History and Human Rights as our guide

Secretary General of the Assembly,

Mr. President,

Distinguished parliamentarians,

I am honoured to address you in this historic chamber.

One that has borne witness to some of the most significant debates on human rights on this continent — on the abolition of the death penalty, on media freedom, on the rights of minorities, on democracy and the rule of law. 

Like the United Nations, the idea of a Council of Europe emerged in the horrific aftermath of two world wars, the Holocaust, the Great Depression, and the nuclear threat. Both embody the “never again” sentiment with which people of my generation grew up.

Leaders believed that forming institutions around common goals – “to achieve a greater unity”, were pivotal ways to help build and – above all – maintain – newfound peace on the continent, and across the globe.

They saw the worth of enshrining the universalist aspirations of human rights in treaties and institutions.

This year, the Council of Europe will commemorate 75 years of promotion and protection of human rights in the region.

In 2023, the global human rights movement marked a similar milestone, the 75^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

And despite current global uncertainty and the geopolitical headwinds we are facing, our Human Rights 75 Initiative last year saw a resounding recommitment to the universality, indivisibility, and interdependence of all human rights.

In a powerful signal, almost 800 pledges were received by my Office – from 140 States, but also the private sector, parliamentarians, national human rights institutions, and others. 

The initiative offered a chance to take stock of the many achievements, but also of the failures, since the Universal Declaration was adopted. And to reflect on what is needed effectively to meet the immense challenges before us. 

For indeed, these are troubling and precarious times.

The planet is heating up, polarization within and between countries is becoming entrenched, hate speech is proliferating, inequalities are deepening, attacks on human rights defenders are rising, and advances in technology are outpacing our ability properly to take stock of their risks.

Egregiously, conflicts around the world are also intensifying, fueled by warmongering rhetoric.

With the laws of war being brutally violated, and the pain and suffering of the other completely disregarded. 

The Russian Federations’ full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — a flagrant violation of the UN Charter — was an inflection point. This use of brute force shook Europe’s post-cold war security environment to its very foundations.

Once again, this continent is experiencing death, destruction and massive displacement, leaving shattered homes and families.

Tragically, Ukraine is only one of some 59 situations, including Gaza/Israel, Myanmar, Sudan, and Haiti for example, where shocking violence is being wielded, without regard for the consequences.

The art of resolving disputes through peaceful means, of de-escalation and of peacemaking, seems to have become lost.

Wars never stay contained. They spill over borders, and into future generations, fostering cycles of grievances and hatred if their causes remain unaddressed.

And yet, despite our promises of “never again” – here we are.

Colleagues,

Authoritarian tendencies are also on the rise, in various shapes and forms.

According to Freedom House, global freedom declined for the 18th consecutive year in 2023.

Open civic space, which enables a plurality of voices to exchange and debate, increasingly is being stifled in a number of countries.

The safety of those who stand up for the rights of others, denounce injustice and corruption, and call for accountability, continues to be at risk. According to data by UNESCO, 72 journalists and media workers were killed in 2023, in large part in conflict situations.

The consideration or adoption of so-called “transparency” or “foreign influence” laws in over 50 countries is another worrying trend. Without proper safeguards, these laws risk having serious chilling effects on the work of civil society, and on the fundamental freedoms of expression and of association.

Crackdowns on peaceful assembly, with excessive use of force against protestors, continue in every region.

Of course, people need to be kept safe in large public gatherings.

But it is short-sighted to think that heavy-handed, disproportionate, securitized responses, will work — they only exacerbate tensions and disillusionment, without the possibility of an outlet.

For societies truly to thrive, they must let the air in.

More than ever, we need respectful and open debates to overcome divisions and polarization and, above all, to find solutions to the complex issues that we face. 

Distinguished parliamentarians,

Inequalities continue to widen the world over, but also for Europeans.

There is a serious cost-of-living crisis, with affordable housing out of reach increasingly for young people and vulnerable households.

People are anxious about the uncertainty of the labour market and their place in it.

Despite progress, we still have such a long way to go to achieve gender equality and full respect for the rights of women and girls.

And for many people who feel unheard and left behind, we can understand that a sense of disillusionment and mistrust in political leadership and institutions creeps in. They see little reason to engage in politics.

This leaves the door open for extremists and populists to exploit, promising miracles and easy fixes, and blaming the other.

And indeed, we are seeing a surge in antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents around the world, including in Europe where antisemitism has a horrific history – pogroms and the Holocaust. 

More broadly, we are seeing hatred spewed at migrants, refugees, and minorities, including Roma and Sinti, as well as the LGBTIQ+ community – often amplified online.

People who are different are often, and often have been, the scapegoats for society’s deepest challenges.

But we now see this scapegoating being amplified by leaders and political figures, including in the context of elections, to distract from the real problems that need to be addressed.

These are important alarm bells, that must be heeded.

Because we know from the past that hate speech and attitudes that dehumanize the other can be omens of worse to come. The proverbial canary in the coalmine.

This is why we must act early to counter hate speech, by detecting and preventing it from spreading. By pushing back far more effectively against hatred and lies. 

History, of course, has important lessons for us more broadly. But also important legacies we are yet to overcome.

The remnants of colonialism and enslavement by European countries are still present, shaping and fueling systemic racism against people of African descent, for example.

Addressing these ongoing injustices will only work if a profound reckoning with the past takes place. To me, this evokes what is understood in German as Vergangenheitsbewältigung.

The need for a sincere effort by society to deal with the shadow side of its past.

It is not a simple easing of the conscience, nor is it coming to terms with the atrocities that have been committed.

It requires a meaningful effort to deal with past wrongs, by looking at them in a lucid way. Understanding the root causes. Remedying the consequences to the extent still possible. And taking measures to prevent recurrence.

A comprehensive fight against racism is absolutely essential in this regard.

As well as more measures to improve the way we interact with each other. And to ensure that public discourse reflects the fundamental truth of human dignity and equality of all human beings.

Initiatives in classrooms across Europe to ensure that students are taught to think critically, to detect conspiracy theories and half-truths, are important steps. 

In remembering and reckoning with the past, it is also essential to honour the bravery and memory of those who have been key to the advances that we now take for granted.

Those courageous human rights defenders and torch bearers of feminism, of liberation struggles, of the rights of minorities. Simone Weil, Václav Havel, Lech Wałęsa, Anna Sabatova, Nicolae Gheorghe, Anna Politkovskaya, to name but a few.

And I welcome the first ever Vigdís prize for women’s empowerment awarded yesterday to the Irida Women’s Center in Greece.

Distinguished parliamentarians,

Developments in technology are taking place at unnerving speed.

They present us with opportunities and challenges never encountered before.

We all share the excitement and enthusiasm about the potential of generative AI to curb climate change, advance health, and revolutionize the workplace.

But AI and other technologies also generate anxiety and uncertainty.

We are already witnessing the harmful impact of certain technologies on a range of human rights, such as during elections, where AI, including deepfakes, can be used to suppress voter turnout.

Or the use of AI to develop sophisticated surveillance techniques to shrink civic space, under the guise of national security.

These phenomena remind me of Goethe’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”. This tells the tale of an apprentice, tired of cleaning the floor himself, who conjures up a broom to do the work for him while his master the Sorcerer is away.

But the apprentice is not trained in magic, and soon the floor is flooded, leaving him helpless. In the end the Sorcerer returns, and when all seems lost, he breaks the spell. The lesson being that you should only invoke magic when you actually can master it.

Not surprisingly, I believe firmly that human rights are part of the toolbox we need truly to master AI.

They must be at the centre of how we develop, use and regulate technology, including when it comes to the role of the private sector.

On climate, we have made remarkable progress on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, especially since this was recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2022.

Including new legal instruments, mechanisms and policies to operationalize it.

In that regard, I wholeheartedly support the elaboration by the Council of Europe of a new legally binding instrument on the right to healthy environment, which would recognize this as an autonomous right in the region.

The recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in this area is groundbreaking because, in its essence, it understands that the climate crisis is a human rights crisis. And I very much hope it will influence courts in other regions too.

Distinguished parliamentarians,

Before closing, I wish to sound one more alarm.

Increasingly aggressive verbal attacks, threats and reprisals, including virulent social media campaigns, are being levied against international institutions, including the United Nations generally, my Office, Special Procedures mandate holders, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, and even the European Court of Human Rights. 

To me, these attacks are part of the politics of distraction and deception. The politics that divide and stifle. They do not serve societies.

So I urge you to do everything in your power to defend our institutions and to safeguard them from undue interference and attack. 

Colleagues,

I acknowledge that what I have shared with you today is a bleak state of affairs, with many layers of complexity, uncertainty and unpredictability.

But I believe that we can rise to the challenges ahead of us.

By going back to basics, being guided by history.

By practicing the art of de-escalation.

By keeping the channels of communication open.

By ensuring that our multilateral institutions are used as spaces for meaningful dialogue, even on the most sensitive issues, and in the face of the staunchest disagreements.

We can and must learn from each other because nobody is perfect. 

And in those discussions, turn to human rights as our guide to help navigate the complexities and difficulties.

The international legal, normative and institutional framework, set up by States and underpinned by universal principles, is a factor of stability among the chaos. The focus now – of utmost urgency – must be on ensuring that these norms and standards are applied evenly to everyone, everywhere, in the service of peace. 

In the shadow of the monsters of conflict, violence, and hatred, we must hold firmly to these core principles, so painstakingly developed over years and by learning lessons from the past to look to a better future. 

The leadership of institutions like the Council of Europe is critical in this joint endeavour.

Thank you.