Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development Committee

Terms of reference:

1. The committee shall consider matters and future trends relating to social welfare, labour, public health, the family and vulnerable groups of the population.  It shall evaluate, on behalf of the Assembly, the implementation by member states of the European Social Charter and other relevant Council of Europe conventions, and their development.
2. The committee shall in particular consider: ways of improving social cohesion within the member states, the contribution which social cohesion can make to political stability, and ways to strengthen the European social model as a basis for a stable and socially prosperous Europe; social aspects of employment and unemployment policy, including the social aspects of globalisation and the creation of hospitable conditions for social dialogue; social policies affecting children, the elderly, people with disabilities and ways of increasing solidarity between the generations; questions relating to health, including the development of concerted European health policies and the fight against drug trafficking and abuse, as well as the new ethical questions raised by biomedicine.
3. The committee shall have regular contacts with representatives of employers and employees of industry in Europe, in particular with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE).
4. The committee shall follow the activities of and maintain working relations with the relevant European and international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Labour Organsiation (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and UNICEF.
5. The committee shall represent the Assembly in and follow the work of the relevant intergovernmental expert committees of the Council of Europe.

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Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development