The Commissioner for Human Rights is an independent institution within the Council of Europe, mandated to promote the awareness of and respect for human rights in 46 Council of Europe member states.
The initiative for setting up the institution was taken by the Council of Europe’s Heads of State and Government at their Second Summit in Strasbourg on 10 -11 October 1997. On 7 May 1999, the Committee of Ministers adopted a resolution which instituted the office of the Commissioner and elaborated the Commissioner’s mandate. The first Commissioner,
Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles, held the post between Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles, held the post between 15 October 1999 and 31 March 2006, while the current Commissioner, Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, assumed the position on Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, assumed the position on 1 April, 2006.
For more details please see: http://www.coe.int/t/commissioner/
