Discours
Séance d’ouverture de la 6e conférence annuelle de l’Observatoire de l’enseignement de l’histoire en Europe – « Histoire manipulée, démocratie en danger »
08.10.2026 — Strasbourg · Au lycée, l’histoire était surtout pour moi une affaire de dates. Mes professeurs me l’auraient sûrement reproché. Je dois leur demander pardon, car je vais tout de même vous en proposer trois. Trois dates qui racontent ce que l’Europe fait de sa mémoire et pourquoi notre démocratie en dépend.
Débat thématique sur la peine de mort lors de la 1571e réunion du Comité des Ministres
07.10.2026 — Strasbourg · Je tiens tout d’abord à vous remercier d’avoir consacré ce débat thématique du Comité des Ministres à l’abolition de la peine de mort.
Parliamentary Assembly Autumn Session – Q&A Opening
29 September 2026 — Strasbourg · I am pleased to be joined by Tanja Gonggrijp for her first PACE session as Deputy Secretary General. It is not our only first. Last week, we opened the Council of Europe’s first permanent observer office to the United Nations in New York. Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha was there with us. It gives us a stronger voice where decisions affecting Europe’s future are discussed.
“Voices from Ukraine”: Parliamentary Assembly side-event on the Council of Europe Action Plan “Democratic Security for Ukraine” 2027-2030
29 September 2026 — Strasbourg · Yesterday afternoon, a Russian drone struck the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the heart of Kyiv. Scientists and staff were killed at their desks.
Address to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States
25 September 2026 — Washington D.C. · It is an honour to address the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States. And to do so as you celebrate twenty-five years of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
Hudson Institute – “A Conversation with Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe”
25 September 2026 — Hudson Institute, Washington D.C. · Thank you, Peter. And thank you to Hudson Institute for the invitation. Your announcement was very frank. If you read it before signing up, you already know two things about us. The Council of Europe is not well known in Washington. And, worse, we get mistaken for the European Council, which is the European Union.
Georgetown University Event – A Conversation with Alain Berset: “Who Writes the Next Order? Europe After the Rupture”
24 September 2026 — Washington D.C. · Thank you, Dean Hellman, for your kind introduction. Most of you will spend your careers in an international order that does not exist yet.
High-Level Side Event “The Sixth Summit of the International Crimea Platform: A Test of Unity, a Call for Action”
23 September 2026 — New York · We have all condemned this occupation for over a decade. What is needed now is accountability. And I want to be very concrete about what we have now, and what that means.
Side Event at the High-Level Week of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly
22 September 2026 — New York · I am pleased to join you here today. I would like to thank Portugal and Greece for bringing this event together with the Council of Europe, on the margins of the General Assembly, to explore the links between social rights and democracy.
Inauguration of the new Office of the Permanent Observer of the Council of Europe to the United Nations in New York
21 September 2026 — New York · Two years. Two years only between an idea and the office we are opening tonight. It began with a conversation with Secretary-General Guterres, here in New York, during General Assembly week, just days into my mandate.
Churchill Symposium – De Zurich à Strasbourg : l’unité européenne à l’heure de la guerre et de la rupture
16.09.2026 — Zurich, Suisse · Dans cette salle, et dans cette salle seulement, Einstein s'est trompé. À Zurich, l'Europe est arrivée plus tôt que partout ailleurs.
Garden Party annuelle de la Représentation permanente de la France
08.07.2026 — Strasbourg, Villa Oppenheimer · Merci Monsieur l’Ambassadeur de France, cher Pap Ndiaye, de nous réunir ici ce soir pour célébrer le 14 juillet — une date ô combien symbolique pour toutes celles et tous ceux qui chérissent la liberté. Cette liberté qui comme l’écrivait Albert Camus est la « seule valeur impérissable de l’histoire. » L’histoire, justement. Peu de pays en ont autant donné à la liberté que la France. Et peu de dates en disent autant que ce 14 juillet 1789. Alors ce soir, permettez-moi un raccourci : imaginons…
Conference of Policy Planning Directors “Anticipating Democratic Security”
29.06.2026 — Strasbourg · It is a pleasure to join you for this exchange of views. I have been looking forward to it. Policy planners are the first to confront what the rest of us have yet to face. That is what foresight is. And that makes this group the right place to ask: are we deciding Europe’s future, or letting others decide it for us? *** That future, or should I say futures, is where I would like to begin our conversation today.
Announcement of the Hackathon winner and closing remarks by the Secretary General
19.06.2026 — Strasbourg · What a week. Packed rooms. Hundreds of participants. From all 46 member states, and beyond. Hacking sessions. Giuliano da Empoli on power and technology. A panel on the ethical dilemmas of innovation. The International Day for Countering Hate Speech. A debate on hate speech as the biggest threat to democracy. Gilles Marchand on cultural sovereignty. The Journalism Excellence Awards.
Journalism Excellence Awards “Ethical reporting on Roma and Travellers and combating antigypsyism through the media”
18.06.2026 — Strasbourg · Thank you. It is great to be here. The First World Romani Congress met more than fifty years ago. One of the people who helped bring it to life remembered. A people’s history is not safe just because it happened. Someone has to ask before the last witness is gone. There is racism in Britain that people still say out loud, in the open, without lowering their voice.
Plenary marking International Day for Countering Hate Speech
18.06.2026 — Strasbourg · Good morning, everyone. It is good to see so many of you here again after the launch of the hackathon yesterday. I know you have been busy. I am grateful to see you back in the Hemicycle. I suspect some of you saw “speech by the Secretary General” on the programme and thought: finally, a few minutes of rest. Not quite. Because rest is exactly what those who spread hate, online and offline, hope we will do.
Opening of the Hackathon and No Hate Speech Week
17.06.2026 — Strasbourg · Good afternoon, everyone. And welcome to the Council of Europe. Today we open No Hate Speech Week, and the second edition of our Democracy Hackathon. For the next three days, this is your home. Make yourself comfortable in these premises. I know you are going to be busy. But I hope you also take a moment to look around. Most of the great things this organisation has done began exactly like this. In a room, with people who were told it could not be done.
Reception on the occasion of the Independence Day of Georgia
17.06.2026 — Strasbourg · We gather shortly after your National Day, but some anniversaries are worth honouring beyond the date itself, and Georgia’s is one of them. We will raise a glass to it shortly. A fitting moment to remember that Georgians have been making wine for eight thousand years. Some things you do not need a treaty to belong to. *** More seriously, one hundred and eight years ago, the Democratic Republic of Georgia was among the very first social democracies in Europe.
Ceremonial event / Reception hosted by the Secretary General on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe Development Bank
17.06.2026 — Strasbourg · Welcome to this celebration of 70 years of the Council of Europe Development Bank. The CEB is no ordinary bank. It is the only multilateral development bank in the world with an exclusively social mandate. A bank that has focused on supporting people, since its very inception. Like the Council of Europe, the CEB grew from the ashes of the Second World War.
Open Innovation Dialogue Hub launch event
16.06.2026 — Strasbourg · Oh, and good morning, bonjour, guten tag! Welcome to the Open Innovation Dialogue Hub. *** It is estimated that more than 4 million people in Europe speak Romani. More than 2 million speak Galician. And more than 1 million speak Limburgish. These are just three of the 84 languages protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Languages spoken by more than 200 communities across Europe.
Informal Conference of the Ministers of Justice under Monaco’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers
16.06.2026 — Strasbourg · It was just six months ago that Ministers of Justice from across our 46 member states gathered here in this room for another informal ministerial conference. That is not a coincidence. It shows how far justice has moved to the centre of Europe’s security agenda. *** The focus then was migration and the European Convention on Human Rights. Few debates are more divisive, or more visible.
Address to the OSCE Permanent Council – “Law is Europe’s form of power”
11.06.2026 — Vienna, Austria · It is a pleasure to be back here in Vienna at the OSCE. A lot has happened since I last addressed your Permanent Council. It was only seven months ago, but the geopolitical landscape has transformed. So much so that many are speaking of a rupture in the international legal order. *** I want to take the next few minutes to reflect on what this moment means for our two organisations and for Europe.
Gender Equality Commission Annual Conference: Women forging lasting peace: Dismantling barriers to gender-inclusive conflict resolution and peacebuilding
04.06.2026 — Strasbourg · It is a great pleasure to be here today, as we come together to talk about a reality we are facing now. In 2026, the planet is covered in conflict. Thousands are being killed and wounded. Homes, hospitals, schools: destroyed. Crops are failing, prices are rising, and economies are in freefall. Funds that could be spent on education, healthcare and environmental management are eaten up paying for arms.
Session d’ouverture de haut niveau : Dialogue thématique « Réseaux sociaux et santé mentale des enfants – État des lieux et réponses possibles »
04.06.2026 — Strasbourg · Qui dans cette salle a un enfant, un neveu, une nièce de moins de seize ans ? Et qui peut dire avec certitude ce que cet enfant, cet adolescent ou cette adolescente, a vu sur son téléphone aujourd’hui ? *** Seize ans. C’est l’âge autour duquel l’Europe se divise en ce moment. L’âge qui cristallise le débat sur l’accès des jeunes aux réseaux sociaux.
Reception organised by the Permanent Representation of Croatia
28.05.2026 — Strasbourg · Čestitam Dan državnosti. This Saturday, Croatia marks thirty-five years of independence. Independence it defended at a great cost. Five years later, Croatia was signing the European Convention on Human Rights. It did it at the first possible moment, placing power under the authority of law, a choice that is becoming harder to make and even harder to defend.
Cérémonie de lever de drapeau à l’occasion de la passation de la présidence du Comité des Ministres du Conseil de l’Europe de la République de Moldova à Monaco
20.05.2026 — Strasbourg · Secrétaire Général du Conseil de l’Europe Madame la Présidente du Comité des Ministres, Madame l’ambassadrice de la République de Moldova, Madame la Présidente de l’APCE, Excellences, chers.ères collègues, Six mois, c’est court et long à la fois. Court parce que les événements se sont succédé à un rythme effréné. La présidence de la République de Moldova débutait à peine que la menace d’une action militaire contre le Groenland montrait que plus rien n’allait de soi — pas même la souveraineté de…
Passation de la Présidence du Comité des Ministres du Conseil de l’Europe de la République de Moldova à Monaco
20.05.2026 — Strasbourg · Il est encore trop tôt pour mesurer la portée exacte de ce qui s’est passé à Chișinău la semaine dernière, mais les décisions qui y ont été prises ont affirmé sans ambiguïté le poids juridique et géopolitique du Conseil de l’Europe. *** C’est dans ce moment de bascule, où la force cherche à prendre le pas sur le droit, qu’il faut replacer la présidence de la République de Moldova.
135th Session of the Committee of Ministers – Opening of the formal session
15.05.2026 — Chișinău, Republic of Moldova · You heard it again and again these past months. Europe is weak. It is too slow. Too old. Too divided. Too attached to rules. And some start believing it. They say if others ignore the rules, we should too. The message is simple: to survive the rupture, Europe must learn to behave like those who caused it. *** But that is not who we are as Europeans.
Public lecture at Tallinn University by Mr Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
13.05.2026 — Tallinn University, Estonia · Tere päevast. It is a pleasure to join you here at Tallinn University. *** Two days ago, I was having the same conversation at Vilnius University. It struck me that none of the students in the room were born when the Baltic Way took place. I can remember it well. I was seventeen then. Two million people forming a human chain from Tallinn to Riga to Vilnius.
Inauguration of the Council of Europe Information Point for Belarusian People
12.05.2026 — Vilnius, Lithuania · Belarus has never been a member state of the Council of Europe. That is not because we do not want it. We do. But to become a member state, Belarus must meet our fundamental values. Today, in Belarus, systemic suppression continues. Alongside deliberate interference in the affairs of neighbouring countries. And support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
2nd Regional Ministerial Conference on Leading Change: People-centred Paths to Demographic Resilience – Organised by the Government of North Macedonia and UNFPA
07.05.2026 · I want to thank the Government of North Macedonia and UNFPA for bringing the Council of Europe into this conversation. And for asking us to look ahead at the demographic changes that will shape Europe and Central Asia for years to come. *** Most of Europe’s attention right now is consumed by what is next. The next crisis. The next election. The next blow to the international order.
Opening of the 3rd edition of the Yerevan Dialogue
05.05.2026 — Yerevan, Armenia · It is a pleasure to join you at Yerevan Dialogue after the successful European Political Community summit hosted by Armenia. Mr Prime Minister, dear Nikol, this was a testament to Armenia’s rightful place in the European family and its critical role in the South Caucasus. And it comes at a decisive time for Europe’s future, as Armenia is gearing up for this June’s parliamentary elections.
“Democratic Security after the Rupture”
23.04.2026 — Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Sir Joseph Hotung Auditorium, Oxford University, · Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for your warm welcome. And thank you to Principal Helen Mountfield and to the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights for the invitation. It is a pleasure to join Attorney General Richard Hermer. *** The last time I came here, I spoke at the Oxford Union as President of Switzerland, just weeks before leaving government.
Parliamentary Assembly 2026 Spring Session
21.04.2026 — Strasbourg · Let me start by mentioning the recent elections in Hungary and in Bulgaria. People have spoken. I have congratulated Prime Minister Péter Magyar and talked to Rumen Radev. Both elections show that democracy is alive. We need to build on that momentum, especially at this challenging time. *** No one knows this better than the people of Ukraine.
Cérémonie de labellisation du Conseil de l’Europe « Patrimoine de la diplomatie »
20.04.2026 — Strasbourg, Parvis du Palais de l’Europe · « Nous sommes tellement d’accord que nous sommes en avance sur notre horaire ! » Tellement d’accord ! *** Ces mots, ce sont ceux de Robert Schuman. Nous sommes alors le 4 mai 1949, à la veille de la signature du Statut du Conseil de l’Europe. La phrase est légère. Le moment, lui, est immense. *** Le lendemain, dix pays, dont la France, donnaient naissance à notre Organisation.
Ceremony of investiture of Their Excellencies the Captains Regent
01.04.2026 — San Marino, Palazzo Valloni · È per me un grande onore ritrovarmi oggi tra voi in un momento così solenne e intimo della vita democratica di San Marino. *** Mi colpisce profondamente che, in un momento così strettamente legato alla continuità della vostra Repubblica, la più antica al mondo, abbiate scelto di aprire uno spazio a una voce che viene da altrove.
Ouverture à la signature de la Convention du Conseil de l’Europe sur la coproduction d’œuvres audiovisuelles sous forme de séries
26.03.2026 — Lille, France · Nous sommes toutes et tous des enfants de la télévision. Nous avons grandi avec elle. Puis nous l’avons vue changer. De forme. De rythme. D’échelle. Les séries ont fait bien plus qu’accompagner cette transformation. Elles en ont été le moteur. *** Une série ne naît pas seulement d’une idée. Elle naît d’un écosystème. D’un subtil équilibre où se mêlent création, production, diffusion, partenaires, droits et financements.
Opening of the Lille Dialogues
26.03.2026 — Lille, France · OPENING Madam President of Series Mania, Anne Bouverot, Madam General Director of Series Mania, Laurence Herszberg, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an honour to address a room full of storytellers. Of people who understand the power of a great story, well told. I. THE POWER OF STORYTELLING Your entire craft rests on a rare combination of imagination and connection.
Célébration de la Fête nationale de la République hellénique et vernissage de l’exposition photographique de Nikos Aliagas « L’Esprit grec »
25.03.2026 — Strasbourg · Χρόνια πολλά! *** Δημοκρατία. Διάλογος. Διπλωματία. Même lorsque nous parlons français ou anglais, la Grèce n’est jamais tout à fait loin. Elle vit dans certains des mots les plus essentiels de notre vie publique et de l’esprit européen. Et c’est aussi cela que nous célébrons aujourd’hui. L’esprit grec. *** En février, lors de mon entretien avec le Premier ministre Kyriakos Mitsotakis, nous avons longuement parlé de géopolitique, de la rupture qui caractérise désormais l’ordre mondial, et de ce…
High-Level Conference on Media Literacy and Information Integrity: Building Resilience to Disinformation and FIMI in Europe
20.03.2026 — Chișinău, Moldova · OPENING President Sandu, Ambassador Cujbă, Ambassadors, Excellencies, Bună dimineața. Good morning, everyone. I. MOLDOVA’S EXPERIENCE Madam President, it is an honor to join you for this conference. The Republic of Moldova has made the response to disinformation a priority of its Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
High-Level Conference on Social Rights
19.03.2026 — Chisinau · OPENING President Sandu, Minister Plugaru, Ministers, Excellencies, Thank you, Madam President, for bringing us together today in Chișinău under the Republic of Moldova’s Presidency. And it is fitting that we meet as the Revised European Social Charter marks its thirtieth anniversary. I. Ukraine, IRAN and the chain reaction But first, let me mention Ukraine.
Side event: Roma and the future of work: A social rights perspective
18.03.2026 — Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, · When we talk about the future of work in Europe, we often think of artificial intelligence, automation, and disruption in the labour market. And rightly so. The International Monetary Fund estimates that sixty percent of jobs in advanced economies will be affected by AI over the next years. And young workers will be the first to feel it.
CSW70 side-event: Countering Backlash and Safeguarding Women’s Rights
12.03.2026 — New York, United States · The backlash against women’s rights we see today is not accidental. It is organised. It is political. And it is spreading. *** It is political because women in public life are increasingly targeted with intimidation, abuse, and threats. Over the last two days, we have heard stories of women who have left — or are considering leaving — politics, journalism, and public life because the cost has become too high.
CSW70 side event “Policing the Pixel: Gender, Tech, and Justice”
11.03.2026 — New York · Let me begin by thanking the Permanent Missions of the Republic of Moldova, Monaco and Romania, as well as UN Women, for convening today’s side event. And also by welcoming an important delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. *** It is day twelve of the war in Iran and the Middle East. But this war did not start twelve days ago.
CSW70: Nordic-Baltic side-event “Protect Democracy, Defend Gender Equality!”
11.03.2026 — New York · Security is the language of power in our time. From military security to cybersecurity, it defines the terms of the emerging world order. But who is actually shaping it? *** How many women lead defence ministries across the world’s largest democracies? In the G7, the answer is one. Just one. How many design the systems that protect our digital infrastructure?
145th Plenary Session of the Venice Commission
07.03.2026 — Venice · ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Minister Hodas, Madam President of the Venice Commission, Representatives of PACE, Ambassadors, Members of the Venice Commission, I. PRESIDENT CARTABIA Before I begin, allow me to congratulate Marta Cartabia on her election as the new President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. Professor Cartabia has spent her career at the intersection of constitutional thought and democratic responsibility.
Exchange with students from the Belgrade University’s Faculty of Law
05.03.2026 — Belgrade · It is a pleasure to be here today at the Faculty of Law of the University of Belgrade. Meeting with students is one of the most meaningful parts of my work. Vaš glas je važan Your voice matters. That is why I wanted to come here to listen and have this conversation with you. I have been in this role for a year and a half, and I have made meeting with students a priority in every visit I make.
Ministers’ Deputies – Rapporteur Group on Democracy (GR-DEM)
03.03.2026 — Strasbourg · INTRODUCTION: SECURITY AS WE KNOW IT No one asks what military security means. It is missiles and drones, defence industrial capacity, the credibility of nuclear deterrence. It is also measured in terms of money. Hundreds of billions of euros committed to defence spending. A Europe rearming on a scale not seen since the Cold War.
Ceremony ‘United for Ukraine’ organised by the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers
25.02.2026 — Strasbourg · In war, ordinary lives are asked to do extraordinary things. This is one of those lives. Four years into this war, at age forty, Olena packed her things She left her life in the city behind and enlisted to fight on the eastern front. That is where her mother lives. As Russian forces moved closer, she decided to act. Olena is not her real name.
Quelle sécurité démocratique dans une Europe qui se réarme ?
24.02.2026 — Conférence par la Fondation Jean Monnet pour l’Europe et l’Université de Lausanne (Suisse) · Introduction Quel plaisir de me retrouver sur le campus de l’Université de Lausanne avec vous aujourd’hui. La dernière fois que j’étais ici, c’était en novembre 2023 avec le Président Emmanuel Macron. C’était presque une autre époque pour le continent européen et pour la Suisse, et c’était pour moi dans une autre fonction que celle que j’occupe aujourd’hui. Mais le thème était déjà : « Parlons d’Europe ».
61st session of the Human Rights Council
23.02.2026 · International law is either universal or meaningless. In Ukraine, when aggression struck at the foundations of the UN Charter, the Council of Europe did not abandon law to the pressure of force. We built accountability where none existed before. Through a Register of Damage, an International Claims Commission, and work toward a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression.
Official visit to Ukraine
17.02.2026 — Kyiv (Ukraine) · There is nothing I can say today that matches what people here have lived through. Nothing that fills what has been taken. Nothing that makes this winter easier. As this war enters its fifth year. At a time of rupture in the world order. Where other crises compete for attention. When peace talks bring no answers yet. And the strikes continue.
Event at the University of Athens: “Democracy, the Rule of Law, Human Rights. The Council of Europe in the Face of Contemporary Challenges”
09.02.2026 — Athens (Great Hall of the National and Kapodistrian - University of Athens) · It is humbling to speak about democracy here in Athens, just a few minutes’ walk from the Ancient Agora. And it is humbling to think about democracy’s future at a time of daunting challenges, both from within and beyond our continent. I. A GREEK TRAGEDY MOMENT Greece gave us democracy two and a half thousand years ago. But Greece also gave us tragedy.
International Conference – “Shaping democratic renewal: civic space and the path to a New Democratic Pact for Europe”
02.02.2026 — Strasbourg · There is a photograph of Václav Havel outside my office. It was taken thirty years ago, here in Strasbourg. It is not the Havel of the shopkeeper story that Prime Minister Carney used in his wake-up call speech a few days ago in Davos. Not the rupture in the world order we are living through. But a moment of possibility for our continent.
Ceremony of presentation of the gift of Armenia to the Council of Europe
28.01.2026 — Strasbourg · Some gifts are presented. Others are entrusted. They are a reminder of what endures. When all else feels uncertain. At a time when the global order is shifting before our eyes. Armenia marks twenty-five years in the Council of Europe. And it brings a text written eight and a half centuries ago. The Book of Judgment of Mkhitar Gosh.
Ceremony marking the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust
27.01.2026 — Strasbourg · A name is the beginning of human dignity. The Holocaust started by taking that away. Numbers instead of names. Erasure instead of memory. So much has been said, and yet nothing is ever said enough. Jews were targeted and murdered, simply for being Jews. Roma and Sinti, disabled people, homosexuals, political prisoners, and many others met the same fate.
First part of the 2026 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly: “The Council of Europe and the Rupture in the World Order”
27.01.2026 — Strasbourg · OPENING Parliamentary Assembly President, Parliamentary Assembly Secretary General, Excellencies, Dear members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Ladies and gentlemen, It is an honour to address you at the opening of this parliamentary year. And I take also this occasion to warmly thank the outgoing President, Theodoros Rousopoulos, for the very good collaboration in the last years and for his strong commitment to the Council of Europe and to our shared values.
Award Ceremony of the 2026 Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg Prize
21.01.2026 — Strasbourg · In the spring of 1944, Hungary’s Jews were being deported in numbers never seen before. Every day, thousands of people were taken away, most of them to Auschwitz. Budapest became a city of yellow stars, lists, and sudden knocks on doors. A 32-year-old Swedish diplomat arrived and began handing out protective passports, the Schutz-Pass.
Digitalswitzerland WEF 2026 lunch event: “Towards effective AI governance: global perspectives and Switzerland’s approach”
20.01.2026 — Davos (Switzerland) · OPENING Minister Keldo, Digitalswitzerland President Meyer, OFCOM Director Maissen, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a pleasure to join you today for this conversation on AI governance. I. WHERE WE WERE At Davos a year ago, there was a widely held view. Europe was leading the race to regulate artificial intelligence. The United States and China were leading the race to build it.