C Explanatory memorandum by Ms Christiana
Erotokritou, rapporteur for opinion
1. I would like to welcome the
timely report by Ms Inka Hopsu. Regretfully, in recent months we
have observed several conflicts in Council of Europe member States
flaring up, which in some cases resulted in military action or other
types of hostilities. I fully support Ms Hopsu’s call on Council
of Europe member States to see young people as indispensable partners
in any peace process, as well as in any decision-making processes
that affect their lives, and I would suggest that this applies to
children as well. The Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable
Development is currently working on a report on “Giving a voice
to every child: promoting child participation as a foundation for
democratic societies” (Rapporteur: Baroness Doreen E. Massey, United
Kingdom, SOC). As part of the preparation on this report, we are
piloting an initiative on applying child participation in our work.
I will therefore not comment on participation issues generally but
will focus primarily on issues of direct relevance in the context
of the prevention and resolution of conflicts.
2. It is true that the role of young people should not be purely
consultative. They must have full ownership of the process, from
the beginning to the end. Their enthusiasm, commitment and creativity
are valuable resources that need to be nurtured and treasured. The
aim of the proposed amendment is to clarify the wording of this
important recommendation (Amendment
A).
3. Today, every sixth child on earth is affected by armed conflict.
Note These children are involved in hostilities, be
it as victims, witnesses, or perpetrators of violence. Demonisation
of the people on the other side of the conflict and the moral decline
resulting from the harshness of life in situations of conflict,
can have a devastating impact on the child’s personality and chances
for success in future life. At the same time, children often have an
amazing capacity for recovery, if they are supported and protected
and have opportunities for education and re-integration. Moreover,
due to their personal experience they can have an insight into the
inner makings of conflicts and of what it takes to resolve them.
It is therefore essential to associate children, particularly adolescents
with any peacebuilding initiatives. It needs to be borne in mind,
however, that children are particularly vulnerable to manipulation
and instrumentalization. They may underestimate the potential risks
of their actions and lack the ability to cope with excessive levels
of stress. Relevant safeguarding mechanisms are therefore essential.
Furthermore, unrealistic expectations should be avoided: powerful
and conflicting interests are often at play, which are often disguised
as ethnic, religious or other disputes and are extremely difficult
to tackle. It is also essential to stress that ultimately it is
the responsibility of adults to resolve conflicts (
Amendment B).
4. I could not agree more that education plays a crucial role
in equipping children and young people with competences for the
prevention and resolution of conflicts. I also think that to resolve
any conflict it is important to understand its root causes. For
this, media literacy and critical thinking skills are essential.
Children and young people need to analyse information from various
sources, engage in debates and explore controversial viewpoints
in a safe environment. Children also need to understand what war
is and what consequences wars have and be aware of the type of dilemmas
that people in wars can come across. In this way, their commitment to
peace, sense of justice and skills for conflict resolution will
be strengthened. The Council of Europe has developed many useful
tools that can be of help, such as a manual for teachers on “Teaching
controversial issues,”
Note “Compass: Manual for Human Rights
Education with Young People Children”
Note and “Compasito – a manual on human
rights education for children.”
Note The International Committee of the
Red Cross has produced the “Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL)” resource
pack for teachers, which analyses real life situations in armed
conflicts, helps in understanding different perspectives and promotes
respect for life and human dignity.
Note Finally, I think that it is indispensable
to stress the importance of learning to live together with people who
are very different to us, be it the way they look, the way they
act or the way they think. Being able to accept “The Other”, and
to have a respectful dialogue with people with whom we have no affinity
on the topics that hurt is a
sine qua
non of sustainable democratic societies
(Amendment C).
5. It seems to me that learning from history is essential for
any peacebuilding efforts. Regretfully, our history is built – to
a great extent – around conflicts. Be it World War I and World War
II or the Cold War, conflict is an integral part of human nature.
It cannot be erased entirely, but we can learn to manage it better.
Institutions such as the Council of Europe were set up exactly for
this purpose. It is deeply symbolic that the headquarters of the
Council of Europe are located at the epicentre of what used to be,
for centuries, a devastating military conflict, on the border between
France and Germany, two countries that have fought many wars over
this particular piece of earth. Do we need new lessons of this kind?
Or have we had enough? We can learn so much from the mistakes that
our ancestors have made, as well as from their peacebuilding successes.
We should also acknowledge that building a peace-oriented memory
of conflict can be difficult and sometimes painful. Between truth,
justice and peace, reconciliation is a long process in which young
people, supported by adequate policies, have a crucial role to play.
I would therefore like to welcome warmly the Committee of Ministers
decision last year to set up the Council of Europe Observatory on
History Teaching in Europe.
Note I hope that this Observatory will
play an important role in supporting this kind of learning.
Note Furthermore, a relaunch of the intergovernmental
program on history education needs to address the question of the
resolution of conflict. In the recent past, through these programmes,
the Councill of Europe has produced promising material on history
teaching in Cyprus and in the Black Sea Region countries,
Note which we can build upon, and published
e-manuals on “Developing a culture of co-operation when teaching
and learning history”
Note and “Shared histories for a Europe
without dividing lines”.
Note One important feature of these programmes
is the concept of “multiperspectivity”, which highlights the importance
of being aware of different perceptions and interpretations of history
and the need for on-going dialogue
Note(Amendment
D).
6. We have seen with the violent attack on the United States
Capitol in January this year how fragile our democracies are. In
Europe, as well, violent conflict has again become a gruesome reality,
and human lives are being lost on a continent that had said “Never
Again” after World War II. The violence and intractability of Europe’s
conflicts demonstrate vividly that to protect our common values
of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, we must remain vigilant
and not take for granted the social prosperity and political stability
in our countries. Furthermore, today we are observing growing unrest
in our societies due to the social and economic consequences of
the Covid-19 pandemic. The danger of encroachment on civil liberties
and human rights is also very real. In this context, it is important
to stress that safety is always under threat in societies in conflict, and
that young people and children are particularly vulnerable. I fully
agree with the Rapporteur that the Assembly should further reflect
on how safe spaces of peacebuilding, democracy and human rights
could be secured. I would suggest that this recommendation should
relate to all countries, with a special emphasis on those with active
or “frozen” conflicts (Amendment
E).
7. Whilst underlining the substantial role that young people
must have in efforts regarding conflict prevention and conflict
resolution, it is of paramount importance to stress the need for
young people to be taught from a young age that international law,
human rights and the rule of law, as also reflected in pertinent UN
resolutions and decisions, must be respected and implemented at
all times and in all circumstances. Conflict prevention and peace-making
efforts cannot be effective, as long as flagrant violations of international law,
human rights and the rule of law, which are the main cause of conflicts,
persist. Therefore, the first point must be our shared responsibility
to ensure that children and young people can live in a more just
and secure world, where these values and principles prevail. The
second point pertains to adequate education, so that children and
young people demand respect of their fundamental rights to life,
dignity and security and promote the implementation of the said
values and principles, and the third point lies in our duty to give
children and young people the necessary space to do so and to substantially
contribute to peace efforts.
