Maud de Boer-Buquicchio
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe
In June 2002, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio was the first woman to be elected Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe by the Organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly. In 2007, she was re-elected for a second five-year mandate. She has focused her attention on the cause of vulnerable groups in society. She spearheaded the Organisation’s engagement in the promotion of children's rights. She is a steady and determined advocate of equal opportunities and was involved, from the outset, in promoting the Council of Europe Conventions on action against trafficking in human beings and against sexual exploitation and abuse of children, as well as the Council of Europe’s action to combat violence against women, including domestic violence, focusing in particular on prevention, prosecution and protection of victims. To advocate respect for human rights, both on and off-line, she actively promotes the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime and relevant work in the field of information society.
Maud de Boer-Buquicchio is a lawyer and has worked at the Council of Europe since 1969. Prior to her election as Deputy Secretary General she was Deputy Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights.