In the almost 70 years since its foundation, the Council of Europe has significantly developed and strengthened the capacity of its institutions and bodies. We are witnessing an increasing authority and independence of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local Authorities. The position of  PACE on some issues has become no less important for the lives of Europeans than the position of the European Parliament, including due to Council of Europe membership of non-EU members. Ukraine supports the role of the Assembly as a true pan-European body sharing the aims and values of the Council of Europe.

During the last decade, the role of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe has become more prominent and gained more political weight. Hence, the personality, integrity and moral standing of the future Secretary General will undoubtedly have a significant bearing on the consolidation of those European states which remain genuinely committed to the aims of unity, economic and social progress, enshrined in the Statute of the Council of Europe.

It would be surprising if the Council of Europe had not been negatively affected by challenges to the European security architecture, with serious implications for the goals of democracy, human rights, social and economic development. Most of us know and agree on the root causes of the current state of affairs. The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly have clearly stated in many decisions what should be done to address these challenges.

With this in mind, we approach the beginning of the important process of selection of a future head of the Council of Europe Secretariat.

One of the starting points in the selection process is clear recognition that the Council of Europe is a family of all European nations. Therefore, ensuring equitable geographical representation should be acknowledged as a guiding principle in this process.

While for the first four decades after the creation of the Council of Europe it was almost exclusively a Western European institution, the past three decades have been marked by historic expansion and the inclusion of more than 20 new members from Eastern and Central Europe. It is no exaggeration to say that without the Council of Europe many of those states would not have been ready to join other European institutions, including the European Union, OECD and NATO, and even to successfully lead those institutions.

Yet, the outstanding contribution made by the nations of Eastern and Central Europe to the expansion and consolidation of democracy throughout the continent has not been recognized by the Council of Europe when it comes to the position of the Secretary General. We believe that the representatives of these countries should be afforded an opportunity to lead the Secretariat for the first time in the seven decades of the Council of Europe’s existence.

All these years there have been many good and powerful men successfully steering the work of the Secretariat, and only one woman. It was the representative of France, Catherine Lalumière, who significantly contributed to uniting two parts of Europe in 1989-1994.

Today, there is again a huge demand for a leader who can consolidate Council of Europe members based on the principles and values enshrined in its Statute. While believing that the best and the strongest candidate must win a transparent and fair competition, we insist that after 70 years of men’s dominance at the top of the Secretariat, women of Europe should seize the opportunity to get a second opportunity to play a crucial role in navigating the Council of Europe through turbulent times.

We call for maximum transparency in this process, which could be achieved, inter alia, by taking on board innovative approaches. As an example, a live webcast debate proved to be effective during the selection of the United Nations Secretary-General.

Ukraine looks forward to an open and democratic selection process of the next Secretary General of the Council of Europe.