Zonta Essentials: Participatory status–a privilege for INGOs at the Council of Europe

Through Zonta's Council of Europe (CoE) Committee, Zonta holds participatory status at the CoE, 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 Part 2, Zonta’s Role as NGO at the Council of Europe (CoE)
Click here to read the basics of the CoE as a human rights organization and the previous episodes

Part 3: Participatory status–a privilege for INGOs at the Council of Europe

Zonta International is represented at the Council of Europe (CoE) since 1983. In 2003 the Committee of Ministers of the CoE introduced the participatory status to independent non-governmental organizations recognizing their influence in Europe’s vital civil society and their benefit for the work of the Council of Europe. Ever since Zonta International is enjoying participatory status together with 320 other INGOs. The status is a privilege and has to be renewed every four years by Zonta’s representative and Head of Delegation. The status comes with specific requirements and conditions like co-operation, participation and purposeful activities by the INGOs and their Heads of Delegation.
Thus, INGOs holding participatory status, known collectively as the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe, actively contribute to debates and the decision-making process. The Conference meets in its General Assembly twice a year and works in committees on priority themes of the Council of Europe.
For Zonta’s representative it is key to actively support gender equality and women’s rights issues amongst the most important representatives of Europe’s civil society.

Next episode: Gender Equality – a crosscutting topic at the Conference of INGOs

31 DECEMBER 2024