PACE meaning in Regional ?

What is Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe mean?

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 47-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

The Assembly is made up of 324 members drawn from the national parliaments of the Council of Europe's member states, and generally meets four times a year for week-long plenary sessions in Strasbourg.

It is one of the two statutory bodies of the Council of Europe, along with the Committee of Ministers, the executive body representing governments, with which it holds an ongoing dialogue. However, it is the Assembly which is usually regarded as the "motor" of the organisation, holding governments to account on human rights issues, pressing states to maintain democratic standards, proposing fresh ideas and generating the momentum for reform.

The Assembly held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, making it one of the oldest international assemblies in Europe. Among its main achievements are:

ending the death penalty in Europe by requiring new member states to stop all executionsmaking possible, and shaping, the European Convention on Human Rightshigh-profile reports exposing violations of human rights in Council of Europe member statesassisting former Soviet countries to embrace democracy after 1989inspiring and helping to shape many progressive new national lawshelping member states to overcome conflict or reach consensus on divisive political or social issues reference