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COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS |
Decisions |
CM/Del/Dec(2019)129/2 |
17 May 2019 |
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129th Session of the Committee of Ministers
2. A shared responsibility for democratic security in Europe The need to strengthen the protection and promotion of civil society space in Europe |
Decisions
The Committee of Ministers,
Referring to the report of the Secretary General “Ready for future challenges – Reinforcing the Council of Europe”, as it appears in document SG(2019)1, calling for intergovernmental co-operation and co-ordination and for strengthening multi-stakeholder participation within the Council of Europe;
Recalling also the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the UN Paris Principles, as well as the 1992 Helsinki document, Chapter IV, § 16;
Recalling the Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)11 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the need to strengthen the protection and promotion of civil society space in Europe, adopted on 28 November 2018, and that “member States should call on Council of Europe bodies and institutions to pay special attention to issues concerning the enabling environment in which all human rights defenders, including NHRIs and civil society organisations, can safely and freely operate in Europe”;
Recalling further the Committee of Ministers’ 2008 Declaration on Council of Europe action to improve the protection of human rights defenders and promote their activities and 2017 Guidelines for civil participation in political decision making, and reiterating that “whereas the prime responsibility and duty to promote and protect human rights defenders lie with the State, the Council of Europe shall also contribute to creating an enabling environment for human rights defenders and protect them and their work in defending human rights”;
Recalling also the Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2016)3 and recognising the important role of the Conference of INGOs as the representative body of all of the INGOs enjoying participatory status with the Council of Europe;
Bearing in mind the important role played by civil society organisations in modern democratic societies and the subsequent necessity to uphold freedom of association and freedom of expression as enshrined in numerous international legal instruments, and to develop good practices in this field as recommended by the Venice Commission in its recent opinions;
Expressing its deep concern about the trend of a shrinking civic space, not only for civil society actors, but also for democracy and stability in Europe;
Taking note of the conclusions and proposals for action put forward at the Warsaw Conference on the Role and Position of NGOs in the Council of Europe held on 22 March 2019;
The Committee of Ministers agreed to:
1. examine further options for strengthening the role and meaningful participation of civil society organisations, and national human rights institutions in the Organisation, with the view to increasing its openness and transparency towards civil society, including access to information, activities and events;
2. further strengthen the Organisation’s mechanisms for the protection of human rights defenders, including the Secretary General’s Private Office procedure on human rights defenders;
3. invite the Secretary General to explore the possibilities of inviting the relevant human rights NGOs to a regular exchange with a view to further enhancing co-operation between civil society and the Council of Europe and enriching the discussions of the Committee of Ministers and other Council of Europe bodies.