The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will be holding its 45th session from 24 to 26 October in Strasbourg. The election of a new President of the Congress, as well as Presidents of Congress’ Chambers and their vice-presidents will take place. Items on the agenda include “the role of local and regional authorities in ensuring accountability in the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine” with a debate on the International Register of Damage. The discussion will also focus on the situation of political activists under pressure in Russia. Other highlights include monitoring reports on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Estonia, Ireland and the Slovak Republic, and reports on the observation of local elections in Albania. Among the themes of the reports that will be discussed during the session are “Violence against local and regional elected representatives”; “The role of regions in energy transition”; “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: regional experience and lessons learned”; and “Local and regional media: watchdogs of democracy, guardians of community cohesion”. As every session, youth delegates from more than 40 member states will participate in the debates and present their own grassroots projects under the Congress’ “Rejuvenate Politics” initiative. The Congress will debate the involvement of young people “as a driving force for change”.