Zonta Essentials: The structure of the Council of Europe, its institutions and bodies – mirroring the values and mission of the Council of Europe

Through Zonta's Council of Europe (CoE) Committee, Zonta holds participatory status at the Council of Europe, Europe's leading human rights organization. The committee will provide regular updates to enhance members' understanding of Zonta's role with CoE.

Click here to read the basics and part 4 and 5 of the CoE as a human rights organization and the previous episodes.

Watch the latest CoE webinar on “Being a women’s rights activist - what you should know about the Council of Europe, the continents leading human rights organization”.

Part 6. The structure of the Council of Europe, its institutions and bodies – mirroring the values and mission of the Council of Europe for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

The CoE advocates freedom of expression and the media, freedom of assembly, equality and the protection of minorities.
The CoE helps the 46 member states fight corruption and terrorism and undertake the necessary judicial reforms.
The CoE promotes human rights through international conventions, such as the Istanbul Convention, the Anti-Trafficking Convention or the Convention on Cybercrime, etc.
The CoE monitors member states’ progress in these areas and makes recommendations through independent expert bodies (e.g. GREVIO).

The structure of the CoE is based on four pillars:

• The Committee of Ministers as the CoE statutory decision-making body. It is made up of the ministers of foreign affairs from each member state. Their work includes supervising how member states execute judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

• The Parliamentary Assembly as the deliberative body. It is made up of delegations from the CoE member states mirroring the distribution of political power in their home parliament. It discusses and adopts recommendations, resolutions and opinions on any theme by the CoE.

• The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities include municipal or regional councilors and Mayors. Its mission is to help national, regional and local authorities to implement changes and drafting new laws.

• The Conference of INGOs is the consultative body with participatory function. It takes an active part in the CoE and asserts the political role of civil society, actively participating in the work program of the CoE and directly contributing to debates, resolutions and recommendations. ZONTA has been represented at the CoE since 1983, with participatory status since 2003.

Council of Europe Institutions:

• The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is the Council of Europe’s independent judicial body. Its mission is to ensure that member states observe their commitment to the Convention on Human Rights. The crucial point of the ECHR is that every individual can file a complaint against a member state if the state has infringed his/her human rights covered by the Convention. This is unique in the world and sets the ECHR apart from other Human Rights institutions.

• The Commissioner of Human Rights is an independent institution mandated to promote awareness of and respect for human rights in the 46 member states, by encouraging reforms and assisting in implementing Council of Europe human rights standards.

• The Council of Europe Development Bank is a multilateral development bank with an exclusively social mandate. It participates in financing social projects, responds to emergency situations and contributes to improving the living conditions of the most disadvantaged population groups.

• The Secretary General leads and represents the CoE and is responsible for the strategic planning, work program and budget of the CoE.
  
  

Next episode: What are “Council of Europe standards”?

23 JUNE 2025