Friends,
First of all, let me say that I am really glad to be back here again at the NGO forum as I was here last year. But I am actually even more glad that, since last year, I have met with many of you I see in this room – and others who are not in this room – on several occasions both here in Brussels, in Europe, in your home countries and across the world.
One year ago, we all thought that 2015 had been quite a challenging year and looking back at this year I think we can all agree that the set of challenges we are facing has even increased inside and outside the Union.
First of all, let me say that I am really glad to be back here again at the NGO forum as I was here last year. But I am actually even more glad that, since last year, I have met with many of you I see in this room – and others who are not in this room – on several occasions both here in Brussels, in Europe, in your home countries and across the world.
One year ago, we all thought that 2015 had been quite a challenging year and looking back at this year I think we can all agree that the set of challenges we are facing has even increased inside and outside the Union.
Those who know me, know also that I am normally positive and optimistic so I am sorry, I apologise, if I open on this negative note but I think that we are facing an incredibly difficult, terrible time when it comes to human rights situation in the world - and internally - this year.
So when we say that “the space for civil society is shrinking”, it might sound abstract to some, but for sure in this room it does not at all because you all know - and I have directly seen this every single time that I meet with you or your colleagues or friends in my visits - that this means something real in the real life. Freedom of speech and of expression is violated and restricted inside our same region.
I believe Aleppo embodies unfortunately all the untold stories of suffering and conflict. I will say a word on that in just a minute. But also the recent withdrawals from the International Criminal Court show the pressure that the international system of global governance has to withstand in these days.
But there are also some success stories we can celebrate, so I turn to my normal positive attitude, but I guess today it will be a bit of ups and downs. Some success stories to celebrate, little and big ones, at times that are very fragile achievements that we need to protect and preserve. In other cases there are first steps to build upon.
I think first of all in Colombia – where despite the STOPs and GOs, a new peace deal was approved just yesterday. Let me tell you this is I believe really a milestone agreement for all the victims of conflicts and it will provide a sound basis towards justice, reconciliation, and reaching the truth.
But I also think of the Sustainable Development Goals and SDG 16 in particular: the entire international community has recognised that there can be no sustainable development, when human rights are not fully respected and when people are tortured.
Let me add: there is no sustainable security when human rights are not fully respected. And I think that this concept of sustainable security is something we should use a bit more, because so many times we are faced with a sort of dilemma whether we need human rights or security in our societies. I remember very well when I attended this Forum last year: I told you “there is no security without human rights”, and “there is no security without democracy”. And I asked for your help in trying to spread that message – which is not an easy one to pass, including inside the European Union.
Today this is the core message of our Global Strategy of foreign and security policy that I presented during the summer. In the Strategy we do talk about “sustainable security”. And “sustainable security” requires resilient societies – not only resilient states or institutions -, where rights are respected, the institutions are trusted, democracy is strong and processes are transparent.
I will always be very clear on this: security and resilient, open societies go hand-in-hand and it is in the interest of security to invest in human rights. I will also be very clear on something else: torture and other human rights’ abuses don’t make a country more stable. Never, never. Torture cannot fight terrorism. On the contrary: torture makes a society less resilient; it weakens the legitimacy of institutions; and instead of fighting radicalisation, or preventing radicalisation – far from that - it only contributes to it. This has to go deeper in our policy making, in our social fabric I would say and here we need an alliance to spread this message.
This is what the Global Strategy is about; this is also what SDG 16 is about. We have all agreed upon these principles. But we also know that implementation is often very different and the toughest part of our work. This is why I am so glad we meet constantly and regularly. This is for me a need that I feel to work together because there are things you do better than we do, - that is absolutely clear -, there are fields where you need our support, there are many things where we can work hand-in-hand together and there are matters where policymakers need your guidance, your cooperation and also your critics – I will come to that also.
So how I see our work, our meetings, this forum itself that I know is going far beyond my chance to address you at this moment. All our meetings are not just “photo opportunities”; they are substance. And to me, from civil society representatives in our Eastern neighbours or in the gathering of Afghan women we hosted here in Brussels: every single meeting we have, every single opportunity we have is a chance to assess our policies, have a reality check and to work on the way forward with a direct contact with those who are on the ground working in human rights.
So we just mentioned two more recent meetings – and I apologise for all the others I won’t talk about, but I think they are somehow an example of why it is so important for me and for us – as European institutions – to work together with you.
One is something that happened yesterday. I had a meeting with the Syrian Women Advisory Board, a group of civil society representatives who are now advising the UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura. They come from different backgrounds and walks of life, they have different opinions and they share different political views. And still they manage to find a consensus among them on same issues which are very concrete proposals, and suggestions on the way forward and especially on the future of their country. I can tell you, without reading my notes and leaving a bit the script, that for me it was an amazing exchange.
I came out of that meeting thinking that we need more of these people taking also responsibility for decisions rather than some of the meetings we are used to attend from time to time. It was very pragmatic, very much goal-oriented, very much oriented on practical ways out of very difficult situations, knowing what the situations are and exactly because of that looking for the pragmatic way to get out of these difficult phases.
And I think that for instance of the many meetings I am having on the situation in Syria in these months with all the different stakeholders and the different parties in Syria this was one of the most useful one for getting a sense of the things we can do, especially for Aleppo and the humanitarian acsess, but also for the political transition.
Let me mention another meeting we had a few months ago, I guess with some of you in this room. It was a meeting focused on migration and we shared stories about the living conditions in refugee camps and in detention centres in some parts in Africa; we shared stories of the suffering of migrants all along the route and these are stories that many of you have seen, heard, I hope not experienced. These are the same stories I heard personally in Lampedusa every time I went: stories of torture, of slavery, of rape. And we could continue with a very dramatic list. Now preventing all this suffering is finally I believe a constant focus of our external policies on migration. We could argue for hours, and probably we would be on the same side whether this enough; whether this is too late; whether this is partially done in the right or in the wrong way. But believe me, this is the core interest I have in developing an external policy of migration that puts people and peoples’ rights at the core of it.
For instance, the prevention of human rights abuses is becoming an integral part of the work we do with security forces in Africa, around Africa, including in countries of transit for migrants, because we see that there is a major problem there, and we are aware of that. So rather than just pointing at it, we are trying to work with our African partners to improve it. Our training to security forces always includes a focus on fundamental rights, on the protection of women and the protection of children, on the protection of civilians, for instance in armed conflicts.
Just two weeks ago the Council endorsed a proposal I raised of a European framework to support security sector reform. And in the very first line of that proposal, which reflects what is going to be done, we explain that our goal is always to make the country’s security forces more respectful of human rights, which is also why, sometimes, we have difficulties in working with our partners. But this is for us a starting point.
Our new Action Plan for Human Rights talks about a “due diligence policy”: this means, in less bureaucratic terms, that we will ensure that all our support to security forces is consistent with the promotion of human rights.
The Action Plan covers five years, from 2015 to 2019: so next year we will be right in the middle of its implementation. That’s a crucial moment, that’s where principles must turn into concrete, measurable policies and results. And I can assure you that this approach, this “due diligence” approach is already at the core of our dialogues with our African partners. And as I told you, it's not often easy, but it's always consistent from our side.
So, this is also part of the reasons why I am glad we keep this constant dialogue and this constant exchange open between us. Even for the critics, you have sometimes to address the work of the European Union – by the way, sometimes critiques I share, even if I shouldn't say that too loudly. Because we can change the course of our policies listening to advice, listening to experiences on the ground. This is a very important contribution to our policy-making.
But there is another important contribution you can give – and you do give - to our debate, and that is to also recognise the positive stories. Because sometimes I see the positive effect that recognising and acknowledging the positive stories can have to encourage other people, other organisations, other human rights defenders to continue their work. The good, positive stories, little, big achievements of our cooperation on human rights.
So you know that the European Union is by far the first humanitarian actor in world, the strongest voice for human rights, the main diplomatic actor in support of human rights activists. And I am afraid this work will be even more relevant in what we can diplomatically call an evolving international environment. And let me be very blunt, we will be as Europeans and as the European Union in this field even more indispensable as a power for human rights around the world.
Actually, I see the clear risk that we will be an even more lonely power around the world in defence of human rights. If you look around, there are not many other places where we put human rights at the core of our policies. We can have shortcomings – we do, not only as institutions but also as human beings. But look around in the world and tell me where you find another region where still human rights are still are clearly and strongly at the core of our policies, starting from foreign policies and security policies, as I said, because this is a relevant part of our work. This is a problem, this is not something we are not proud of. We would like to be in a strong and large company. But I see that the shrinking space is also for policy makers that have at the core of their decisions attention to human rights and we have to stick even more together, I believe, in these times.
We need our citizens and our partners to know about the work we do, the work we do together. I think we need our citizens to acknowledge, to recognise, even to appreciate the added value of our European Union as a global actor in favour of human rights. And for doing so, Europe needs your voice. The critical one changes the core of the policies that can be adjusted and the positive voice when needs to be encouraged in a way that, believe me, is lonely one in these times. You cannot imagine how many times we raise human rights issues talks in our meetings and we are told: but you know you are the only ones telling us so. So we need to be together on this and we need to be - again this is praise from my side to you – encouraged and also we need some recognition when we take the courage of lonely messages we raise with some of our interlocutors.
We need your voice to talk about the results we manage to achieve together most of times, also because these are, as I said, positive stories that encourage many others around the world to continue the fight and to see that positive results are possible and are coming.
We need our voices to be heard when we manage to help setting free political prisoners or about justice reforms we have contributed to pass. Or about the human rights defenders we have helped escape from an imminent threat. We need to talk about the real stories behind the numbers and behind the principles and you are the ones who have the direct access to these real stories.
So I can promise I will keep working with you on this way, constantly supporting you, waiting and listening to your criticism; ready to hear them with an open heart and mind, ready to adjust; ready to use - if you allow me this term – your critics in the political decision-making because this is a work we can do together in different roles; ready to listen also to provocations; ready to support your daily work on the ground as we are doing everywhere in the world; ready to hear advices and suggestions; ready to amplify also the stories we are building together. Because we need, I think more than ever, our voices to join our passion to aliment each other and our daily work to constantly keep the right way. And my impression again is that this is needed and we are needed to each other now more than ever.
So I thank you very much for being here today, not only for listening to me – I am always a bit frustrated because I come here, I speak to you and then I leave which is something I hate to do. So next time - this is something we have to arrange - I sit, they speak and I take notes. Thank you very much and have a good continuation of the Forum.
I will always be very clear on this: security and resilient, open societies go hand-in-hand and it is in the interest of security to invest in human rights. I will also be very clear on something else: torture and other human rights’ abuses don’t make a country more stable. Never, never. Torture cannot fight terrorism. On the contrary: torture makes a society less resilient; it weakens the legitimacy of institutions; and instead of fighting radicalisation, or preventing radicalisation – far from that - it only contributes to it. This has to go deeper in our policy making, in our social fabric I would say and here we need an alliance to spread this message.
This is what the Global Strategy is about; this is also what SDG 16 is about. We have all agreed upon these principles. But we also know that implementation is often very different and the toughest part of our work. This is why I am so glad we meet constantly and regularly. This is for me a need that I feel to work together because there are things you do better than we do, - that is absolutely clear -, there are fields where you need our support, there are many things where we can work hand-in-hand together and there are matters where policymakers need your guidance, your cooperation and also your critics – I will come to that also.
So how I see our work, our meetings, this forum itself that I know is going far beyond my chance to address you at this moment. All our meetings are not just “photo opportunities”; they are substance. And to me, from civil society representatives in our Eastern neighbours or in the gathering of Afghan women we hosted here in Brussels: every single meeting we have, every single opportunity we have is a chance to assess our policies, have a reality check and to work on the way forward with a direct contact with those who are on the ground working in human rights.
So we just mentioned two more recent meetings – and I apologise for all the others I won’t talk about, but I think they are somehow an example of why it is so important for me and for us – as European institutions – to work together with you.
One is something that happened yesterday. I had a meeting with the Syrian Women Advisory Board, a group of civil society representatives who are now advising the UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura. They come from different backgrounds and walks of life, they have different opinions and they share different political views. And still they manage to find a consensus among them on same issues which are very concrete proposals, and suggestions on the way forward and especially on the future of their country. I can tell you, without reading my notes and leaving a bit the script, that for me it was an amazing exchange.
I came out of that meeting thinking that we need more of these people taking also responsibility for decisions rather than some of the meetings we are used to attend from time to time. It was very pragmatic, very much goal-oriented, very much oriented on practical ways out of very difficult situations, knowing what the situations are and exactly because of that looking for the pragmatic way to get out of these difficult phases.
And I think that for instance of the many meetings I am having on the situation in Syria in these months with all the different stakeholders and the different parties in Syria this was one of the most useful one for getting a sense of the things we can do, especially for Aleppo and the humanitarian acsess, but also for the political transition.
Let me mention another meeting we had a few months ago, I guess with some of you in this room. It was a meeting focused on migration and we shared stories about the living conditions in refugee camps and in detention centres in some parts in Africa; we shared stories of the suffering of migrants all along the route and these are stories that many of you have seen, heard, I hope not experienced. These are the same stories I heard personally in Lampedusa every time I went: stories of torture, of slavery, of rape. And we could continue with a very dramatic list. Now preventing all this suffering is finally I believe a constant focus of our external policies on migration. We could argue for hours, and probably we would be on the same side whether this enough; whether this is too late; whether this is partially done in the right or in the wrong way. But believe me, this is the core interest I have in developing an external policy of migration that puts people and peoples’ rights at the core of it.
For instance, the prevention of human rights abuses is becoming an integral part of the work we do with security forces in Africa, around Africa, including in countries of transit for migrants, because we see that there is a major problem there, and we are aware of that. So rather than just pointing at it, we are trying to work with our African partners to improve it. Our training to security forces always includes a focus on fundamental rights, on the protection of women and the protection of children, on the protection of civilians, for instance in armed conflicts.
Just two weeks ago the Council endorsed a proposal I raised of a European framework to support security sector reform. And in the very first line of that proposal, which reflects what is going to be done, we explain that our goal is always to make the country’s security forces more respectful of human rights, which is also why, sometimes, we have difficulties in working with our partners. But this is for us a starting point.
Our new Action Plan for Human Rights talks about a “due diligence policy”: this means, in less bureaucratic terms, that we will ensure that all our support to security forces is consistent with the promotion of human rights.
The Action Plan covers five years, from 2015 to 2019: so next year we will be right in the middle of its implementation. That’s a crucial moment, that’s where principles must turn into concrete, measurable policies and results. And I can assure you that this approach, this “due diligence” approach is already at the core of our dialogues with our African partners. And as I told you, it's not often easy, but it's always consistent from our side.
So, this is also part of the reasons why I am glad we keep this constant dialogue and this constant exchange open between us. Even for the critics, you have sometimes to address the work of the European Union – by the way, sometimes critiques I share, even if I shouldn't say that too loudly. Because we can change the course of our policies listening to advice, listening to experiences on the ground. This is a very important contribution to our policy-making.
But there is another important contribution you can give – and you do give - to our debate, and that is to also recognise the positive stories. Because sometimes I see the positive effect that recognising and acknowledging the positive stories can have to encourage other people, other organisations, other human rights defenders to continue their work. The good, positive stories, little, big achievements of our cooperation on human rights.
So you know that the European Union is by far the first humanitarian actor in world, the strongest voice for human rights, the main diplomatic actor in support of human rights activists. And I am afraid this work will be even more relevant in what we can diplomatically call an evolving international environment. And let me be very blunt, we will be as Europeans and as the European Union in this field even more indispensable as a power for human rights around the world.
Actually, I see the clear risk that we will be an even more lonely power around the world in defence of human rights. If you look around, there are not many other places where we put human rights at the core of our policies. We can have shortcomings – we do, not only as institutions but also as human beings. But look around in the world and tell me where you find another region where still human rights are still are clearly and strongly at the core of our policies, starting from foreign policies and security policies, as I said, because this is a relevant part of our work. This is a problem, this is not something we are not proud of. We would like to be in a strong and large company. But I see that the shrinking space is also for policy makers that have at the core of their decisions attention to human rights and we have to stick even more together, I believe, in these times.
We need our citizens and our partners to know about the work we do, the work we do together. I think we need our citizens to acknowledge, to recognise, even to appreciate the added value of our European Union as a global actor in favour of human rights. And for doing so, Europe needs your voice. The critical one changes the core of the policies that can be adjusted and the positive voice when needs to be encouraged in a way that, believe me, is lonely one in these times. You cannot imagine how many times we raise human rights issues talks in our meetings and we are told: but you know you are the only ones telling us so. So we need to be together on this and we need to be - again this is praise from my side to you – encouraged and also we need some recognition when we take the courage of lonely messages we raise with some of our interlocutors.
We need your voice to talk about the results we manage to achieve together most of times, also because these are, as I said, positive stories that encourage many others around the world to continue the fight and to see that positive results are possible and are coming.
We need our voices to be heard when we manage to help setting free political prisoners or about justice reforms we have contributed to pass. Or about the human rights defenders we have helped escape from an imminent threat. We need to talk about the real stories behind the numbers and behind the principles and you are the ones who have the direct access to these real stories.
So I can promise I will keep working with you on this way, constantly supporting you, waiting and listening to your criticism; ready to hear them with an open heart and mind, ready to adjust; ready to use - if you allow me this term – your critics in the political decision-making because this is a work we can do together in different roles; ready to listen also to provocations; ready to support your daily work on the ground as we are doing everywhere in the world; ready to hear advices and suggestions; ready to amplify also the stories we are building together. Because we need, I think more than ever, our voices to join our passion to aliment each other and our daily work to constantly keep the right way. And my impression again is that this is needed and we are needed to each other now more than ever.
So I thank you very much for being here today, not only for listening to me – I am always a bit frustrated because I come here, I speak to you and then I leave which is something I hate to do. So next time - this is something we have to arrange - I sit, they speak and I take notes. Thank you very much and have a good continuation of the Forum.
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