26/10/2004 | Election observation
A 40-member PACE delegation will observe the presidential election to be held in Ukraine on 31 October 2004. Doros Christodoulides (Cyprus, UEL) has been appointed Head of the delegation. The parliamentarians will arrive in Kyiv on 28 October to meet with the different candidates, the President of the Supreme Court and the Chair of the Central Electoral Commission, as well as with representatives of the media and NGOs. On election day, they will be deployed in the capital and throughout the country. The observation will be carried out in co-operation with the OSCE and NATO Parliamentary Assemblies, the European Parliament and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE-ODIHR).
25/10/2004 | President
“May I say how much I personally admire you individually for your outstanding commitment and for the untiring energy that you devote to living and promoting human rights and peace,” PACE President Peter Schieder told the 2004 North-South Prize winners, Mrs Nawal El Saadawi and Ambassador Stéphane Hessel at a ceremony organized in Lisbon today. “Europe’s place and credibility, but also its stability in this world, depends on its capacity to dialogue and to establish or strengthen links with other continents. I believe that Europe has a major role to play in the construction of a solid interdependence and a world in which peace, security and dignity would be a human right for everybody and where the resources of the planet would be managed with intelligence and wisdom,” he said.
22/10/2004 | President
"Tomorrow’s elections are a very important moment for Kosovo,” said PACE President Peter Schieder today. He called on all communities to take part, reiterating that – for Kosovo Serbs in particular - this was their chance to “have a say in their own future”. Reiterating his statement earlier this month, Mr Schieder said: “This is a chance for Kosovo Serbs to protect their legitimate rights and interests and a chance to build a decent life for themselves and their families, together with all other inhabitants in Kosovo.”
20/10/2004 | President
PACE President Peter Schieder has condemned the reported arrests of at least 30 persons, including opposition leaders, at rallies of opponents of President Lukashenko. "These arrests clearly illustrate that the 17 October elections, which fell significantly short of international commitments for democratic elections, and the illegal referendum, have taken Belarus yet further away from European standards," he said.
19/10/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
A young woman forced by her father to marry a stranger told parliamentarians at a hearing yesterday how she helped with preparations for her own wedding – without realising it. “Everybody knew except for us,” said Hafida B., who was married along with her sister. “I didn’t want this marriage and I didn’t want this person. It was all about my life, yet it wasn’t me who was deciding.” She is still in hiding from her family. The hearing, on forced marriages and child marriages, brought together PACE members with local authorities and associations which help victims.
19/10/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The head of the PACE delegation taking part in a UN General Assembly debate in New York appealed for the world body to take into account ideas coming from regional organisations such as the Council of Europe. Adrian Severin (Romania, SOC) told the General Assembly: “We believe it would be fair and wholly justified that such ideas coming from regional organisations as ours are taken into consideration by the United Nations”. He also pointed to the Assembly’s texts aimed at strengthening the UN. PACE members David Atkinson and Christos Pourgourides also addressed the General Assembly, as well as Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis.
18/10/2004 | President
During his official visit to Romania (17-19 October) Assembly President Peter Schieder met with the President, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the President of the Senate. He also attended a ceremony at the National School for Political and Administration Studies (NSPAS), during which he was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa. Peter Schieder stressed that it was no exaggeration to say that the enlightened and high level education that NSPAS have dispensed to its future leaders has helped to shape the transition of Romanian society from the darkest days of dictatorial rule to an era of the highest democratic standards, respect for human rights, and the rule of law - the essential values enshrined in the Statute of the Council of Europe.
18/10/2004 | News
At the opening sitting of the International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action, Marcel Glesener (Luxembourg, EPP/CD), on behalf of the Assembly, pointed out the importance of parliamentarians’ role in the campaign to improve sexual and reproductive health. There were still major challenges to be met, especially fund-raising to help set up sex education programmes and family planning services. “I am sure we parliamentarians can play a decisive part in this policy by trying to convince our governments to take all the necessary steps,” he said.
18/10/2004 | News
"The right to protection of health is also part of the Council of Europe acquis. The right to sexual and reproductive health implies, that people are able to enjoy a mutually satisfying and safe relationship, free from coercion or violence, without fear of Sexually Transmitted Infections, including HIV/Aids or unwanted pregnancies", Christine Mc Cafferty (United Kingdom, SOC) said at the International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the Cairo Programme of Action. "Many Council of Europe member states have very high standards of sexual and reproductive health, taking into account indicators such as contraceptive use, HIV/AIDS prevalence, abortion rates, maternal and child morbidity and mortality rates. Their experiences can serve as a useful example to other member states as, unfortunately, there is enormous disparity of standards between member States and even within member States", she stressed.
15/10/2004 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
Victims of a forced marriage and a “marriage of convenience” related their experiences to European parliamentarians at a hearing on forced marriages and child marriages in Antwerp, Belgium, on Monday 18 October 2004. The hearing was organised by the Sub-committee on violence against women of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
14/10/2004 | News
On 18-19 October, PACE welcomes over 130 parliamentarians and ministers from 90 countries in Strasbourg, to discuss ways of mobilising funds and influencing national laws and policies on population and reproductive health. The second International Parliamentarians’ Conference on Implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action* is being organised by the Inter-European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (IEPFPD) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Marcel Glesener, Vice-President of the PACE and Chairman of the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee, and Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, addressed the participants at the opening of the Conference. Members of the PACE’s Sub-Committee on Population, and Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee will also be attending.
14/10/2004 | Monitoring
David Atkinson (United Kingdom, EDG) and Rudolf Bindig (Germany, SOC), who are preparing a report on Russia’s honouring of its obligations and commitments, today ended a six-day visit to Yekaterinburg in the Sverdlovsk Oblast and Kazan in Tatarstan. In both cities they met the heads of government, local parliamentarians, judges, prosecutors and lawyers as well as representatives of political parties, national minorities, religious organisations and the media. Their report is due for debate by the Assembly in mid-2005.