The Council of Europe has adopted two new recommendations aimed at addressing the risks that emerging technologies and artificial intelligence pose to gender equality and the safety of women and girls online.

Approved by the organization’s Committee of Ministers ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, the measures provide guidance to member states on tackling discrimination linked to AI systems and strengthening accountability for technology-facilitated violence.

Tackling AI Bias

One of the recommendations focuses on equality in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. It urges governments to ensure that discrimination is prevented throughout the lifecycle of AI systems — from design and training to deployment and eventual retirement.

The guidance highlights concerns that AI tools trained on biased data may reinforce stereotypes or produce discriminatory outcomes, particularly affecting women and other marginalized groups. To address these risks, the recommendation emphasizes transparency in AI decision-making and calls for systems to provide clear explanations for how automated outcomes are generated.

It also identifies sectors where AI could have particularly strong impacts on equality and urges stronger safeguards and remedies where discrimination occurs.

Addressing technology-facilitated violence

The second recommendation targets technology-enabled violence against women and girls and represents the first international legal standard specifically focused on the issue.

The document outlines how anonymity, fragmented laws, and cross-border challenges often allow harmful online behavior to persist without accountability. It calls on governments to strengthen legal and institutional responses, extending accountability beyond criminal law into civil and administrative frameworks.

The guidance also promotes a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach, encourages cooperation between governments, technology companies, and civil society, and calls for “safety-by-design” principles to ensure that digital platforms and products do not enable abuse.

The recommendations were developed by the Council of Europe’s Gender Equality Commission along with other expert committees focused on anti-discrimination and criminal justice.

The framework will be formally launched on June 10, 2026, at the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg during an event focused on turning the new standards into concrete action.