“A girl born today may never see gender equality – and neither will her daughter”, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset said today in his address to the high-level conference on the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. “Thirty years after Beijing”, Berset continued, “we are still over one hundred and twenty years away” from achieving gender equality, as nearly one in three women face partner violence and one in six experience sexual violence. “Safety and dignity are still out of reach for too many women and girls”, Berset went on to say, while also stressing the progress that the Council of Europe has made. The Istanbul Convention, a significant achievement in this process, has “shaped legislation, expanded support services, and strengthened professional training”. However, new threats are emerging over time: online abuse, disinformation, and deepfakes “are pushing women out of public space, out of politics, out of power. AI can deepen the harm – or help prevent it”. That is why the Council of Europe is developing new standards in these areas. “The Council of Europe was never just about lines on a map”, the Secretary General concluded. “It is about the values we share: human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. For men and women alike. Not as a promise for the next century. But as a call to action – here and now. In Europe and beyond”.