The Council of Europe Ministers of Justice will meet in Vilnius (Lithuania) on 5 September at a conference entitled "Towards accountability for international crimes committed in Ukraine" and held under the Lithuanian Presidency of the organisation's Committee of Ministers. Prior to the meeting, the Council of Europe's Convention on Artificial Intelligence (AI), human rights, democracy and the rule of law will be opened for signature.
The ministers will consider how the Council of Europe and its member states can enhance their support to the Ukrainian justice system and help provide an international response to the aggression by the Russian Federation and its consequences.
The first session will focus on the prosecution of international crime and enforcement of judgments, with an emphasis on collecting and sharing evidence, co-operation with NGOs in evidence collection as well as on legal and practical challenges to trials in absentia. The contribution of the Council of Europe conventions to the fight against crime, including core international crimes, will also be discussed.
The second session will look at the possible role of the Council of Europe in the setting up of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The conference is hosted by the Minister of Justice of Lithuania, Ewelina Dobrowolska. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Theodoros Rousopoulos, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Michael O'Flaherty, and the European Union Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, will participate in the conference.
On the occasion of the meeting of justice ministers, a treaty ceremony will be organised for the opening for signature of the Council of Europe Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, the first-ever international legally binding treaty in this field. The Convention aims to ensure that activities within the lifecycle of artificial intelligence systems are fully consistent with human rights, democracy and the rule of law, while being conducive to technological progress and innovation.
