International Conference on “Local democracy and youth”

Baku, Azerbaijan - 18 June 2014

Speech by Lars O. Molin, Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Improving access of young people to fundamental social rights: education and training – employment - health care -housing

It was Eleanor Roosevelt that once said: “It is in the local community, close to the home … that people seek justice, equal opportunities and equal dignity without discrimination. If these rights have no significance there, then they are of no great importance anywhere else either.”

I must say that I fully share this view. Democracy starts at local level, and there is no democracy without human rights.

The Commissioner of Human rights of the Council of Europe stressed last week in one of his viewpoint, that young people have been one of the groups hardest hit by the economic crisis in Europe, with youth unemployment being the most common pathology of many countries implementing austerity measures.

And it is not only the social and economic rights of young people that are being undermined, but also their right to participation, and their place in society in general at local, national and European level.

Mr MIUZNIEKS underlined that due to chronic unemployment, many young people are losing hope in the future of their countries, their faith in the political elite (and I would add whatever the level of governance is- be it local, regional or national), and their belief in Europe. A right-based approach should replace the current neglect of young people in discussions about the crisis.

In this respect, the Congress of local and regional authorities has a key role to play. And I am pleased to say that he does play a role in this field with awareness raising of local and regional authorities which are the best placed to protect and implement -as much as they can during the crisis- young people’ economic and social rights.

A few years ago, the Congress decided to look closely at the situation of human rights and their implementation at grassroots level. This decision was triggered by the discussions at the Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy in Sigtuna, Sweden, in 2007, which focused on the interdependence of democracy and human rights. These are two sides of the same coin, and both are indispensable requirements of good governance which we are striving to build in our local and regional communities.

The decentralisation of power in Europe today, the transfer of competences to local and regional levels, made possible by the European Charter of Local Self-Government and its principle of subsidiarity, gives real and concrete contents to the responsibilities of local and regional authorities for running their communities, including responsibilities in matters of human rights.

The universe of human rights today has become extremely diverse, involving political, civil, social, economic, cultural and religious rights, minority rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, youth’s right in general – this is a long list. This universe is too much to handle for national authorities alone, ensuring the full exercise of human rights and preventing their violations – they must have partners at all levels of governance in addressing these issues.

This is why we in the Congress are convinced that human rights are a shared responsibility. Their exercise in our societies is only successful to the extent to which the political, economic and social conditions existing in our communities allow for it. It is clear that adopting “good laws” in parliaments is not nearly enough to guarantee the respect of human rights. It is also the fact that today, national governments, through their human rights structures, have to respond to the situation already existing on the ground, and to interact with local and regional authorities on putting in place appropriate practices.

While the first set of rights (namely political and civil rights) whose implementation is to be assessed relate mainly to the State, the economic, social and collective rights are of high relevance the work of local authorities and therefore of the Congress.

That is why I should also refer to the direct responsibilities of local and regional authorities notably as regards the situation of their young citizens in matters of social rights, access to which is ensured to a great extent by local and regional authorities: allocation of housing, regulations for local employment, access to health care services and to schooling, and even to higher education in certain regions – ……I could continue with this list, …..but I will not as we could spend the day on it!

Local authorities are already involved with human rights issues, whether they want it or not – by virtue of their competences. For example, over the past weeks ago, I read in the press about court decisions in one member state of the Council of Europe, the court overruling and striking down municipal ordinances on the grounds of discrimination. In one case, children were denied school books because of their parents’ debt to the school canteen. In another, children were actually denied access to the school canteen because their parents – both unemployed – could not afford to pay for it. The court found these practices discriminatory.

In general, the question of discrimination versus equal treatment and equal access to public services features high on the agenda of human rights protection at local and regional levels, and the Congress will be continuing looking into this issue as a priority when assessing human rights implementation in our communities.

Non-discrimination is indeed an entry point in the human rights defence mechanisms, an “umbrella” feature if you wish, because the right to non-discrimination ensures guarantees for the equal protection and exercise of other rights.

The Congress concentrates its efforts to observe the situation of human rights at local and regional levels by referring to a series of rights that include - but are not limited to – first and foremost, as I have already mentioned, the right to non-discrimination, but also the right to assembly, freedom of expression and access to justice as well as the right to education,  work,  health, social protection and local public services, housing.

In this respect, Ladies and Gentlemen, let me share with you a few revealing figures and examples provided by the Commissioner whom I quoted a minute ago:

In March 2014, the youth unemployment rate (under 25 years) was 22.8% in the 28 members of the Council of Europe that are also European Union countries. While youth unemployment is a major concern, increasing attention is also being paid to the rising number of young people who are not in employment, education or training. A Eurobarometer survey published in April found that more than half of young Europeans felt young people had been marginalised and excluded from social and economic life by the crisis.

It is obvious that these difficulties that young people have to face in their transition from education to work can have long-term negative effects and impact their enjoyment of human rights.

Young people should be empowered to assert their rights to education, participation and non-discrimination, the freedoms of expression, religion and movement, and the right to a healthy life and reproductive rights. This requires strengthening awareness of human rights and opportunities for effective participation in social, economic, cultural and political life. We have to be sure that being young does not become an obstacle to the full exercise of human rights during the crisis and that young people can participate in local decision-making to voice their needs, hopes and fears.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me add in conclusion that the delivery of human rights, their exercise in our local and regional communities and prevention of their violations must be effectively assessed. And the best way to do it in my opinion is to meet local and regional elected representatives and to make them aware of their responsibilities in preventing human rights violations and to encourage and disseminate good practices when they exist. It is also the best way to encourage them to promote human rights values at local and regional levels, both among fellow elected representatives and among citizens.

Making local and regional elected representatives aware of their responsibilities to protect young people’s human rights, and to make these rights a reality, will empower future generations to have confidence in the future, even in difficult times. It will also help young people to make economic and social rights a reality. This can contribute to paving the way towards a society that is based on genuine local democracy. I am aware that this may sound idealistic, but I strongly believe in it.

Thank you for your attention.