25 January 2022. The Council of Europe is a fundamental part of the collective effort to face the global challenges ahead of us. This is how Undersecretary Benedetto Della Vedova started his speech today, Tuesday, 25 January, as acting President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe during the first part of the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in Strasburg until Friday, 28 January.
During his speech, the Undersecretary presented the main elements of the activity of the Committee of Ministers, enhancing the initiatives promoted by the Italian Presidency, and emphasised the central role of the Council of Europe as “the continental emblem of the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the expression of a multilateral vocation in which Italy fully recognises itself”, highlighting the importance of a common project to guide the commitment and work of each member State in the right direction. The Undersecretary also took the opportunity to announce that the meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the Council of Europe, which will mark the end of the semester of Presidency, will be held on 20 May 2022 in the city of Turin.
After over 20 years, Italy took over the Presidency of the Council of Europe on 17 November last year. A renewed commitment by member States to those common values and principles underlying the decision to join the Organization and the creation of a “people-friendly future” are the inspiring topics of our Presidency, which will focus on women’s rights and the fight against gender-based violence; rights of the child and youth policies; the impact of AI on human rights, democracy and the rule of law; protection of cultural heritage.