Speech at the presentation of the 2007 Max van der Stoel award
Speech by Maxime Verhagen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, at the presentation of the 2007 Max van der Stoel Award,
16 October 2007, The Hague
(Introduction)
Mr Vollebaek, Mr Van der Stoel, Mr Ekeus, ladies and gentlemen,
I’m delighted to be here today to present the third Max van der Stoel Award. It’s an honour to present such an important award – an award that honours the work of Max van der Stoel, one of my predecessors. When he retired as the first High Commissioner on National Minorities in 2001, the Netherlands decided to create an international award bearing his name, because of his special efforts to promote human rights, his expertise and his balanced approach to minority issues. The Max van der Stoel award is presented every two years to a person, group or organisation for special services to national minorities in the OSCE area.
It is a pleasure to present the award in the company of Mr van der Stoel’s eminent successors, Mr Ekeus and Mr Vollebaek. I would like to thank Mr Ekeus for his tireless efforts to promote the rights of minorities over the last six years. And I welcome Mr Vollebaek in his new position. I am pleased that someone with such a wealth of experience at the OSCE – both as Chairman-in-Office and as Chair of the Panel of Eminent Persons – will hold this post, and I wish you all the best in the years to come.
(Human rights central to Dutch foreign policy)
Ladies and gentlemen,
Protecting minorities is an important part of Dutch human rights policy. Promoting human rights and ensuring they are observed and respected are central concerns of my foreign policy. Because for me, foreign policy is not about abstract ideas. It is about people, about their freedom and about their rights. Especially now, when it seems human rights can’t be taken for granted. That is why I will present a new human rights strategy to Parliament shortly.
Drawing attention to human rights is not something we do for show, but from a deep moral conviction. Human dignity, justice, freedom, mutual respect, tolerance and solidarity are the cornerstones of a civilised society. These are values that we in the Netherlands cherish, and that we seek to promote abroad. Human rights are the expression of these values. You cannot have stable, democratic and prosperous societies, that offer legal certainty, without respect for universal and indivisible rights.
The message at the heart of our human rights policy is very simple: human rights apply to everyone, everywhere and at all times. There can be no compromise on this point. Universality is a key concept in human rights. Nobel Prize winner René Cassin, speaking of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights when it was newly drawn up in 1948, underlined this in the following words:
“The other salient characteristic of the Declaration is its universality: it applies to all human beings without any discrimination whatever; it also applies to all territories, whatever their economic or political regime.”
Anyone, whether they are a Roma in Moldova, a Buddhist monk in Burma, a victim of the conflict in Darfur, a journalist in Iran or a farmer in Zimbabwe, should enjoy the same protection from the international human rights system. Because all of them are equally human. Cultural or religious differences may never be an excuse to undermine the universality of human rights.
(Importance of principle of non-discrimination for minorities)
Ladies and gentlemen,
One of the cornerstones of the human rights system is the principle of non-discrimination. It comes up time and again in all the main human rights conventions. A state should treat all its citizens equally, without discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion or other grounds. Our own Constitution enshrines this principle. It is of particular importance to minorities, who often occupy a vulnerable position in society. The key to protecting minorities lies in equality before the law and non-discrimination.
Human rights violations often involve discrimination and intolerance towards minorities. Threats to the rights of minorities increase the risk of conflict. Adequate protection of the rights of national minorities can help to reduce tensions that may spark violence within states. In the words of Max van der Stoel:
“(...) respect for human rights, including minority rights, is the basis of peace and security. It should be no surprise, then, that the blatant and persistent disregard for the rights of persons belonging to minorities has led to so many wars both within and between States.”
Respect for the rights of minorities is specifically included in the accession criteria for states seeking to join the EU. These criteria are rightly mentioned in the EU reform treaty.
But I see protecting minorities as more than a means to an end. We should also be moved by humanitarian considerations. In other words, guaranteeing the rights of minorities is not just in our collective interests. It is also our moral duty.
(The human dimension of the OSCE)
Ladies and gentlemen,
The human dimension of the OSCE involves protecting and promoting human rights, fundamental freedoms, democratic institutions and the rule of law. It is just as important for maintaining peace and stability as the two other dimensions – the economic and environmental dimension and the political and military dimension. All 56 OSCE participating States have pledged to respect democratic principles and human rights as a whole. This follows from the OSCE’s position that a failure to respect human rights can be a destabilising factor.
The importance of maintaining the OSCE as the human rights platform for the entire OSCE area cannot be over-stressed. In this respect, the role of the High Commissioner on National Minorities is paramount, because when human rights are violated, it is often minorities who suffer. The High Commissioner’s task is to identify and seek early resolution of ethnic tensions. This involves working with OSCE missions, the OSCE special representatives, OSCE institutions and the OSCE chairmanship, as well as engaging in constructive dialogue with the governments and minorities involved. For example in Kosovo the OSCE role in protecting human rights, including those of the Serbian minority, is crucial for the stability in the region. That is why the Netherlands has seconded four human rights experts to the OSCE mission in Kosovo.
Critics claim that the “West” has imposed the human dimension and applied it to the “East” in a too one-sided manner - the Russian Federation, Belarus, the Caucasus and now Central Asia. They say that OSCE activities in this field are not spread evenly across Europe and North America. May I stress that the same principles apply to the entire OSCE region. When checking that human rights and democratic principles are being upheld, we must also look west of Vienna. An integrated and balanced approach is necessary. And yet we must alas conclude that abuses concerning human rights and election processes are still more numerous east of Vienna. This has to do with the legacy of the Cold War: many East European countries simply have less experience of open, democratic societies.
However, this does not mean that we can turn a blind eye to events west of Vienna. Western Europe is experiencing growing tensions due to the presence of “new minorities”. The rights of these minorities, too, need to be protected.
It is against this background that I welcome the efforts of the three special OSCE representatives that promote tolerance and combat all kinds of discrimination. In addition, it is my view that the High Commissioner on National Minorities, in carrying out his mandate, should also take steps when the rights of new minorities are under pressure. Former High Commissioner Ekeus has taken some interesting initiatives in this respect.
The OSCE provides a bridge between countries to the east and to the west of Vienna. The Netherlands will make every effort to ensure that it continues to play this important role. But for this to happen, all the countries in the OSCE area need to be able to identify with the organisation. And concrete results need to be achieved in various fields. These include conflict prevention and resolution, promoting tolerance and the principle of non-discrimination. The OSCE is and remains a political community of shared norms and values that we wish to see reflected throughout the entire OSCE region, from Vancouver to Vladivostok.
(Award winner: European Roma Rights Centre)
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is time to present the third Max van der Stoel Award, which this year goes to the European Roma Rights Centre in Budapest. The presence of some eight million Roma in Europe transcends the East-West debate within the OSCE. For the Roma live both west and east of Vienna.
What the Roma share – throughout Europe – is their often segregated and marginalised position in society. The European history of the Roma and Sinti peoples has been marked by persecution, repression and expulsion.
For many years, now, the European Roma Rights Centre has done excellent work to safeguard the Roma’s human rights. It does this through publicity, active lobbying, legal support and monitoring of countries and regions. The Centre also draws attention to abuses to enable a quick and effective response.
In recent years many OSCE countries have made progress in protecting the rights of Roma minorities. European antidiscrimination directives have been made law in all the new member states. At Maastricht, during the Dutch OSCE Chairmanship in 2003, the ministers adopted an Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area.
And yet the Roma still suffer discrimination in many countries, both in and outside the EU. According to a recent OSCE Status Report, racism and discrimination against Roma have increased during the last 15 years in the OSCE region. This applies in particular to racially motivated crimes, social and economic rejection and new forms of hostility such as (cyber-) hate speech. This is a matter for grave concern. It makes the work of the European Roma Rights Centre all the more relevant. That is why I am pleased that I will shortly be presenting the European Roma Rights Centre with the Max van der Stoel Award. May I congratulate its representative!
(Conclusion)
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is time to conclude and to present the award. Respect for human rights – including the rights of minorities – is a precondition for lasting peace, security and stability. The quality of a society is reflected in the way it treats its minorities.
Thank you.