Overview

The Council of Europe (CoE) was founded in 1949 to promote the rule of law and respect for human rights. The Council of Europe (CoE), based in Strasbourg (France), is a group of 46 member countries. The Council of Europe promotes human rights, democracy, and the rule of law through international conventions and makes recommendations through independent expert monitoring bodies. The CoE’s major bodies include the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the European Court of Human Rights, the Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. The headquarters of the Council of Europe, as well as its Court of Human Rights, are situated in Strasbourg, France. The council's two statutory bodies are the Committee of Ministers, which comprises the foreign ministers of each member state, and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which is composed of members of the national parliaments of each member state. It employs 2,200 people and maintains external and liaison offices with other international organizations.