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number of promotion tools, such as a website on the convention, two publications about the key themes and the added value of the convention as well as visibility material of different kinds. 31. Above all, what the Council of Europe can do is provide expertise, legal advice, and examples of good practices, in order to help member states overcome the technical challenges arising from the process of adaptation of their domestic legislation to the convention and speed up the process of signature and ratification.
32. The Council of Europe needs to have at its disposal adequate resources to continue with this important promotion work in the coming months, which are crucial to achieve enough signatures and ratifications for the convention to enter into force and start having an impact on women’s lives.
33. In the current period of budgetary constraints, it is all the more important, therefore, that member states support the Council of Europe in its endeavour, if possible by making voluntary contributions.
5.2. At parliamentary level 5.2.1. The Network of contact parliamentarians committed to combating violence against women 34. The Parliamentary Assembly has an excellent instrument in place to promote the signature and ratification of the convention: the PACE Network of contact parliamentarians committed to combating violence against women.
35. This Network was first set up in the context of the Campaign to combat violence against women, which the Council of Europe conducted from 2006 to 2008. Over that period, some 40 national parliaments and 56 contact parliamentarians conducted more than 200 activities throughout Europe to condemn violence against women, raise awareness among parliamentarians and the general public, amend the laws to prevent this scourge, better protect victims and effectively prosecute the perpetrators.
36. With its Resolution 1635 (2008) on combating violence against women: towards a Council of Europe convention, the Assembly decided that the end of the Council of Europe campaign should not mark the end of the Network. On the contrary, this innovative and powerful tool would be instrumental in enhancing informationsharing amongst parliamentarians and coordinating joint actions.
37. The Network of contact parliamentarians is currently composed of 43 members. It is a sui generis structure, composed of members of parliamentary delegations of observer and member states to the Parliamentary Assembly. Members are designated by national delegations for an unlimited duration. The meetings of the Network are chaired by the Chairperson of the Assembly's Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men20 and take place under the aegis of this committee.
38. Since June 2010, the Network of contact parliamentarians has met at every part-session in Strasbourg, organising hearings on different aspects of the convention. Now that the convention has been opened for signature, the Network should have as its primary aim the promotion of this instrument. Relying on their dual capacity as Assembly members and national parliamentarians, its members should mobilise in order to: – put questions to their governments regarding steps being taken towards signature of the convention; – organise or promote parliamentary debates and hearings on the convention; – play a proactive role in the context of the ratification process; – conduct activities to raise awareness about the convention amongst the general public, practitioners, non-governmental organisations and civil society.
39. In addition, in order to ensure better leadership and coordination of the activities undertaken by its members, and their synergy with the work of the intergovernmental side of the Council of Europe, it would be advisable for the Network to have a political coordinator and to have at its disposal a website on which the Network members could publicise their activities and exchange ideas and good practices.
40. Finally, taking into account the increasing contacts and cooperation between the Assembly and the Council of Europe neighbourhood, it appears advisable to extend the Network membership to give parliaments enjoying the status of partner for democracy the possibility to appoint a contact parliamentarian.
5.2.2. Reinforcing the Assembly’s impact and visibility in the field of violence against women 41. Although the Network has proved to be a very good and flexible instrument over the years, additional measures to strengthen the Assembly’s visibility and operational capacity in this area could be envisaged. This is also desirable in the context of the expansion of the mandate of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men as from January 2012, which should not have any negative impact on the committee’s ongoing work in the field of violence against women.