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Summary: Speech by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
Ladies and Gentlemen, The drums of "Allons enfants de la batterie" have summoned us out of homes, schools, offices and meeting rooms and into the open to kick off the "All Different - All Equal" European Youth Campaign. Two years ago, while campaigning to become Secretary General, I made a personal commitment. I promised to mobilise the Council of Europe for a continuous fight against racism, anti-Semitism and islamophobia. The “All Different – All Equal” campaign of 1995 was for me an example and an inspiration. I am delighted that today my election pledge is becoming a reality as we launch the Second European Youth Campaign. This new campaign is not a simple repetition of the first, but it shares the same philosophy and, of course, the same slogan. The youth campaign of 10 years ago condemned discrimination based on ethnic origin and the colour of someone’s skin. This new campaign will have a wider focus. It will target not only racial and ethnic intolerance but also discrimination on the basis of someone’s beliefs, someone’s sexual orientation or someone’s level of physical or mental ability. This wider approach does not mean that racism is no longer a concern. On the contrary: as we know from the reports of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, racism has not vanished from European societies. But with our new campaign, we want to denounce all kinds of discrimination – even those very subtle forms which diminish the daily lives of people who are different in some way. Unlike 1995, this is not a campaign “against” but a campaign “for”, a campaign to bring our core values – diversity, human rights and participation – closer to the people of Europe. These three simple words carry three simple messages: Diversity is not only the stuff of life, it is what makes life exciting and challenging; The Youth Campaign will encourage young people to take action against abuses of human rights – to act now, in their towns, through their organisations, through the Internet. We should never take democracy and human rights for granted. Although is important to lay down principles in binding international conventions, these principles will only outlive the challenges of our time if they are embedded in the hearts and minds of people. If we walk away when skinheads beat up someone with dark skin, if we fail to condemn homophobic remarks uttered under the authority of a public office, if we do not react when a person in a wheelchair is overlooked for a job in favour of a so-called “able” candidate, we betray the value of respect. And there are very few steps from disrespect and discrimination to violence. The second Youth Campaign reflects the sort of thinking about human rights embodied in Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights. It defends the fundamental principle that the enjoyment of rights should be secured without any discrimination on any ground. We could have called it the “Protocol 12” campaign. But we felt that “all different all equal” had a special resonance and meaning to it. “All different – all equal” could actually be the slogan of the Council of Europe. In our values-based organisation, States which differ significantly in size, political structure and cultural background discuss and decide as equals how to further European unity. This is a campaign imagined, driven and carried out by young people and its goals are ambitious - but then young people usually are ambitious. I wish to thank sincerely all those, whose commitment and hard work have made it possible: colleagues from the Directorate of Youth and Sport, all the partners of the Youth Sector and particularly the European Youth Forum and the European Commission. In this venture, the youth organisations and networks will play a crucial role because they are closest to the grassroots level at which the Campaign will make its mark. I thank them for their strong commitment to this initiative and invite them to keep constantly in touch with the heart of the Campaign here in Strasbourg. I hope that NGOs will establish solid alliances with members of Parliament and with local and regional authorities which can do much to amplify the Campaign message and make it a reality on the ground. Finally, I call on all of you to get involved, to bang the drum and wave the banner of the Campaign. I call on you to make a difference so that tomorrow, through your beliefs, being and behaviour, Europe becomes synonymous with joyful diversity. Because diversity may be messy and noisy, but it carries the seed of life
Friends,
Human rights are not inborn – they need to be learnt in schools and through youth activities;
Democracy will not live on if the younger generations shy away from public life;