“Keep faith in human connection”, High Commissioner addresses graduating Master's students of the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po

Madam Dean,

Distinguished members of the faculty,

Dear students and family members, 

What a pleasure it is to be here with you on such a special day.

Thank you to the Dean for this invitation.

And my warm and heartfelt congratulations to all of you on your graduation!

Whatever is next for you – even if you are still working this out – by choosing to study here at Sciences Po you have already put down a very clear marker.

Of your commitment to be engaged in the world.

Appreciating, more than many perhaps, just how complex a landscape is before you.

But that also comes with responsibility. 

This is a period of enormous change, challenge and contestation.  

At times, this may feel a bit overwhelming.

An overheating global society where war is back with a vengeance. And we see deepening polarization and inequalities around the world, alongside the challenges of new technologies and the threat from the triple planetary crisis.

And, yet, I urge you not to be daunted.

You have within yourselves the power to shape not just your own life, but also our collective future.

Trust in yourselves, in your vision of what this world could be. 

Hold on to your deepest personal values – because it is our guiding principles that keep us steady when we encounter turbulence.

I have no doubt that your values – your outlook – will have been greatly influenced by your time at this prestigious institution.

By the many and rich new connections you have made here, amongst a diverse community I have been very impressed to meet today.

I know that for me, growing up in the shadow of Austria’s history, the friendships I forged at university profoundly impacted my own personal compass. 

This included friendships with students who were refugees.

The hardships they had experienced in the 1980s, compared to my background of relative privilege, was deeply affecting me, influencing my outlook on life.

Impressing on me the precious nature of our human rights.

And the fundamental importance of nurturing a global system anchored in solidarity, equity and fairness.

These friendships had a significant influence on the path I eventually chose – to work in the United Nations, for refugees, for humanitarian assistance and for human rights.

And, so, it is an enormous privilege to serve in my current position. 

Many of you will have thought deeply about and studied human rights and their role today. 

Some of you are already active in this space.

Some of you will know, personally, the cost of rights neglected or denied to individuals and communities.

All of you will recognise that we live in a time of rampant and daunting violations and challenges.

There is no airbrushing the harsh realities.

This is a crisis – but not of human rights, and the values and standards that underpin them. It is a crisis of implementation.

This is not a reason to look away from rights as a spent force.

Human rights are rooted in timeless values, they are shared across cultures. And they remain radical at their core. Because they have been transformative and changed societies all around the world.

Human rights mean questioning orthodoxies, imbalances in power and entrenched prejudices.

It also means being self-critical, we all must do so in dealing with these fundamental issues.

And embodying hope – of the ability to shape a better future.

A pursuit of freedom, equality, justice and a life in dignity – of our human rights – has underpinned so many transformational movements, from revolutions in the United States, France and Haiti, to the fight against colonialism and apartheid, and the cause of feminism.  These were all human rights movements.

Today, the task is to reinvigorate action on human rights.

Across their entire spectrum, including not just civil and political rights, but also economic and social rights, the right to development, and the right to a healthy environment.

In every country – including those that are high-income. We cannot take things for granted.

In human rights we have a dynamic vehicle for cultivating inclusive, successful, sustainable societies, along with a more peaceful and equitable global community.

Wherever I go, I carry with me a battered copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, given to me at school when I was 15.

The clarity and vision of its words continue to inspire me every day.

I hope that the cause of human rights – the equal worth of every human being wherever they are – will be as much a source of inspiration to you as it has been for me. 

Remember that it is ok to not have all the answers.

In fact, it’s more important, than ever, to get very comfortable with uncertainty. 

And foster an open, creative mind – along with energy and commitment to deep values – that we can actually find a solution to even the most wicked of problems.

And, so, I encourage you to be fully involved, as I am sure you intend to be, in shaping the societies you come from and our global community. 

Don’t become disillusioned by the dynamics of politics today.

The conduct of some in power. And the failure to grasp even the clearest lessons of history.

Too much of what is going wrong in our world today stems from a failure of empathy, compassion and mindfulness. 

Too much is influenced by a binary mindset that says you are either with me or against me, the loss of nuances.

The world is so much more complex and nuanced than we think, and we need to embrace it.

This “us versus them mentality” is one the big intellectual challenges I see, not only in my current function but in all aspects of life.

If, instead, we keep our faith in human connection, we free ourselves from the trap of reductive thinking. 

Giving ourselves the gift of genuine dialogue.

This may lead us into some unsettling conversations. 

I firmly believe, though, that it is only when we are out of our comfort zones that life actually begins.

That we arrive at a better understanding of each other.

And that we uncover creative, more innovative paths to solutions.

I have seen this over and over again in my career.

Tense meetings which open up as politicians and officials unwind rigid positions as they begin to connect as individual human beings. Eventually this may pave the way to a solution to the most difficult issues that we face. 

The most humbling of discussions with refugees. People who have lost everything and endured humiliations and tragedies – prepared, nevertheless, to explore reconciliation with communities who were complicit in their persecution.

I know that here, as on many campuses over the last few months, young people are shocked by the violence in Ukraine, Gaza and Israel, Myanmar, Sudan, and all 59 conflicts around the world. It is vital to give attention to each and every one of them, this is fundamental to the cause of human rights, of not forgetting any human being.

We must ensure the space for listening to each other and for unpacking all the complexities and nuances is kept open.

Above all, we must reject all attempts to dehumanize others. Dehumanizing the other is always the start of violence. It is essential to question our biases, prejudices and assumptions.

This spirit of listening alongside advocacy, of acknowledging complexities and looking for principled solutions, is also essential for every country, like this country hosting us now, holding critical elections in the coming days.

Which brings me to leadership. 

There is a corrosive cynicism about human nature that contributes to deficit in leadership among political and economic elites we see at times today.

We are living through a period  of short-sighted, divisive and, at times, irresponsible leadership.

An excess of autocrats and populists, siphoning power through peddling untruths, stoking fear, and offering simplistic answers to complex problems.

The leaders of tomorrow, I hope, will lead from their deepest values.

Be self-reflective. 

Be committed to fostering connections, including with those most excluded, with those disillusioned and those who disagree with us.

Be concerned less with being the loudest in the room and more with championing the voice of others and finding solutions.

Be welcoming of challenge. Be dedicated to understanding and cooperation.

And embody humility. I have met so many leaders who do not do so, and this must change.

Responsible leadership also means being comfortable in admitting when we do not know the answer or when choices ahead are complicated.

Accountability is also one of the biggest missing links.

We must be supportive of those around us. 

I think of some remarkable local community leaders I met during my time with UNHCR in the Democratic Republic of Congo, back in the 1990s. In the midst of so many horrors and a world in disarray around them, and with unbelievable resilience, they just kept on doing the right thing, committed to serving their own people, constantly finding avenues to help. 

Today, in social movements, your generation is already showing a new way of leading – as well as on engaging and collaborating to drive impact. 

You are heading out into a world with such an appetite for change. I can see this.

Despite all the challenges, I am optimistic of where we can get to a much better place.

And that’s partly because of all the breakthroughs still taking place daily, often away from the limelight. And outside big media attention.

Advances driven by the sheer determination, courage and inventiveness of communities along with an ever-broadening array of actors, connections, partnerships.

Emerging leaders, creative alliances – drawing again and again on principles of human rights. 

On climate, for example, I met Pacific youth groups who were the impressive force behind the much-anticipated advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal implications of climate change. This shows the power of creativity, as well as the crucial balance to the current power dynamics we see provided by a strong judiciary.

As you head out into your careers, I encourage you to seize the opportunities of this moment of change.

Be ambitious and mindful.

Don’t be afraid to fail – we all do. It gets us where we need to be in the end.

Trust in your ability to make a difference.

Perfect the art of listening to the other.

Embrace complexity.

Draw strength and inspiration from your values and from human rights and the indomitable nature of the human spirit.

If you stay true to yourself while standing up for others you can never lose your way.

I wish you all much fulfilment.

Thank you.