European Conference “Equal Opportunities for All”

The Hague, 28 November 2007

Opening Statement by Britt-Marie Lövgren on behalf of the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Mr Chairman,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour for me to address this Conference today on behalf of Halvdan Skard, President of the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, in my capacity as Rapporteur of the Congress’ Committee on Social Cohesion for equality issues.

The theme of this Conference, “Equal Opportunities for All”, encapsulates the philosophy which underpins our action in the social field today, as we are building a Europe where everybody feels equally included and empowered – a Europe of Inclusion. We are increasingly realizing that there can be no social cohesion without equality and equal opportunities for all.  

 

This is why in the Declaration of the Third Summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government, adopted in Warsaw on 16 th of May 2005, the member states strongly condemned all forms of intolerance and discrimination and underlined their determination to build cohesive societies in Europe by ensuring fair access to social rights, by fighting exclusion and by protecting vulnerable social groups. This, however, requires concerted action at all levels – pan-European, national, regional and local.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we speak of the need to see democracy in the light of human rights and human rights in the light of democracy – two interdependent foundations, which was also underlined at the Sigtuna Forum for the Future for Democracy earlier this year – we are becoming increasingly aware of the fact that equality and equal opportunities are central to effective human rights protection and, therefore, to democratic processes. More particularly, equality is fundamental to integration and building cohesive societies. A far-reaching local self-government is the level through which human rights are best realized, the level closest to the individual.

For the individual to experience a dynamic citizenship based on equal opportunities the following factors are required:

First, the securing of political equality through a general and equal right to vote as well as through equal opportunities in other parts of society. No one can be kept out, and everyone's opinions and will to participate must be of equal values. This can be done through the creation of clear anti-discrimination strategies in terms of legislation as well as through local policies and action programs.

Second, one must offer a meaningful participation. In other words, those with power must have a genuine interest in the experiences, knowledge and opinions of individuals and groups. This can be done through the creation of consultation processes in which individuals and groups are invited to participate.

Third, one must create systems which are transparent and which contribute to openness and the opportunity for insight. The citizen must be able to see where, and by whom, decisions are taken as well as being able to require the acceptance of responsibility for the decisions. This can be done by fighting corruption, creating a platform for a political opposition and through providing the citizen with the opportunity to report and appeal violations of integrity, when they occur.

If we can provide such a society, we will contribute not only to equal treatment but also empowerment as a side effect as well as hopefully the individual's belief in her or his own future.

We, local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe, have a special role to play. The obstacles for integration and inclusion in society are mostly met for the first time in daily life at the local level. We have to deal with those challenges and provide the opportunities for our citizens. The next step in our inclusion policy is to develop local action plans. Those action plans will help us to implement the ambitions we have for inclusion policy and also help all vulnerable groups to have equal opportunities in society.

Results and real change are only achieved by moving from words to action through the development of various options and strategies. This is a long-term daily work.

 

It is clear that we cannot achieve true equality without addressing the issue of gender equality. In this respect, the Congress has been calling in many of its legal texts for the removal of obstacles to women’s participation in political life. The Congress has also been calling for raising awareness of the importance of gender mainstreaming in the media, and through education at all levels.

If we are to achieve a society based on equality, it is essential that local and regional governments take the gender dimension fully into account, in their policies and their practices. And in today's and tomorrow's world, the real equality of women and men is also key to our economic and social success - not just at European or national levels, but also in our regions, towns and local communities.

 

The Congress is involved in almost every field of activities of the Committee of Ministers’ Steering Group for gender equality, including action against trafficking in human beings, combating violence against women, gender mainstreaming, and women in politics and decision-making. The Congress is participating in Council of Europe campaigns against domestic violence and against trafficking in human beings; in particular, it organized poster campaigns against domestic violence in local communities across Europe, and adopted a Declaration on action to combat human trafficking, available for signature online on the Congress website.

I believe that equality goes hand in hand with integration. One cannot achieve genuine integration without providing equal opportunities for all. The Congress’ action on integration focuses in particular on access to social rights, such as housing, health, and education and culture, as well as on migration issues. 

Local authorities must also face the challenges of integrating immigrants into economic, social and cultural life of their communities. The exchange of experience of successful integration policy is therefore of increasing importance for local authorities.  

The objective of our joint initiative is to improve the situation of migrants in Europe’s cities, and their effective and sustainable participation and integration at local level.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, I would like to stress once again that we, elected representatives at national, regional and local level, we all have a responsibility to prevent social exclusion and therefore to preserve the social cohesion of our societies, for now and for the future. If we act together, we shall succeed in building a Europe of Inclusion, a Europe of Equal Opportunities for All – and the Council of Europe Congress is your reliable partner in this!

I wish this Conference every success.

Thank you.