06/03/2013 President
Strasbourg, 06.03.2013 – “I would like us to launch a joint appeal to as many countries as possible to ratify the Istanbul Convention – and where better to do so than at the UN – to ensure that this instrument can come into force as soon as possible. This Convention should greatly reinforce our action to stop violence against women,” said Jean-Claude Mignon, PACE President, during his talks in New York with Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, and Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Director of UN Women.
Jean-Claude Mignon also warmly welcomed the COMMIT initiative launched by UN Women, under which a number of Council of Europe countries have already undertaken to ratify the Istanbul Convention.
Jean-Claude Mignon and Ban Ki-moon also reiterated their determination to work together on a number of conflicts in Europe and its neighbourhood. They stressed that both organisations share the same values, with a common foundation, namely respect for human rights and the aspiration to peace.
This point was also mentioned during the encounter with the President of the UN General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic. The two Presidents went into a series of subjects of common interest to their organisations, and they discussed the possibilities for reinforcing direct interaction at the highest level.