Here is the Keynote speech by Renaldas Vaisbrodas, President of the European Youth Forum, held during the Opening of the Conference on Monday, November 7th in Centrum Judaicum, Berlin.

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear participants,

I am very happy to be here in the conference and have the possibility to address you with at these interesting times…

In 2001, the European Youth Forum already took an active part in the Conference “Youth for Tolerance and Democracy” that took place in Berlin in October 2001. Last conference took place just one month after horrific attack on New York, our meeting these days should also be seen in the light of events taking place around us. A little bit more than a week ago, fire in Amsterdam airport detention centre took lives of 11 innocent people, for more than a week now an ongoing unrest continues in the suburbs of Paris and threatens to spread all over France. What type of equality we plead for, what type of tolerance and diversity we embrace in our societies? What is a bigger threat increasing “otherness” or ignorance of diversity?

Today, I am glad to present you some of the reflections on the way in which youth organizations have been involved in action for diversity and tolerance. I will assess how the broader Human Rights’ context evolved in Europe, the way in which these evolutions have affected young peoples’ lives and the work that youth organizations have been undertaking to promote an environment in which Human Rights are respected for a diverse and equal Europe.

Participants in the previous Conference highlighted the importance of developing a dialogue between religions and cultures as the most effective means to bar the trends that were already at that time observed in Europe towards the rise of Xenophobia and Intolerance, and towards an increased Islamophobia. The “fight against terror”, on the lips of decision makers today, worry many young people. Although we all agree on the high necessity to implement policies that assure adequate security to European citizens, we do at the same time question an observed trend that sees the fight against terrorism as a legitimate reason to commit Human Rights violations. Terrorism can only be fought against efficiently if holistic policies are implemented to provide people with an understanding of essential concepts such as Democracy and Human Rights.

Let me share with you a thought that is critical to understand the message I want to pass you on today. Europe is by nature a diverse continent, whose history has led diverse populations to live together. This diversity is an asset for the future of Europe as it is a key condition for our continent to seize the opportunities offered by the process of globalisation. In that, I am not referring to globalization as the economic reality we are living in today but as a multifaceted process in which cultures are communicating between them and people get the chance to know more about others. That is why globalization needs to be accompanied by policies that promote mobility. Current barriers to mobility, especially those ones inside the European continent, are unnecessary reactions that lead people to judging the others more than understanding them. How can we speak about a united Europe Union when the ten new comers are denied access to free movement in a large majority of the 15 old Member States?

The observed rise of nationalisms and intolerance in Europe should lead policy makers to embark on ambitious policies to promote diversity. Promoting diversity should mean to make people understand why our societies need it and how our societies can benefit from it.

But promoting diversity is not enough as its potentialities can only be fully embraced if Equality is promoted at the same time.

European Union has developed a real policy framework to promote equality through binding instruments such as the adoption of directives. Member States are currently working on implementing these directives and I want to stress here the importance of this exercise, notably to promote a socially cohesive Europe. In particular, age discrimination has been forbidden in the labour market by the 2000 directive (2000/78/EC) on “Employment Equality”. Today more than ever, I am convinced of the strong necessity to work more against the discrimination young people that are often victims of when acceding to the labour market. All young people, whatever their backgrounds are victims of age discrimination in entering the working life and many of them are facing “multiple discrimination”, either because of their ethnic origins, their sex and sexual preferences, or their physical and mental condition. This reality has to change rapidly and I am glad that Member States have put the implementation of the European Youth Pact in their middle term priorities inside the Lisbon strategy. The European Youth Forum will cooperate with its Member Organisations to make sure that Member States respect their commitment towards young people. Today, with an average of a double unemployment of young people than the general unemployment rate is and 19% of young people at risk of falling into poverty in Europe, young people are led to believe that they cannot influence their world. They are losing both self-confidence towards the exterior and self-esteem towards themselves and consequently do not understand how engaging themselves can help them improving their situation.

It is all the more important to develop ambitious policies to fight against discrimination and value diversity as a need, as the process of globalization draw attention to the social challenges that Europe is facing.
Nowadays, we are facing an important risk that the world population becomes divided between those who have received an adequate education that will allow them to take advantage of the opportunities created by a globalised world, and those who can only be the victims of globalization as their qualifications do not match the economic needs.

In May 2004, by organizing a broad European Conference on the issue of “Europe, Youth and Globalisation”1, with more than 300 young people attending, the Council of Europe has permitted to launch an important debate on the way in which young people want to influence the globalization process. This debate will be continued and the European Youth Forum is highly committed to contribute to it.

I acknowledge that the promotion of diversity is a complex exercise as it requires dealing with peoples’ mentalities and inherited stereotypes. That is why youth, through its representative youth organizations, should play an important role in this work. Indeed, younger generations are in a better position to understand the value of diversity as the globalised world we live in today is theirs more than their parents’. It is of utmost importance that young people are active in “shaping their world”. It is because “young people are co-creators in society and culture, shaping the environments in which we live, responding and stimulating contemporary cultural changes, and ultimately inheriting and adapting the social systems that are currently in place. Thus, it is a social responsibility of adults and institutions to educate and support youth to meet their current and future challenges as citizens”2.

In the European Youth Forum we greatly appreciate Council of Europe’s expertise on Human Rights Education currently developed in the frame of the HRE programme 2006-2008, in this we are convinced that Inter-religious and intercultural dialogue should find its way in as well as more emphasis should be placed on the global education dimension of the work. Moreover, the existing educational materials such as the Compass, should be promoted even further, while making it available to a wider public, notably through national formal education systems. In all this we promise our commitment and continuous engagement.

Youth organizations are already extremely active and perform a lot of missions that would normally fall in the hands of public authorities. In particular, youth organisations are actively involved for the promotion of equality within the European society. They voice the injustices faced by young people from minorities and of all these young people that are discriminated against because of their ethnic origins. They provide support to young disabled people that are facing too many challenges to find their way in the so called “normal” environment. Youth organizations call for the respect of choice when it comes to sexual preferences. In total, youth organizations help a lot of young people to choose their life in the society, either when the mainstream society does not fit anymore to their needs and expectations or because they want to get involved to change a social reality that they do not accept.

But Young people may only be “actors of change” if they are supported in their action by policy makers. Youth organizations should be supported in their work notably when it comes to build upon the others’ experiences. Youth Organisations’ Networking activities should be encouraged notably through the use of new technologies. The creation of DASH – Europe must be seen as a good example in this regard. For those of you who do not know about DASH-Europe, it is an internet platform of and for young people that was developed within the past three years with the support of the YOUTH programme of the European Commission and the German Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

The work done by youth organizations from local to global level should be more encouraged than it is the case today. Efforts have already been made in this sense, notably through the YOUTH Programme 2000-20063. The implementation of the “Youth in Action” Programme 2007-2013 should be respectful of the commitment already agreed upon by Member States to have a clear focus on the work done by youth organizations to promote young peoples’ social inclusion. The current negotiations that will lead to the adoption of the Financial Perspectives of the European Union for 2007-2013, hopefully this December, should secure adequate funding to the “Youth in Action Programme”.

Apart from increased financial support, youth organizations are calling for the development of new “partnerships” between public authorities and youth organizations at all levels. At the local level, this should be done through the implementation of the “European Revised Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life”. At national and European levels, existing good practices should be taken into consideration, the co-management systems respectively running in Lithuania and the Council of Europe Directorate for Youth and Sports, must serve as good examples of power sharing between youth organizations and public authorities, those examples should inspire establishment of spaces for structured dialogue that has an impact. The coming assessment of the implementation of the Open Method of Coordination in the youth field should be used as an opportunity to reinforce the need for this dialogue and recognition of youth participation in the European Union.

In total, youth work is not only an excellent means to promote “active citizenship” and social cohesion but also to help young people develop new qualifications that they would need in their adult working life.

Let move closer to concluding part of my intervention that would address initiatives and activities the European Youth Forum has undertaken for the development of Equality and Diversity in Europe.

The most remarkable example is the creation of an Expert Group on inter-religious dialogue, composed of religious youth organizations, and in which the European Youth Forum takes part as a facilitator. This expert group was launched following an event co-organised by the European Youth Forum and the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) whose title was “Muslim Youth in Europe – Enrichment of Society?”. Today this inter-faith group gathers around ten organisations and it has embarked on European activities with the financial support of the European Union. The European Youth Forum will closely follow its further developments as we believe that the promotion of inter-religious dialogue is critical to the development of a diverse yet equal European Society.

The European Youth Forum has also been very active for the promotion of equality of young women as well as young people with disabilities, by co-organizing two seminars, respectively with the European Women’s Lobby and the European Disability Forum in 2003 and 2004. Our work in the fields of Equality and Diversity will be further elaborated through the adoption of an important policy paper on the issue in the course of 2006.

Last but not least, because working for diversity and Equality in Europe is above all about reaching people and telling them about their rights and about the needs for change, not only the European Youth Forum but also a wide range of youth organizations are actively involved in the two Campaigns respectively led by the European Union and the Council of Europe. We have been very glad in the European Youth Forum to learn that young people will be a target group of the EU Campaign “for diversity – against discrimination”, and I want to confirm strong interest of the European Youth Forum to be involved in this Campaign in 2006. This is all the more important for us as this Campaign focuses on discrimination occurring in the labour market, a space where young people are bearing a lot of discrimination.

For the last two year European Youth Forum worked hard while promoting the idea for the launch of Council of Europe Campaign “All different – all equal” based on the results of the experiences 10 years ago and focusing on Human Rights, Diversity and Participation. This campaign should bring together our efforts in promoting peaceful societies that go beyond borders and walls it should reach out to all neighbourhoods, and communities. We have never been so different in Europe, but probably there was never such a pressing need for greater equality.

I want to encourage here the European Commission and the Council of Europe to collaborate further in these occasions so as to unite the forces available for and with young people. This is especially important as these coming activities have a real potential for improving the situation of millions of young Europeans. That is why I believe we must see the coming months with hope and trust in our capacity to help a lot of young people understand why we all need that they also get engaged to build a better society, in which equal opportunities are offered to all young people.

Thanks for your attention,

Renaldas Vaisbrodas
President of the European Youth Forum

1 “How big is your world? » Conference organized in Strasbourg , May 5th-8th 2004

2 Quotation from Robin Sclafani report and recommendations on « anti racism work with youth in the European Union ».

3 The following objectives have been included in the EC YOUTH Programme for 2000-2006:
- Open up greater access, in particular to young people living in difficult circumstances or young people with disabilities, whilst helping them to eliminate all forms of discrimination and promote equality at all levels of society;
- Permit young people to give free expression in their sense of solidarity in Europe and the wider world and support the fight against racism and xenophobia;
- Promote a better understanding of the diversity of our Common European culture and shared heritage.