STANDING COMMITTEE

CONF/SC(2015)SYN5

 

 

Strasbourg, 20 July 2015

 

 

 

MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE 2015

 

List of decisions

 

 

Present: Michel AGUILAR, Jean-Michel CAUDRON, Anne-Marie CHAVANON, Antonina DASHKINA, Claude-Laurent GENTY, Gérard GRENERON, Oren GOSTIAUX, Jean-Marie HEYDT, Salomon LEVY, Thierry MATHIEU, Israël MENSAH, Roseline MOREAU, Anne NEGRE, Cyril RITCHIE, Maritchu RALL, Sabine ROHMANN, Anna RURKA, Didier SCHRETTER, and Iamvi TOTSI.

 

Apologised for absence: Jessica CHAMBA, Laura FRATI-GUCCI, Annelise OESCHGER, and Daniel ZIELINSKI.

 

1. Opening of the meeting by the President of the Conference of INGOs:

• Jean-Michel CAUDRON was appointed rapporteur for the meeting.

 

2. Agenda:

         adopted.

 

3. Revision of the rules for INGOs wishing to obtain participatory status:

 

On account of his experience as a legal expert and his knowledge of the functioning of the Conference and the other Council of Europe bodies, Jean-Bernard MARIE was appointed to represent the Conference of INGOs on the group tasked with drafting proposed amendments to  Resolution (2003)8 on participatory status for international non-governmental organisations with the Council of Europe.

 

Reference was made to the Conference’s desire to highlight the “small” INGOs, while relying on the support of the “bigger” ones, who might wish to consult the other Council of Europe bodies directly.

 

The President would inform the Standing Committee of the calendar for revising the rules.

 

4. The Committees’ Action Plans:

 

The various committee chairs presented their action plans, or resolutions, which they would submit to the Plenary Assembly of the Conference.

 

The Gender Equality Expert said that a large number of INGO representatives had attended the round table on the Istanbul Convention that she had moderated that very same day.

 

5. World Forum for Democracy:

 

Maritchu RALL would attend the next meeting of the steering committee of the World Forum for Democracy.

 

Some members of the steering committee wished to reduce the number of labs so as to give the Forum a more compact format and thus increase its visibility and its media impact. If so, it was possible that the lab proposed by the Standing Committee might not be accepted.

 

The Standing Committee’s lab proposed a platform based on the expertise of the Council of Experts on NGO Law and focusing on freedom of association and assembly and member states’ compliance with these principles.

 

6. Council of Europe North-South Prize:

 

Jean-Marie HEYDT, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre and President of the Jury for the North-South Prize, said that the Conference was associated in the award of the Council of Europe North-South Prize, which aimed to honour two persons (one from the North and one from the South) who foster partnership between the northern and southern hemispheres.

 

The President of the Conference reminded members that they could all submit candidatures, which the Conference could submit to the Council of Europe.

 

7. Organisation of the working groups:

 

Attention was drawn to:

• the decision not to hold working group meetings during the committee meetings;
• the need to contact Oren GOSTIAUX at least three weeks prior to each session so that he could plan the bookings of meeting rooms for the working groups.

 

8. Exchange of views with the representatives of the Committee of Ministers’ Rapporteur Group on Democracy on 25 June:

 

The President of the Conference said that she would accept written questions until the last minute before the exchange of views at the Conference’s plenary meeting.

 

9. Response of the Standing Committee to the situation of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan:

 

The President of the Council of Experts on NGO Law drew attention to the worrying situation of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan.

 

The Standing Committee reasserted its political choice in appointing Intigam Aliyev member of the Expert Council.

 

The President of the Conference would inform the President of Azerbaijan of this appointment on behalf of the Conference.