29.09.2008

Adress by Jorge SAMPAIO

United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations

on the occasion of the fourth part of the 2008 Ordinary Session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

(Strasbourg, 29 September 2008)

(Extract of the verbatim records)

Mr Jorge SAMPAIO (United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations) said that it was a great honour to address the Assembly, which was the oldest of European institutions. He paid tribute to the work that the Council of Europe had done over the last half century. As a convinced European, he held the norms and values propounded by the Council of Europe as vital.

He was very happy to speak to the Council on behalf of the United Nations. In 2005, Spain and Turkey set up the Alliance of Civilizations together with 90 other members. One priority of the Alliance was to examine the clash of cultures. Another, more positive, objective was to promote good governance of cultural diversity and mutual respect. The Alliance achieved these aims by promoting a number of projects in partnership with governments, non-governmental organisations and institutions such as the Council of Europe.

This year was the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, because of globalisation, human rights had come to be criticised. The universality of human rights needed to be viewed within the context of cultural diversity in its broadest sense. The recognition of cultural diversity created an unprecedented challenge. The Alliance refused to accept that the clash of civilisations was inevitable.

All parties welcomed the creation of the Alliance, although some did so with scepticism. This was why the Alliance had made prudence a virtue, and he was sure that this was the correct decision. The Alliance was the fourth pillar for sustainable development, and filled a hole in the political vacuum.

The Alliance needed to interact with the regional processes such as those led by the European Union, the League of Arab Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation, the African Union and the Council of Europe, in order for its affect to go beyond mere rhetoric. Civil society also needed to be mobilised in order to achieve the Alliance’s aims. It concentrated its efforts on intercultural co-operation and the development of good governance in the field of cultural diversity.

Co-operation with the Council of Europe would play a decisive role in achieving this objective. The Council of Europe had incomparable experience through its role after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and through the transition of various European countries to democracy. The Council of Europe was a very important partner for the Alliance, and he was therefore happy to sign the Memorandum of Understanding with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe later today.

The importance of the White Paper issued by the Committee of Ministers in May 2008 on intercultural dialogue outlined the principles and the road map for the enterprise. He was very pleased that this document existed in languages other than the official languages of the Council of Europe, French and English, and was available in German, Russian, Arabic, Italian and Portuguese. Furthermore, the North-South Centre was a natural partner for the Alliance, especially in relation to the Mediterranean, where it would enable a dialogue between cultures and religions. A number of activities would be undertaken at the Lisbon Forum in November to spread the universality of human rights. He felt that the Memorandum of Understanding would be a turning point in the relations of the Alliance and the Council of Europe.

(The speaker continued in English)

Since the 11 September 2001 attacks, the notion that we are facing a so-called “clash of civilisations” has, alas, gained increasing support. In reaction to this world view, initiatives aimed at fostering greater understanding between different faiths and cultures have proliferated.

More particularly, interfaith efforts are probably a reflection of increasing awareness in political circles of the importance of religious communities addressing the problems of an increasingly interdependent world. They also reflect a concern over the detrimental impact of religious extremism on global stability and the need to foster and strengthen more moderate and constructive forces within religious traditions as a bulwark against such developments.

For all these reasons, the Alliance expresses strong support and encouragement to all efforts that are inclusive of diverse religious leaders and activists in an effort to enhance and facilitate their contribution to cross-cultural understanding and peace building.

As an initiative with a global scope, the Alliance aims at consolidating its role within the UN Global Agenda as its pillar for good governance of cultural diversity and as a tool for conflict prevention and peace building.

When conflicts are framed in terms of identity rather than competing interests, they easily become intractable. Efforts to address cultural and religious divides are therefore of utmost importance and good governance of cultural diversity is part of any comprehensive approach to sustainable peace.

It goes without saying that political conflicts can be solved only through political negotiations. The long-term resolution of tensions between Muslim and Western societies, for example, cannot be achieved as long as some of the egregious sources of hostility are not successfully addressed.

But it is equally true that peace agreements rarely hold if they are not strongly backed by the communities involved. Many peace deals in the past have floundered because deep-seated suspicion and hostility remained, dividing people along cultural and religious lines. In other words, creating the necessary conditions for sustainable peace requires efforts of a different kind, aimed at generating a mind shift among divided communities. This can be achieved by instilling in people, particularly the young, the values of tolerance and respect for the other. People-to-people activities, also known as “city diplomacy”, youth exchange programmes and civic education also contribute to that goal, as do initiatives that promote informed debate in the media on immigration, integration and the management of cultural diversity.

That is why efforts to address cultural and religious divides are so important. They can help lift the hurdles that hamper negotiations and pave the way towards successful political dialogue. Post conflict, they can support the long and arduous process of reconciliation. And when the peaceful co-existence of different communities is being threatened by simmering tensions, these efforts can help prevent conflicts developing in the first place.

In my role as the United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, I have been promoting the implementation of national strategies for cross-cultural dialogue, helping to connect government policies with civil society initiatives aimed at reconciling divided communities. The Alliance also acknowledges the constructive role that religious communities can play in mediation and conflict resolution. To support this process, the Forum of the Alliance, held in Madrid last January, brought together religious leaders from across the world to identify and commit to strategies that support peace-building in their communities.

In order to help create the social conditions that foster tolerance and understanding, the Alliance also generates practical projects that promote co-operation among diverse cultural and religious communities. For instance, in January, it supported the launch of Silatech, a major youth employment initiative in the Arab world. Supported by an international partnership that transcends cultural and religious divides, this project will help the process of job creation and enterprise, connecting first-time job seekers to networks of employers and providing them with training and resources to build their skills and access capital.

Addressing prejudice and stereotypes that increase polarisation among cultures is equally and vitally important. To this end, an Alliance of Civilizations media fund was created earlier this year, with the support of major Hollywood companies, to finance mainstream productions that challenge negative portrayals of minorities. With a view to promoting informed debates on sensitive international issues in the media, the Alliance has also developed an online resource of global experts who can provide analysis and commentary to journalists in times of intercultural crises.

The strategy of the Alliance of Civilizations is to work on all these fronts with all partners as it recognises the importance of facilitating dialogue in a variety of ways. As you know well, these are of course all long-term efforts. They will not bear fruit overnight, but their importance should not be underestimated. As much as mediation and hard-edged political negotiations, they are essential to build conditions for sustainable development and lasting peace. To achieve these goals, we should stand united in our common endeavours in contributing to make the world a better place to live in.