8. Particular attention should be paid to addressing the situation of children of Ukraine, in line with theDeclaration adopted at the 4th Summit, as well as to ensuring release of civilians, in particular children,forcibly transferred or unlawfully deported to the territory of the Russian Federation or areas under itstemporary occupation or control, in accordance with Assembly Resolution 2495 (2023) and Recommendation2253 (2023).

9. Equally, the Assembly supports the Council of Europe’s commitment to provide concrete, tangible andtargeted support to Ukraine through the Action Plan “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026).For its part, it will continue to support the Verkhovna Rada in fulfilling Ukraine’s statutory obligations, and willprovide relevant expertise and peer-to-peer exchanges for parliamentarians. It calls on governments andparliaments of member States to support these co-operation activities by providing additional extrabudgetaryresources.

10. The Assembly welcomes the commitment of member States to strengthening democracy and goodgovernance at all levels, as well as counteracting democratic backsliding. It will support member States indelivering on the Reykjavik Principles of Democracy. The Assembly believes moreover that among thepolitical priorities for the next quadrennial cycle, efforts should be continued to provide early warning and rapidreaction, and to provide relevant and targeted support to member States.

11. In its support for more active engagement with civil society and democracy actors, the Assemblyemphasises the need to further invest into working with human rights defenders, democratic forces,independent civil society and free media from Belarus and the Russian Federation, who are fighting for thevalues and principles of the Organisation, including the territorial integrity of sovereign member States.Similarly, the Assembly believes that the strengthening of the youth perspective in the Council of Europeshould be given every priority as a means to revitalise democracy and enhance young people’s participationin democratic and political processes.

12. Addressing new and emerging human rights challenges must be among the Organisation’s prioritiesduring the 2024-2027 programme and budget cycle. Special attention should be paid to initiatives to uphold aright to a clean, safe, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right, including through thestrengthening of the relevant legal framework. Equally, it supports the Summit’s commitment to initiate theReykjavik process and looks forward to contributing to it. Legal and human rights aspects of the use ofartificial intelligence and emerging digital technologies should remain in the focus of the Council of Europeagenda, including the finalisation of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence.

13. The Assembly is at the disposal of the Committee of Ministers to feed into the vision that will underpinthe establishment of the intergovernmental committee on environment and human rights (ReykjavikCommittee), which the Assembly recommends be established as of 1 January 2024. With a view tocontributing to the realisation of the human right to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment atnational, European and international level, the Assembly recommends that the Reykjavik Committee benefitfrom multidisciplinary and multisectoral expertise, start with a stock-taking exercise of existing instruments andmechanisms at European and international level to inspire synergies and avoid duplication of work, and serveas a platform for the exchange of good practice at all levels.

14. Combating inequalities and discrimination, as well as upholding gender equality, including combatingviolence against women and promoting the ratification and implementation of the Council of EuropeConvention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210,“Istanbul Convention”), must remain at the forefront of the Council of Europe agenda. Alongside its work onthis topic, the Assembly is committed to enhancing equality between women and men in its own structuresand working arrangements.

15. The Council of Europe should continue to act as the United Nations Organisation’s regional pilarsupporting the delivery of Sustainable Development Goals, which should continue to be mainstreamed in allCouncil of Europe activities. It welcomes the Summit’s commitment to strengthening institutional partnershipwith the European Union and calls for a speedy completion of the process of accession of the EuropeanUnion to the European Convention on Human Rights.

16. Given the depth and ambition of the priorities set by the leaders of the member States at the 4thSummit, it is clear that the Council of Europe should be granted resources that are commensurate with thelevel of member States’ political ambition for the Organisation. To effectively deliver on the Summit outcomes,the Organisation’s resources should be increased over and above the zero real growth perspective. Thesustainability of the Council of Europe’s action requires unwavering commitment and investment in thefinancial contributions from our member States.

Opinion 301 (2023)

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