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Contribution by the President for the Plennary Session 1 at the Alliance of Civilizations Forum

Istanbul, 6.4.2009  |  speech


Contribution prepared by the President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Danilo Türk for "the Plenary Session 1: Shaping the Global Agenda in Times of Crisis - Why does Good Governance of Cultural Diversity Matter?" at the Alliance of Civilizations Forum
Istanbul, 6 April 2009


President Danilo Türk attends the 2nd Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations (FA BOBO)Since the start of the initiative Alliance of Civilization in 2005 has been impressive and has proved the vitality of the initiative and a great need for strengthening of intercultural dialogue, for fostering of understanding among civilizations and for development of practical strategies in this context.

Slovenia has joined in this effort in two ways: First, in the first half of 2008, in its capacity as presiding member state of the EU, Slovenia has put intercultural dialogue and the activities of the Alliance of Civilizations high on its agenda and, second, we have devoted our energy to follow up activities. These activities include action at home, a variety of initiatives in South East Europe and the Mediterranean and participation in the global activities such as the current Forum. Slovenia has formulated a comprehensive action plan for the Alliance of Civilizations for 2009. It is interesting to see how many practical initiatives have already started to produce, or at least promise results.

The World and its public opinion has not yet grasped all the dimensions of the current crisis.

The situation started as a financial and economic crisis requiring a global and well coordinated policy response. This is being understood and some encouraging steps are being made, as witnessed at the recent G20 Summit in London. It is not yet entirely clear, however, whether the conditions for the much needed structural reforms, including those affecting the IMF and the UN Security Council already exist. It seems necessary to strengthen the efforts in this direction.

Moreover, the current crisis affects the basic values upon which different societies are founded and basic questions of social development are raised again. Let me list some of these questions: What needs to be done to ensure the necessary social solidarity and cohesion? What kind of traditional and innovative social safety nets need to exist to help those affected the most? How to address the needs of the most vulnerarable, including ethnic minorities and immigrant communities? How to address the public opinion, in particular in those societies where discontent may turn into new types of prejudice, xenophobia and incitement to ethnic hatred? How to govern cultural diversity? Obviously, not all the issues are new and some of the answers must be based on the time tested principles and good practices.

It goes without saying that the existing body of principles and norms of human rights represent the essential framework for policy making in matters of cultural diversity. Human rights are the principal civic conceptual platform upon which a productive policy debate can take place.

Human rights are universal and, importantly, provide space for interpretation in their actual social context. As a result there is, in human rights, a margin of appreciation which allows appropriate law making and policy making.

Let us take the example of the freedom of opinion and expression. International instruments in the field of human rights clearly declared that right as fundamental. However, it is also recognized that the exercise of this right carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may be therefore subject to certain restrictions. However, those restrictions must be provided by law and must be deemed necessary for respect of the rights or reputation of others or for the protection of national security or public order or of public health or morals.

Obviously, the concept of public morals is understood differently in different societies, and, importantly in different civilizations. It is therefore important to recognize the sensitivities which accompany this concept and the resulting differences in legislation and policy making within different societies. At the same time it has to be accepted that restrictions based on public morals, for example, do not derogate the principle of freedom of expression itself. There has to be a hierarchy between the principle and its permitted exceptions. The margin of appreciation has its limits defined by the core principle itself.

The principle of constitutionality is another basic principle of policy making for cultural diversity. Immigrant communities and ethnic minorities have to respect the constitutional order in the societies in which they live. In case of conflict between a constitutional principle and cultural tradition, the former must prevail. Hence, the interpretation of the extent of freedom of expression in a particular society will be determined by its constitutional order which everybody in that society needs to accept. Constitution is the basis of social order and remains essential for the governance of cultural diversity in times of crisis.

Obviously, any application of principles and any discussion on the margin of appreciation needed for the acceptance of restrictions of human rights gives rise to difference of opinion and, sometimes to social tension. The key to the solution in such situations is dialogue and persuasion. The absence of the needed dialogue may turn into a major policy failure: It creates an impression of rejection. It creates an impression that the gap between different cultures is deeper than it actually is.

So let me conclude: The principles and norms of human rights are the platform for policy making of cultural diversity. Constitutionality is essential for social cohesion and has to be respected by everybody. And finally, dialogue is vital to remove misunderstandings, to lessen the tensions and to prevent tensions degenerating into conflict.

There are lessons learned in policy making and they can be summarized rather succintly. Some of the examples include:
  • Anti-discrimination must be a matter of deliberate and active government policy;
  • Upward mobility of people belonging to different cultural and religious backgrounds is needed to demonstrate success of anti-discrimination policy;
  • Education is the key to success: access to quality education for all is the test of respect for cultural diversity and dignity of people belonging to different cultural groups;
  • Success in education and employment strengthens the sense of self respect and pride of one's own cultural identity;
  • Success must be made visible. Nothing succeeds like success.

In Slovenia we are trying to give these broad policy prescription specific legal and policy content. One of the tests is the situation of Roma communities in our country. Our current efforts are focused on education, on the activities of the Roma women's groups and, in particular, on the participation of Roma representatives at the municipal level and at the state level of policy making.

Slovenia is trying to make its contribution to the intercultural dialogue in the Western Balkans. A special task force has been created by the Government in 2005 and has started a variety of programs for the region.

The Euro-Mediterranean University created in 2008 in Portorož, Slovenia, provides an appropriate institutional basis for the implementation of some of the key policies developed within the Alliance of Civilizations, bringing together participants from both the northern and the southern rim of the Mediterranean in jointly coordinated research and educational programs.

In conclusion I would like to stress that policy making in the time of crisis requires careful identification and application of the best experience gained in the "normal times". They include both the application of principles and the choice of specific policies. Taken together they have the capacity to become part of the transformative process which is likely to take place as a result of the current crisis.
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