Council of Europe's North-South Centre: role and achievements
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 12 May 1993 (34th Sitting) (see Doc. 6812, report of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development, Rapporteur: Mr Hellström). Text adopted by the Assembly on 12 May 1993 (34th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
1. Acting on the Assembly's
Recommendation 1095 (1989) on the European Public Compaign on North-South Interdependence and Solidarity, in 1989 the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe created, in the form of a partial agreement, the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, generally known as the North-South Centre.
2. The purpose of the centre is, in the words of its statute, to "provide a framework for European cooperation
for the purpose of increasing public awareness of global interdependence issues, and to
promote policies of solidarity in conformity with the aims and principles of the Council of Europe",
notably human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The statute also declares that "the centre shall
be set up as a pilot project for an initial period of three years, at the end of which the Committee of
Ministers shall be presented with a report on its achievements and its specific contribution. On the
basis of this report, the Committee of Ministers shall review the mandate of the centre, and decide on
its future".
3. The Assembly - in its capacity as a partner in the centre's quadripartite decision-making structure of
parliaments, governments, non-governmental organisations and local and regional authorities - has
participated in the evaluation of the centre's first three years of existence, and has reached the
conclusions given below.
4. To a large extent, the North-South Centre has realised the tasks given to it, particularly in the fields of public information and media relations, education and training for global interdependence, and dialogue for global partnership. For this reason the North-South Centre merits continued existence. Indeed, it may be considered even more necessary now than at its creation, considering Europe's current rise in xenophobia and other tensions. In spite of initial difficulties and shortcomings, also referred to in Assembly
Resolution 982 (1992) on the follow-up to the 1988 European Public Campaign on North-South Interdependence and Solidarity, it has made and continues to make a positive contribution to North-South understanding in Europe.
5. This notwithstanding, the centre should pay continued attention to the proposals contained in
Resolution 982. In particular, it should heed the resolution's call for it to "focus on its central and unique mission of promoting public awareness in Europe of North-South issues and of counteracting "Euro-egoism" ... [and to] build on human rights and democracy, the pillars of the Council of Europe - strengthening the trend toward democracy in the developing world and working toward greater tolerance in Europe". Furthermore, it should strengthen the participation of the South in the centre's life, and ensure that its national committees reach a satisfactory level of activity.
6. The Assembly welcomes the fact that fifteen member states of the Council of Europe, as well as the
European Community, have so far joined the centre: Cyprus, France, Finland, Italy, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland
and Turkey. Furthermore, several Council of Europe member states provide voluntary contributions.
The Assembly expresses the strong wish that all remaining Council of Europe member states will
soon join the centre.
7. The centre's decision-making structure is in need of revision. In particular, the Consultative
Committee should be restructured with a view to its becoming more efficient, and perhaps
transformed into a consultative assembly. Furthermore the composition, frequency of meetings and
working methods of the Executive Council should be adjusted, and its size reduced, in the interest of
working efficiency.
8. Although the centre's quadripartite structure deserves to be maintained, ways should be sought to
improve its functioning. Care should be taken not to have meetings of the centre's organs take place
so often as to overburden the centre's staff and keep it from concentrating on operational activities.
9. The Assembly welcomes the centre's current and planned activities and recommends that those on
trans-Mediterranean co-operation and xenophobia be considered as priority areas.
10. The Assembly resolves to devote a debate to the activities of the centre on a regular basis, for
example every third year.
