Council of Europe warns level of impunity around world 'never been so high'
'We need to do everything we can to live in a world in which relations between states are based on law' says Alain Berset
GENEVA
The secretary general of the Council of Europe on Tuesday expressed concern over alarming levels of global impunity, urging states to take action against it.
"The level of impunity around the world that we live in today has never been so high, not in many decades, this is not what we are aiming for," Alain Berset said in his speech at UN Human Right Council's high-level segment in Geneva.
"We need to do everything we can to live in a world in which relations between states are based on law," he added.
Stressing that there can be no effective, stable protection of human rights without a functioning rule of law, he urged states to renew the democratic pact.
"There can be no stable rule of law that is accepted and functions without democracy, and there is no democracy without massive investment in education and without acceptance by everyone of the rules," Berset said.
"In the world, including in Europe, we see that safeguarding democracy is a daily struggle. This is one of the major works of progress that we have," he said and added: "We need to renew the democratic pact."
He also outlined the Council of Europe's top priorities, which include seeking justice and accountability for violations in Ukraine, protecting children affected by the conflict, and supporting the country's reconstruction efforts.
Berset noted the significant progress made in establishing a claims commission and a special tribunal to address the crime of aggression in Ukraine. He also highlighted the council's launch of initiatives to counter the rise of authoritarianism, populism, disinformation, and other threats to democratic societies.
