An urgent debate on the legal and human rights aspects of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, with the participation of Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Center for Civil Liberties, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was one the highlights of the Winter plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), held in Strasbourg from 23 to 27 January 2023.
On the #RoadToReykjavik, a report on the fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe, to be held in the Icelandic capital on 16 and 17 May, presented PACE's proposals.
There were also addresses by the Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdóttir and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić presented her communication to PACE members. The Assembly also elected its President and Vice-Presidents.
The Assembly also held current affairs debates on "Recent tensions between Pristina and Belgrade" and on "Addressing the humanitarian consequences of the blockade of the Latchin corridor".
Combating violence against women was also a focus of the session, with a first debate on conflict-related sexual violence, and a second joint debate on the Istanbul Convention, on the role and responsibility of men and boys in stopping gender-based violence against women and girls, and on finding solutions for marital captivity.
Other topics on the agenda included the environmental impact of armed conflict, Daesh foreign fighters and their families returning from Syria and elsewhere, and the ethical, cultural and educational challenges of contact tracing applications.
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Practical information
Website: The agenda, documents, voting results, speakers lists, video recordings of each sitting (in English and in the original languages), as well as the verbatim record of each sitting (in English, French, German and Italian), are available on the Session’s special page. News items on all debates appear on the Assembly’s home page.
Webcast: The session was webcast live (in French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, and Greek) on PACE’s website. Each sitting was also streamed live via the Assembly’s YouTube channel in original languages only, scrollable in mid-stream, and a recording made available immediately after it ended.
Video clips: We offer an online tool which allows video clips from PACE plenary sessions to be swiftly edited and downloaded.
Social media: Follow the Assembly’s official accounts via Twitter (#PACEwinter2023) and Facebook.
Contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93; [email protected].
06/03/2023 - Session
Spring plenary session: PACE to debate political strategies to prevent natural disasters
29/01/2023 - Session
2023 Winter session: the legal and human rights aspects of Russia's aggression against Ukraine
27/01/2023 - Session
PACE highlights need for international regulation of lethal autonomous weapons systems
27/01/2023 - Session
Support for the development of ‘Open Council of Europe Academic Networks’
26/01/2023 - Session
The Council of Europe should take the lead on preventing environmental damage during armed conflict
Monday 23 January 2023
Doc. 15687 (Report on credentials) Examination of credentials of representatives and substitutes Doc. 15685 (Progress report) Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (14 October 2022 - 22 January 2023) Doc. 15685 Add. 1 (Progress report) Gender equality in the functioning of the Assembly Doc. 15685 Add. 2 (Progress report) Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights Doc. 15685 Add. 3 (Progress report) Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (23 January 2023) Doc. 15591 (Report) Addressing the issue of Daesh foreign fighters and their families returning from Syria and other countries to the member States of the Council of Europe Doc. 15672 (Committee Opinion) Addressing the issue of Daesh foreign fighters and their families returning from Syria and other countries to the member States of the Council of Europe
Tuesday 24 January 2023
Doc. 15685 Add. 2 (Progress report) Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights Doc. 15670 (Communication) Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights List and curricula vitae of candidates submitted by the Government of Denmark Doc. 15671 (Communication) Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights List and curricula vitae of candidates submitted by the Government of Iceland Doc. 15677 (Report) Conflict-related sexual violence Doc. 15681 (Report) The Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe: United around values in the face of extraordinary challenges Doc. 15681 Add. (Addendum to the report) The Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe: United around values in the face of extraordinary challenges
Wednesday 25 January 2023
Doc. 15674 (Report) Environmental impact of armed conflicts Doc. 15648 (Report) Contact tracing applications: ethical, cultural and educational challenges Doc. 15660 (Committee Opinion) Contact tracing applications: ethical, cultural and educational challenges Doc. 15673 (Report) The Istanbul Convention: progress and challenges Doc. 15678 (Report) The role and responsibility of men and boys in stopping gender-based violence against women and girls Doc. 15679 (Report) Finding solutions for marital captivity
Thursday 26 January 2023
Doc. 15689 (Report) Legal and human rights aspects of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine Doc. 15682 (Report) The progress of the Assembly's monitoring procedure (January-December 2022) Doc. 15680 (Report) The honouring of obligations and commitments by the Republic of Moldova
Friday 27 January 2023
Doc. 15683 (Report) Emergence of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and their necessary apprehension through European human rights law Doc. 15675 (Report) Building the Open Council of Europe Academic Networks (OCEAN) Doc. 15685 Add. 4 (Progress report) Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights Doc. 15685 Add. 5 (Progress report) Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (27 January 2023)
Committee hearings, exchanges of views and PACE networks meetings
| Date | Lists |
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| Monday 23 January | 1 2 |
| Tuesday 24 January | 1 2 3 4 |
| Wednesday 25 January | 1 2 3 4 |
| Thursday 26 January | 1 2 3 4 5 |
| Friday 27 January | 1 2 |
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| Monday 23 January |
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| Tuesday 24 January |
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| Wednesday 25 January |
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| Thursday 26 January |
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| Friday 27 January |
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| Date | Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 23 January | OV EN | OV EN |
| Tuesday 24 January | OV EN | OV EN |
| Wednesday 25 January | OV EN | OV EN |
| Thursday 26 January | OV EN | OV EN |
| Friday 27 January | OV EN |
