A public debate, a toast and the renewal of the website. This is the schedule that opens Thomas Hammarberg’s office as the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe. So far the Secretary of the international centre "Olof Palme" in Sweden and the former secretary general of Amnesty International, Hammarberg replaces Alvaro Gil Robles. The handing-over ceremony took place today in Strasbourg, before the executives of the CoE, and provided an opportunity for a conference about: "The establishment of the Commissioner for Human Rights: balances and perspectives". The conference was attended by the secretary general of the CoE, Terry Davis, and the President of the Congress, Giovanni Di Stasi. They repeated the tasks and the profile of the Commissioner that is "an independent, non judicial office within the Council of Europe", whose goals are: "to raise awareness of human rights; to support the national institutions that deal with human rights; to find gaps in the legislation and practice of such rights; to further the full and complete rights of men in the 46 member states". Hammarberg will give his first official speech next week at the spring session of the Parliamentary meeting. On the website (http://www.coe.int/Commissioner/it), the newly-appointed Commissioner presents the goals of his office, which will last six years.
