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Reply to Recommendation | Doc. 12822 | 17 January 2012
The religious dimension of intercultural dialogue
1. Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1962 (2011) on “The religious dimension of intercultural dialogue”
deals with an issue that is topical in a diverse Europe and in today's
globalised world: the need for effective dialogue between different
individuals, groups, communities and religions. The challenge to
be taken up is the development of inclusive societies, within which
diversity can make a positive contribution.
2. The Committee of Ministers fully concurs with the Parliamentary
Assembly's assertion of the inalienable nature of the right to freedom
of thought, conscience and religion, as guaranteed by Article 9
of the European Convention on Human Rights. It also underlines the
importance of respect for freedom of expression to enable fruitful
exchanges on the aspects of intercultural dialogue linked to religious
and non-religious convictions.
3. The Committee of Ministers welcomes the Assembly's positive
evaluation of the White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue and of the
Exchanges on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue.
It recalls that its primary goal in organising these exchanges is
to promote and reinforce the fundamental values of the Council of
Europe, so as to foster within European society mutual respect and
understanding. The aim is to involve in this goal, through open,
transparent dialogue, the representatives of the religions and non-religious convictions,
as well as other actors of civil society. In this connection, the
Committee of Ministers considers that the Exchanges, in their present
form, respond to a certain extent to the proposal of the Assembly.
The Committee of Ministers may however return at a later stage,
if appropriate, to the idea raised by the Parliamentary Assembly
as regards a more stable Council of Europe platform for such a dialogue
(paragraph 17 of the recommendation). The policy of the Council
of Europe towards neighbouring regions shall be taken into account
in this context.
4. Apart from the education system's role in fostering knowledge
and understanding of different cultures, to which the Assembly refers,
the Committee of Ministers wishes to underline the role played by
action in the fields of youth, culture and the media. The Council
of Europe has a lengthy experience of cultural diversity and intercultural
dialogue among young people. In this context, it works in close
co‑operation with civil society, in particular youth organisations.
5. Regarding the role of the media, the Committee of Ministers
refers, inter alia, to the
public service media (PSM), which have a particular obligation to
encourage intercultural dialogue and foster social cohesion. In
this connection, the Committee of Ministers refers to its Recommendation
CM/Rec(2007)3 on the remit of public service media in the information
society.
6. The positive contribution of the media to the religious dimension
of intercultural dialogue was also mentioned at the last two Exchanges,
held respectively in September 2010 in Ohrid and, more recently,
on 28 and 29 November 2011 in Luxembourg, on the theme “The role
of the media in fostering intercultural dialogue, tolerance and
mutual understanding: freedom of expression of the media and respect
towards cultural and religious diversity”. The 2011 Exchange focused
in particular on the impact of new media and social networks accessible
via the Internet, which offer opportunities for intensifying communication
and exchange among cultures.
7. The first theme on which the Exchanges were held was the teaching
of religious facts. Discussions were largely based on Recommendation
CM/Rec(2008)12 on the dimension of religions and non-religious convictions
within intercultural education, as a key element of the normative
framework in this field. In this connection, the Committee of Ministers,
referring to the Assembly's proposals concerning teaching on religions and
denominational education (paragraphs 13 and 14), points out that
the above-mentioned recommendation advocates that teaching about
the diversity of religions and non-religious convictions is consistent
with the aims of education for democratic citizenship, human rights
and respect for equal dignity of all individuals.
8. The Steering Committee for Education (CDED) also gives a special
place to intercultural dialogue within its programmes, particularly
in its projects relating to intercultural education. The issue addressed
by the Assembly's recommendation was partly covered by its project
“The challenge of intercultural education today: religious diversity
and dialogue in Europe”, which allowed considerable progress to
be made in respect of the conceptual development, content and learning
methods of intercultural education in its religious dimension.
9. In this context, the Committee of Ministers also wishes to
draw attention to the work of the European Wergeland Centre (Oslo,
Norway), which is currently co-operating in the implementation of
a project to alert those responsible for education policies in the
member States to Recommendation CM/Rec(2008)12. It welcomes the
Assembly's interest in this Centre and will bear in mind its suggestions,
as well as those concerning the joint Council of Europe/European
Commission project on intercultural cities.
10. With regard to the Assembly's recommendation concerning promotion
of the accession of Mediterranean Basin States to certain enlarged
agreements or enlarged partial agreements of the Council of Europe,
the Committee of Ministers points out that a number of these States
are already members of the Venice Commission, which is heavily involved
in fostering democratic governance in the countries of the southern
rim of the Mediterranean. Efforts to dialogue and conduct co-operation
activities with countries of the region are also being pursued,
particularly in the framework of the North-South Centre, as well
as in the fields of education, languages, youth and intercultural
dialogue. Following the Committee of Ministers' decision, at its 121st
Session in Istanbul on 11 May 2011, to establish a new policy regarding
the relations with neighbouring regions, contacts have been developed
with the Moroccan and Tunisian authorities, at both political and technical
levels, so as to devise action plans laying the foundations for
strengthened co‑operation. It is hoped that these action plans can
be adopted by the Committee before the end of the year, provided
the progress of the discussions with the authorities of the two
countries so permits.
11. The Committee of Ministers underlines the importance of developing
synergies and promoting joint activities relating to the religious
dimension of intercultural dialogue. A positive example was the
Lisbon Forum 2010 (4-5 November 2010), organised by the North-South
Centre in partnership with the Alliance of Civilizations on the
theme “Freedom of expression, conscience and religion”. This event
constituted a follow-up to the conference on “Religious freedom
in democratic societies” organised by the Alliance of Civilizations and
the European Union (Cordoba, 3-4 May 2010) and the Council of Europe
2010 Exchange on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue
(Ohrid, 13-14 September 2010).
12. Cultural diversity in Europe is manifested not only through
recent migration but also through the legacy of the past which is
a testimony of the historic presence of different cultures and religions.
The active respect for diversity, promoted by the Council of Europe
as a common European value, should apply also to historical monuments
or places of worship as part of a built heritage of different religions
and convictions, also other than those prevailing on a given territory,
as suggested by important Council of Europe documents such as the White
Paper on Intercultural Dialogue and the Faro Convention on the Value
of Cultural Heritage for Society. The heritage dimension of intercultural
dialogue could also be explored through the work of the European Wergeland
Centre and through the Joint Council of Europe/European Commission
projects on intercultural cities and on the rehabilitation of heritage.