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Strasbourg, 18.10.2001 - Armenian Minister of Social Security Razmik Martirossyan, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe Agshin Mehdiyev and Permanent Representative of San Marino to the Council of Europe Guido Ceccoli, today signed the Revised European Social Charter, in the presence of Hans Christian Krüger, Deputy Secretary General of the Organization.

These signatures took place on the occasion of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the European Social Charter. It is worth noting that with these three new signatures, the 43 member States of the Organization have now all signed the Charter (1961 Charter or Revised Charter).

The Revised European Social Charter [ETS 163]

Opened for signature on 3 May 1996, the Revised Charter came into force on 1 July 1999. It should progressively replace the first Charter of 1961. It is a new human rights treaty which updates and completes the rights protected by the 1961 Charter in the six following fields:

* The right to housing: the Revised Charter invites states to reduce homelessness and to provide everyone with access to decent housing at a reasonable price

* The right to health: the Revised Charter lays emphasis on occupational risk and accident prevention.

* The right to education: the Revised Charter requires states to guarantee free primary and secondary education.

* The right to employment: the Revised Charter completes the provisions already contained in the 1961 Charter (right to organize and to bargain collectively) with specific provisions concerning in particular the conditions for dismissal, the right to dignity at work, the conciliation of work and family responsibilities.

* The right to social protection: the Revised Charter guarantees the right to protection against poverty and social exclusion.

* The right to non-discrimination: a specific article on non-discrimination in the Revised Charter strengthens the prohibition of discrimination based on sex, age, colour, language, religion, opinions, social origin, health, association with a national minority, etc.

The supervisory machinery of the Revised Charter is the same as that of the 1961 Charter based on reports submitted by the Contracting Parties. For states that have ratified the Collective Complaints Protocol or made the declaration provided for in Article D of the Revised Charter, it is based on a system of Collective Complaints.

So far, the Revised Charter is in force in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden and has been signed by Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland,  Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Luxembourg, Moldova, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
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Council of Europe Press Service
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A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works to
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responses to social, cultural and legal challenges in its 43 member states.