Council of Europe Secretary General to promote core foundations of peace at UNGA week in New York

Strasbourg: Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset will stress the importance of a renewed international commitment to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in strengthening global security at the UN General Assembly High-level Week 2025 in New York from 22 to 26 September.

Ahead of the visit, the Secretary General said: “The Council of Europe, with its 46 member states, has a unique role in global affairs: to defend the values that protect human dignity, strengthen democratic institutions and ensure justice — in Europe and beyond — whenever these fundamental values are under pressure.”

“Recent events expose the scale of the challenge. Ukraine continues to suffer horrendous daily attacks on civilian life. In Gaza, relentless hostilities continue to claim civilian lives and plunge the population into an intolerable humanitarian crisis. The attack on peace negotiators in Doha was a flagrant breach of international law. In Sudan, Yemen and other neglected regions, people are enduring forced displacement, sexual violence, deprivation and attacks on civil society, journalists, and humanitarian workers.”

“Protecting civilians, safeguarding mediation efforts and upholding international law are fundamental obligations that must be respected without exception. I call on the international community to put human dignity and the rule of law at the core of its efforts — to strengthen multilateral cooperation, end human rights violations, ensure humanitarian access to people in need and hold aggressors to account.”

During the UN General Assembly week, Secretary General Berset will contribute to several high-level discussions, including:

Monday 22 September

• High-Level Meeting to Commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the 4th World Conference on Women 

Tuesday 23 September

• High-level meeting on “Restoring Childhood and Humanity – Advancing Peace in Ukraine Through the Return of Ukrainian Children,” organised by the co-chairs of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
• International Labour Organization (ILO) high-level special event on “Rebuilding Trust, Renewing Solidarity: State of Social Justice in the World”
• Digital@UNGA Anchor event, organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Wednesday 24 September

• “In Defense of Democracy. Fighting Against Extremism” high-level event organised by the Chilean Mission to the European Union, with participation from the heads of state and government of Chile, Brazil, Spain, Uruguay, Colombia, as well as UN Secretary General António Guterres
• Fifth Summit of the International Crimea Platform, with participation from the President of Ukraine and other heads of state and government
• Council of Europe and UN Women event on “Combatting Technology-Facilitated Violence against Women and Girls (CTFVWAG)”

Thursday 25 September

• Keynote address at Columbia University’s World Leaders Forum on “The Age of Democratic Security”
• Club de Madrid UNGA Dinner 2025 on “Powering Progress: AI, Competitiveness, and Democratic Resilience”

The Secretary General will also take part in a series of bilateral meetings with heads of state, government leaders and senior officials from Council of Europe member and non-member states, the United Nations, and other international organisations.