Check against delivery – Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Madam President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies,
A girl born today may never see gender equality — and neither will her daughter.
Thirty years after Beijing, we are still over one hundred and twenty years away.
In her world, nearly one in three women face partner violence.
One in six experience sexual violence.
Violence drives a vicious cycle of inequality — generation after generation.
The Council of Europe has made hard-won progress.
At the heart of it is the Istanbul Convention, our legally binding standard to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women.
The Convention has shaped legislation, expanded support services, and strengthened professional training.
It responds to several critical areas of concern of the Platform: violence, political participation, media, and health.
Because gender equality is a foundation of democratic life — and central to the New Democratic Pact for Europe, our collective effort to renew and strengthen democracy.
But violence is evolving.
Online abuse, disinformation, and deepfakes are pushing women out of public space, out of politics, out of power.
AI can deepen the harm — or help prevent it.
That is why the Council of Europe is developing new standards.
On tech-facilitated violence, to ensure accountability from perpetrators to platforms.
And on AI and gender equality, to guard against bias and discrimination.
The Council of Europe was never just about lines on a map.
It is about the values we share: human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
For men and women alike.
Not as a promise for the next century.
But as a call to action — here and now.
In Europe and beyond.