[CoE Press Release] La settimana del Consiglio d’Europa, 4 – 10 aprile

Ref. DC 058(2016)

 Week in brief 4-10 April 2016

Conference on the rights of the child and launch of the 2016-2021 strategy

5-6 April, Sofia (Sofia Hotel Balkan) – The refugee influx, rapidly developing digital environment, economic crisis – all these new challenges that Europe is facing today create new risks for human rights of children. How the member States of the Council of Europe can best address these challenges will be the key theme of a high-level conference organised in the framework of the Bulgarian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.

The new Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child for 2016-2021 will be officially launched during the conference. It focuses on equal opportunities for all children, participation of all children in decision-making; life free from violence and child-friendly justice for all children; as well as rights of the child in the digital environment.

Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks will deliver a keynote speech at the beginning of the conference.

Special Representative of the Council of Europe Secretary General on Migration Tomáš Boček will be among speakers at the panel on the rights of children on the move and lessons learned from the refugee crisis (Tuesday 5 April, 2.30pm).

Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni and Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Chair of the Organisation’s Committee of Ministers Daniel Mitov will hold a press briefing at 10.30 am on Tuesday 5 April.

Conference website – Draft programme – Accreditation

Also…

3-5 April, Hungary – PACE President Pedro Agramunt will make a visit to Hungary, during which he will meet, in particular, the President of the Republic, the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Press release

4-5 April, Warsaw and Frampol (Poland) – Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland will carry out a working visit to Poland where he will have high-level bilateral meetings and also visit the Jewish graveyard in Frampol, as part of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (Faro Convention).

4-5 April, Zagreb – A round table will bring together football fans, clubs, police, other governmental authorities, the sports movement and international experts to find ways to curb violence among supporters from rival football clubs. This activity is a part of the ProS4 joint project between the European Union and the Council of Europe on “Promoting the Council of Europe Standards on safety, security and service at football matches and other sport events”.

4-6 April, Serbia – A PACE delegation, led by Volodymyr Ariev, will carry out a pre-electoral mission to Belgrade, to assess the election campaign and political climate prior to the early parliamentary elections on 24 April.

The delegation will issue a statement at the end of the visit on Wednesday 6 April.

4-7 April, Ukraine – Kristýna Zelienková, rapporteur on the “Political consequences of the crisis in Ukraine” for the PACE Political Affairs Committee, and Marieluise Beck, rapporteur on the “Legal remedies to human rights violations on the Ukrainian territories outside the control of the Ukrainian authorities” for the PACE Legal Affairs Committee, will make a joint fact-finding visit to Kyiv, Mariupol and Dnipropetrovsk, in the context of the preparation of their respective reports.

5 April, Strasbourg – The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 14 judgments concerning Austria, Estonia, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Turkey

5-7 April, Chypre – A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will conduct a monitoring visit to Cyprus. The rapporteurs Bernd Vöhringer and Randi Mondorf will assess the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in the country.

5–7 April, Tsaghdadzor (Armenia) – The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will organise a seminar for young local leaders of Armenia, within the framework of the project “Support to consolidating local democracy in Armenia”. The aim of this seminar is to offer a platform for exchanging best practices in the field of local democracy, raising young local leaders’ awareness on the European Charter of Local Self-Government and its practical application in Armenia.

5-7 April, Vinnytsya (Ukraine) – The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will organise a seminar within the framework of the project “Promoting local democracy in Ukraine” and the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine. The aim of the seminar is to allow local elected representatives to exchange experience with Ukrainian and other European peers on ways to define and lead successful policies, inspiring and involving citizens and stakeholders in an effective manner

6-8 April, Azerbaijan – Stefan Schennach, PACE co-rapporteur for the monitoring of Azerbaijan, will visit the country to further assess the honouring of its obligations and commitments to the Council of Europe.

06-14 April, Turkey – The Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, will carry out a visit to the country.

7 April, Strasbourg – The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 70 judgments and/or decisions concerning Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, « the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia », the Republic of Moldova, Portugal, Romania,  Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

7-17 April, Istanbul – On the occasion of the Istanbul Film Festival (7-17 April), the Film Award of the Council of Europe (FACE) will be given to a film which raises public awareness and interest in human rights issues and creates better understanding of their importance.

The Eurimages Fund will also join the Festival to present the first edition of the Audentia Award for best female director. Instigated by Eurimages alongside a raft of other measures to promote greater gender equality in the European film industry, this Award intends to celebrate women who have had the courage to make that choice, by giving their work greater visibility and inspiring other women to follow in their footsteps.

8 April, Strasbourg (Lieu d’Europe, 6.30 pm) – On the occasion of the International Roma Day, the exhibition « O drom kai e škola – Sur le chemin de l’école” (“On the way to school”) will be launched.

Open until 27 April, it will highlight the actions carried out by the Council of Europe for the Roma community. Other events are planned in the course of the month.