The Council of Europe, not to be confused with the European Council (one of the structures of the EU) which is an entirely separate organisation. The most famous aspect of this organisation is the European Court of Human Rights which enforces the European Convention on Human Rights. This Court currently oversees the human rights of 820 million citizens in 47 countries.[1]
STRUCTURES OF THE COURT
| Secretary General | Elected from the Parliamentary Assembly for a five year term, the Secretary General leads the Council. |
| Committee of Ministers | This is comprised of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of each member state. Alongside controlling the agenda, the Committee is responsible for approving the budget of the Council. |
| Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) | The Assembly consists of 318 Members of Parliament from its 47 member states. Its most significant role is to elect the Secretary General, the Human Rights Commissioner and the judges to the European Court of Human Rights. |
| Congress of Local and Regional Authorities | This comprises 636 representatives who work on behalf of local and regional authorities. |
| Commissioner for Human Rights | The Commissioner is responsible for reporting human right violations. |
| Conference of INGOs | The Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs) provides a forum for 400 INGOs to voice their concerns to the Council. |
[1] More details can be seen on the Council of Europe website.