Ukraine, the rights of transgender people, the Council of Europe’s budget, child protection, and the decision of FIFA to assign the 2022 Football World Cup to Qatar were some of the other issues on the agenda in Strasbourg. The Storting’s delegation to PACE was headed by Ingjerd Schou (Conservative Party).

Delegates at the Spring Session appealed to the EU to step up their search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean as quickly as possible, and to take immediate steps to ensure a more united and coordinated approach to dealing with the stream of refugees. Member states were also encouraged to increase their efforts and contributions.

“This is a monumental catastrophe. Women and children are particularly vulnerable. Not only is there the self-evident risk of crossing the Mediterranean, but there is also the danger of them being exploited for prostitution and child labour,” said Kristin Ørmen Johnsen (Conservative Party). In her statement she also spoke about Norway’s contributions to the search and rescue operation and the humanitarian organizations.

Ukraine – implications of the political and security situation

The state of affairs in Ukraine is an item that is consistently high on the PACE agenda. This time there was a debate on the political and security situation in Ukraine and its implications. Ingjerd Schou took the floor during the debate, emphasizing among other points the significance of the partners respecting and implementing the Minsk II Protocol. She also underlined the need for reform and decentralization in Ukraine.

This point was highlighted by several other speakers, who underscored the need to support Ukraine in its reform and decentralization efforts. Ingjerd Schou also stated the importance of sustaining sanctions against Russia.

Budget and priorities

Another item on the agenda at the Spring Session was the Council of Europe’s budget and priorities for 2016-2017.

“This important debate is about how much latitude the Council of Europe has in the next two years,” says Ingjerd Schou. In her speech she criticized the decision to persist with zero nominal growth in the member states’ financial contributions to the organization.

Schou was also keen to draw greater attention to the necessity for a more distinct gender perspective, greater emphasis on LHBT rights, and the need to substantiate how to improve communication with civil society.

Transgender people and legal gender recognition

The Parliamentary Assembly also adopted a progressive resolution which stated that transgender people ought to be able to determine their own legal gender in such documents as passports and identity papers without the requirement of any form of hormone or other medical treatment.

“This debate was about personal integrity, non-discrimination and human rights. That this resolution was adopted was a huge victory for universal rights,” says Lise Christoffersen (Labour Party), who spoke during the debate.

In many areas the resolution’s recommendations reflect those made in a report delivered to Bent Høie, the Minister of Health and Care Services, by a national expert committee earlier this month.

The interests of the child must come first in all questions about taking a child into care

Ingjerd Schou participated in a debate on child protection, and raised challenging questions relating to taking children into care and placing children with foster families or in institutions. A recurring theme throughout the debate was the need to put the interests and rights of the child first in all such instances. This was stressed very clearly by Schou.

The complexity of the issue was reflected in the concern expressed during the debate that in many cases decisions to take children into care are taken too quickly, yet at other times they come too late. The resolution that was finally adopted also underlined how essential it is to provide families at risk with high-quality and comprehensive support in order to ensure that children have the greatest chance of a secure, stable and caring upbringing within the family.

The decision to assign the 2022 Football World Cup to Qatar must be reconsidered

This point was made during the debate to consider the need for more transparency and better supervision during decision-making processes in international sporting federations. The process surrounding FIFA’s decision to assign the 2022 Football World Cup to Qatar was widely condemned. The resolution adopted called for this decision to be reconsidered, not least in light of Qatar’s human rights record and the poor conditions under which many migrant labourers in the country work.

 

Lise Christoffersen took part in the debate. Despite being critical of the situation in Qatar, she questioned the wisdom of reconsidering the decision so late in the process. Christoffersen stressed the need to use the Football World Cup in Qatar as an opportunity to train the spotlight on human rights, and in particular on the conditions for the country’s migrant workers. She also made the point that there has been considerable progress in several areas since the decision to arrange the tournament in Qatar was made.

The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE)

The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) comprises representatives from the parliaments of the Council of Europe's 47 member states; in total 318 members (and 318 substitute members). The Assembly works in an advisory capacity, and plays a significant role in the Council of Europe, adopting resolutions and recommendations for the parliaments of the member states and their governments in a range of different fields. It also has a supervisory function, ensuring that the new member states satisfy their membership obligations.