Under
Interparlamentariska unionens 127:e session i Quebec i Kanada höll jag i tisdags ett anförande inför antagandet av Quebec City Declaration. Debatten och deklarationen tar sikte på "Citizenship, identity and linguistic and cultural diversity in a globalized world".
Här nedan finns mitt anförande i sin helhet:
"Mr President, Dear Colleagues,
May I first take the opportunity to thank the Canadian
hosts and congratulate you for your excellent arrangements, providing us with
an interesting and ambitious agenda. We are happy that the Assembly got a go
ahead, anything else seemed unacceptable, with only two weeks notice. But that
is history now, and we have to look ahead.
This
year, the brave Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg would have reached an age of 100
years. Wallenberg is recognized by Yad Vashem, the world center for documentation, research and education of the Holocaust, as a Righteous among the Nations for his work to save Jews in Hungary from
the scourge of the Holocaust. His courage and determination should be
remembered in the continuing fight against anti-Semitism and intolerance.
Sadly,
anti-Semitism is still alive in Europe and
elsewhere. Populist political parties are growing in many European countries
and their messages bear traits of xenophobia, nationalism and protectionism.
Those who
stand up for openness and tolerance are far too quiet. We have seen the
patterns before. As Parliamentarians, as democrats, we need to meet this
challenge head on. We have a duty to show leadership and courage in standing up
to hatred. This is the most important legacy of Raoul Wallenberg.
Fellow Parliamentarians,
We must emphasize our contribution to the peaceful
co-existence of ethnic, cultural, racial, linguistic and religious groups and
indigenous people and to international reconciliation. We must remember that
women belonging to minorities are particularly vulnerable. The United Nations
Alliance of Civilizations’ slogan ”Many Cultures, One Humanity” is the nail on
the head.
Three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts have a cultural dimension.
Bridging the gap between cultures is urgent
and necessary for peace,
stability and development.
Conflicts begins in the hearts and minds of people.
Conflicts between cultures or civilizations are often founded in a fear of the
Other which stems from ignorance and misunderstanding. Political leaders have a responsibility. We need to take concrete
actions to stop intolerance. Within the framework provided by international law
and standards we can work to advance peaceful relations at national and
international levels.
One of the most fundamental aspects in approaching
this topic is the issue of identity. The need for enhanced intercultural
understanding is often stressed, but what is sometimes overlooked is the need
for many young people and especially migrants to strengthen their primary
identity.
A strong identity is needed for being open-minded and
welcoming towards other cultures and it can grant an individual the confidence
to develop multiple identities and allegiances on different levels.
Dear Colleagues,
Sweden has a tradition of being an open and tolerant country. This openness
has contributed to a prosperous society
with high trust between
people and has been a major cause
of the economic growth that
has built the welfare in Sweden.
Openness and diversity are essential for our growth. Many Swedes were
born in other countrys and this is a major competitive advantage in the global
market.
Sweden is an Arctic country. We may not have the direct
exposure to the Northern
Seas as other Arctic
nations. Our territory does not extend as far North as that of Canada, and our Arctic population is clearly
dwarfed by that of Russia.
But the Arctic still matters a great deal to
us. Northern Sweden is sparsely populated, but
is still home to about one million people, including the indigenous Saami-people.
The
rights of the indigenous population in Sweden are of most importance to us
and we clearly emphasize their possibility to maintain and nurture their
identity. Their culture is enriching, and their knowledge transfer and
traditional living such as reindeer herding must be upheld.
Fellow parliamentarians,
There are many cultures in the world but there is one
humanity. We must focus on
reinforcing the sense of our common humanity and there will be hope for a
better common future.
With this Quebec City Declaration we parliamentarians
give voice to our concern for the tensions between cultures and we hereby
stress the need for preventive, long-term action for diversity and inclusion to
counter intolerance and extremism.
It is up
to us to meet our international human rights obligations and to promote and
safeguard the
peaceful co-existence of ethnic, cultural, racial, linguistic and religious
groups and indigenous people.
At last
In these times of accelerating global challenges Sweden and the Swedish Parliament will continue to promote an effective multilateral system with the United nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union at its core.
Thank you for your attention."