The Council of Europe is concerned with the basic human rights such as freedom of expression and of the media, freedom of assembly, equality, and the protection of minorities. It has launched campaigns on issues such as child protection, online hate speech or the rights of the Roma, Europe’s largest minority. The Council of Europe also helps member states fight corruption and terrorism and undertake necessary judicial reforms.

The Council of Europe promotes human rights through international conventions, such as the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence and the Convention on Cybercrime. It monitors member states’ progress in these areas and makes recommendations through independent expert monitoring bodies. All Council of Europe member states have abolished the death penalty.

Besides the Committee of Ministers, Parliamentary Assembly and the Commissioner for Human Rights being monitoring bodies sui generis, Council of Europe established monitoring bodies that on regular basis check the current state of human rights in all member states. These monitoring bodies, set up usually within a respective convention, are:

- Group of constitutional experts, that offers legal advice to countries throughout the world (Venice Commission)

- Group of States against Corruption (GRECO)

- European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or  Punishment (CPT)

- Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA)

- European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ)

- Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL)

- European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)

- European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR)

- Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

- Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Also, the Committee of Ministers is entrusted to monitor the execution of judgments delivered by the European Court of Human Rights by the member states concerned.