decision to hold a 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in May 2023 and said that the organisation emerging from it should “better respond to citizens’ expectations in terms of openness, transparency...
25/11/2022 | Standing Committee
Council of Europe member States should recommit to the values, principles and standards of the Organisation at the highest political level, PACE has said – pointing out that these are more relevant than ever when they are being “openly challenged”. In a resolution based on a report by Laima...
25/11/2022 | Standing Committee
“Today, we realise more than ever how important it is to stand united in our fight for a just and fair Europe, where democracy, human rights and the rule of law prevail. In addressing and resolving pressing global challenges, multilateralism is key. Together we must strongly advocate for the...
25/11/2022 | Standing Committee
The PACE Standing Committee welcomed the efforts of the Jordanian Parliament in striving to comply with the political commitments of a partner for democracy, six years after obtaining this status with PACE, “despite the internal and external challenges the country is facing”. Adopting a...