Conference of Specialised Ministers
Encyclopedia
The organisation of a Conference of Specialised Ministers is a traditional working method of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...

.

The purpose of such conferences is to define and pursue the goals of the Council of Europe’s intergovernmental activities in their particular fields of competence. These conferences have a quasi-legal identity of their own in international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...

.
The practice began in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 in 1959 with the first Conference of Ministers responsible for Family Affairs. However, the working methods for such conferences were only formalised in 1971 with the adoption of Committee of Ministers Resolution (71) 44., which gives a list of conferences with which the Council of Europe "has a special working relationship". There have been several attempts to update this text, but none have come to fruition. In February 2008, in the interests of transparency and visibility, the Committee of Ministers decided that all of its ministerial conferences would henceforth include "Council of Europe" in the title.
Several of the Conferences are prepared by a special committee of senior officials, which meets solely for that purpose. Others are prepared by the respective Council of Europe steering committee.
The Committee of Ministers issues a regular information document "Forthcoming Conferences of Specialised Ministers", which gives the current state of preparation of these conferences..
The Conferences traditionally use a 3-letter abbreviation by which they and their relevant reports and resolutions are readily identified. Although a few of these have changed over the years, most of them have remained remarkably consistent.

The Committee of Ministers currently lists 14 conferences as operational:
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Migration
    Human migration
    Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...

     Affairs (MMG)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Integration Policies for People with disabilities (IPH)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Health
    Health
    Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...

     Ministers (MSN)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers of Justice
    Conference of Ministers of Justice
    The Council of Europe have been organising Conferences of Ministers of Justice on a regular basis since 1961. They constitute an important forum of exchange and coordination of legal policy at the pan-European level...

     (MJU)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning
    Regional planning
    Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. The related field of urban planning deals with the specific issues of city planning...

     (CEMAT)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs (CMC)
  • Council of Europe Standing Conference of Ministers of Education
    Education
    Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

     (MED)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport
    Sport
    A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...

     (MSL)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Local
    Local government
    Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...

     and Regional Government (MCL)
  • Council of Europe Ministerial Conference on the Media
    Mass media
    Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

     and New Communication Services (MCM)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth
    Youth
    Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...

     (MJN)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Family
    Family
    In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

     Affairs (MMF)
  • Council of Europe Ministerial Conference on Equality
    Gender equality
    Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...

     between Women and Men (MEG)
  • Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Social Cohesion
    Social cohesion
    Social cohesion is a term used in social policy, sociology and political science to describe the bonds or "glue" that bring people together in society, particularly in the context of cultural diversity. Social cohesion is a multi-faceted notion covering many different kinds of social phenomena...



The last of these, the Conference on Social Cohesion, is new, and met for the first time in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 in February 2009..
There have been a number of other conferences in the past, which are now discontinued. Many of the conferences have undergone several name changes, which make them difficult to trace.
They should be distinguished from European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 ministerial conferences. The European Union occasionally convenes ministers in certain sectors (such as culture). . Such meetings are often described as informal..

Some of the more successful conferences (e.g. Ministers of Justice) have become virtual institutions in themselves.
The Committee of Ministers approves the theme and the organisations and non-member states to be invited.

Each conference makes a report to the Committee of Ministers after the conference, which also examines the possible follow-up to the conference.
Several conferences of specialised ministers have only been held once, with no plans for them to meet again, notably :
  • Human rights
    Human rights
    Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

     (1985)
  • Research
    Research
    Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

     (1986)
  • Terrorism
    Terrorism
    Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

     (1986)
  • Movement of persons (1991)


Four other ministerial conferences have been discontinued :
  • Ministers of Cultural heritage
    Cultural heritage
    Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...

     (MPC), which last met in 1985 (2nd conference ), 1992 (3rd conference), 1996 (4th conference) and 2001 (5th conference)
  • Ministers of Environment (MEN), which last met in 1987 (5th conference) and 1990 (6th conference)
  • Ministers of Labour (MTV), which last met in 1986 (3rd conference), 1989 (4th conference) and 1993 (5th conference)
  • Ministers of Social security
    Social security
    Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...

    (MSS), which last met in 1989 (4th conference), 1992 (5th conference), 1995 (6th conference), 1998 (7th conference) and 2002 (8th conference)

External links

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