ADDRESS BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU, PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE,

FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY MEETING ON THE OCCASION OF THE

THIRD GLOBAL FORUM OF THE ALLIANCE

OF CIVILISATIONS, IN RIO DE JANEIRO

THEMATIC SESSION 1:

DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNANCE AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY

(Rio de Janeiro, 28 May 2010)

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am honoured to share with you the experience of the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly, which I preside.

By its nature, our organisation, which is the largest pan-European forum for dialogue and cooperation, is the perfect illustration of the theme that we are discussing today: the link between democracy, good governance and diversity.

The Council of Europe was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. Its founders were determined to create a new order which would make it impossible to repeat the horrors of the war. Their brilliant idea was to unite friends and foes around a set of common values and principles, which are universal and apply to every human being on Earth.

These values are democracy, human rights and the rule of law. They are at the heart of the European Convention on Human Rights; they are equally the basis of an impressive corpus of legal instruments, standards, monitoring mechanisms, good practices and means of international cooperation which are offered at the disposal of its member states and beyond European boundaries.

Today the Council of Europe unites practically all the European countries, with one single exception, that of Belarus. All the diversity of political ideas, cultures, languages and religions is represented in it. And the key of its success is precisely this unity in the diversity. Our diversity gives us the wealth of ideas and good practices; whereas our unity, deriving from our shared values, gives the strength to overcome differences and tackle new challenges.

This, of course, does not mean that we have been successful in every respect. Our societies are far from being perfect. Discrimination and intolerance are amongst the most serious problems that the European countries are facing. These phenomena have been further exacerbated by the global economic crisis, by massive migratory movements and by the «war on terror».

Indeed while diversity, respect and tolerance provide a virtuous circle, inequalities may also be mutually reinforcing, creating conflicts dangerous to human dignity and social welfare and leading to extremism.

This is why governments have to address the root causes which create a fertile ground for political and cultural intolerance, such as poverty, discrimination and social exclusion. They should grand non-discriminatory access to employment, education, vocational training, housing and public services.

The Council of Europe considers cultural diversity and dialogue between cultures one of its priorities. One of its most important achievements is the White Paper on Intercultural dialogue, adopted in 2008. The White Paper is addressed to policy makers and practitioners at national, regional and local levels, to whom it will provide guidelines and tools for the promotion of intercultural dialogue.

The White Paper defines intercultural dialogue as an open and respectful exchange of views between individuals, groups with different ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds and heritage on the basis of mutual understanding and respect.

However, it is also essential to recall that intercultural dialogue does not mean to accept everything and that no cultural exceptions are admissible to the strict respect of human dignity and fundamental rights of the persons.

The White paper identifies several distinct yet interrelated dimensions to the promotion of intercultural dialogue.

In the first place, intercultural dialogue depends on the democratic governance of cultural diversity. We need to nurture a political culture which values diversity - in other words, even if democracy means that the views of the majority prevail, there should be a balance which ensures fair treatment of minorities and avoids any abuse of a dominant position. Such an effort involves a whole range of actors, to start with the educational system, law enforcement officials, politicians, the media and the civil society.

The democratic governance of diversity also means that every individual should not only have equal opportunities granted in law, but should also enjoy equal rights in everyday life. Over and above the principle of non-discrimination, states should also take positive-action measures to redress inequalities.

The second major policy area for intercultural dialogue is participation and democratic citizenship. Citizenship, in the broadest sense, is a right and a responsibility to participate in all aspects of public life together with the others. This is a key to intercultural dialogue because it replaces the standard thinking of «me and the others» by thinking of the others as fellow citizens and equals.

Facilitating access to citizenship is an educational just as much as regulatory and legal task. Citizenship enhances civic participation, and active participation by all residents in the life of the local community contributes to its prosperity and facilitates integration and social cohesion.

Another important area for the promotion of intercultural dialogue is the acquisition of intercultural competences. The Council of Europe has developed invaluable experience in the key competence areas such as education for democratic citizenship, multilingualism and history teaching.

Finally, intercultural dialogue would be unthinkable if it is not taken to an international scale. The Council of Europe is cooperating actively with all the major international actors in the field of intercultural dialogue, including the UN Alliance of Civilisations.

It makes a major contribution to spreading the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law through some of its specialised bodies. I would mention in particular, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), which monitors racism and all forms of related intolerance and discrimination in member states. More generally, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe plays a valuable role in promoting education in, awareness of and respect for human rights. The European Commission for Democracy through Law (“Venice Commission”), the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters, has played a leading role in the adoption of constitutions that conform to the standards of Europe's constitutional heritage and has expressed itself frequently on the rights of minorities. The “North-South Centre” has developed into an important place of dialogue between cultures and a bridge between Europe and its neighbouring regions.

In conclusion, I would say that cooperation and partnerships in the field of intercultural dialogue are vital in our modern globalised world. It is no longer possible to bring answers to the major challenges of our times - such as economic development, climate change, immigration and terrorism - in an isolated manner. These are global challenges that require global answers, which in turn are impossible without dialogue.