Secretary General of Council of Europe to discuss global democratic security in Oxford

Leading figures in European politics and law will hold a discussion about the future of law, security and democracy in Oxford on Thursday.

Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and former President of Switzerland, will argue that “Europe can no longer treat law, security, and democracy as separate worlds” at an event co-convened by the Humanities Division’s Policy & Evidence Centre on Modern Slavery and Human Rights (PEC) and the Social Sciences Division’s Bonavero Institute of Human Rights. It will take place in the Bonavero Institute in Oxford, from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, on Thursday 23 April.

Mr Berset will ask whether Europe can still shape the next order through law, or whether it will be left to survive in a world without rules.

There will also be opening remarks from the Attorney General of England and Wales, Lord Richard Hermer KC. He will talk about “how the rules-based order is in the UK's national, security, and economic interests”.

The event is being organised as part of the Oxford Policy Engagement Network’s Visiting Policy Fellowship scheme. The Deputy Head of Department in the Migration Directorate of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office is currently a Visiting Policy Fellow at the PEC.

Murray Hunt, Director of the Policy and Evidence Centre, said "We are delighted to welcome leading practitioners of both politics and law to Oxford to discuss the highly topical question of democratic resilience. It reflects the evolving mission of the PEC to inform and shape public debate about Europe’s fundamental values in these challenging times."

Dr Marija Jovanovic, an Oxford University researcher at both the PEC and the Bonavero Institute, said: “The Bonavero Institute and the PEC have a longstanding collaboration and have worked closely to co-convene this very timely discussion. The future of human rights and democracy in Europe are of central concern to both the Institute and the PEC, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration to bring interdisciplinary insights to bear on these vital issues.”

You can sign up to attend in person here, or register to join online here. More information on this event is here.