- Ultimately, the UN’s work to promote tolerance is fundamental to both conflict prevention and peace-building. Without tolerance, our work on development and good governance would achieve little.

- And of course, education is crucial to the promotion of a culture of tolerance. This work has been the cardinal mission of UNESCO since the organization’s inception and is eloquently framed in its charter (and I quote): “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.


These basic points may not seem necessary to dwell upon in Western Europe, a part of the world which sees itself – sometimes rightly – as a beacon of tolerant civilization.

But even the most liberal societies usually turn out to have their blind spots.
In many parts of Europe, immigration appears to have reached the “threshold of tolerance” as the late president Mitterand described it. Governments have reacted by trying to limit the numbers of immigrants.

In some cases, such measures may be understandable. But it is important to remember that most of the immigrants come to a country because it is work for them to do there.

In the case of Western Europe – as the latest United Nations demographical studies indicate – this may be even more relevant in the future. The need for immigrants to bolster the workforce will increase, as the profile of Europe’s own population grows older.

It follows that it is vital to do more to educate people about what immigrants are doing there. To explain the contributions they make. To make clear that they should be seen not as a problem but as a solution. To spell out the fact that high crime rates stem not from ethnic origin, but from poverty, exclusion and bad social conditions.

Educating the young is especially important in this regard as well. It must build on two simple truths: no one is born prejudiced; neither is any child immune to intolerance. Children will respond to the social environment they are exposed to - and you know how it is with children, if they observe an attitude or hear a line that is new to them, they will pick it up and imitate it.

As an example of that point, let me mention the story of a quintessentially liberal Nordic UN colleague who was posted to a developing country with his seven year old daughter.

One day the little girl had to ride home from school unaccompanied in a taxi, and the driver accidentally took a wrong turn, as could happen to anyone. What shocked the liberal ears of our UN colleague was to hear this seven-year-old daughter exclaim when she finally arrived home (and I quote): “These bloody natives. You can’t trust them an inch.” When questioned, she said she had picked up the line by listening to some grown-ups at a party.

Fortunately, this girl had a father who quickly put his very good-natured daughter back on the right track. But, not every child is so lucky.

And while educational institutions have made much progress in devising curricula that teach the value of diversity and empathy, we must develop that work further. We must make use of the unique learning capacities that have made the human species so successful in evolution.

We must learn to understand better the needs of our fellow human beings who happen to be immigrants. They need to be integrated, not assimilated. In other words, they need to be helped to join in society, without being asked to sacrifice their culture.

The New York Times recently ran an excellent series of articles on crossing borders and testing tolerance in Europe. It told the story of a Turkish immigrant in Germany who summed it up wonderfully (and I quote): “Does integration in Germany mean I have to give up my Turkish identity? Then I say no. Does it mean Christianity? No. Or does it mean that I learn other things and the Germans help me to do so and we can talk and reach out to reach out to each other? Then I say, yes.”

Right now, however – and in contrast to North America, for instance – Europe is saying mostly “no” to new immigration.

And the tighter the immigration policy, the greater the strain on the asylum system. This, regrettably, is inevitable. When there is no way for people to enter a country as legal immigrants, some are going to try to enter as asylum seekers instead.
This situation result in stricter and more cumbersome procedures for weeding out genuine from “bogus” asylum seekers.

In that context, let us remember that a bogus asylum seeker is not equivalent to a criminal; and that an unsuccessful asylum application is not equivalent to a bogus one.

Too often, Governments try to prevent asylum seekers from arriving in the first place, by effectively extending the countries frontiers – for instance, by forcing airline employees to substitute themselves for immigration officials. In some countries, authorities expel asylum-seekers with little or no examination of their claims. The result is that some people risk being sent back to countries where their freedom, their safety and even their lives are in danger.

In other cases, Governments have not invested adequately to ensure prompt and fair procedures, leading to long delays in processing asylum applications. It means that some asylum-seekers are not allowed to work for months or even years while their cases are examined, and receive only minimal support for themselves and their families while they are in limbo.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the general impression is that in reacting to the immediate pressures, Europe has adopted politically popular measures that contradict its relative prosperity and its prospected need for greater numbers of immigrants in the future.

Consequently, I regret to say, there are some indications that Europe is losing sight of its duty to protect refugees under international law, as set out in the 1951 Convention. This is a source of deep concern to me, and risks having enormous impact on other regions who look to Europe as an example.

It is a concern that will be high on the agenda of the new High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Ruud Lubbers, who as Prime Minister of the Netherlands played a key role in the European Union for many years.

Allow me, then, Mr. Prime Minister, to congratulate you and your country on holding this Forum so early in your presidency of the European Union.

It is my hope that Sweden – with its outstanding tradition of promoting tolerance, human rights and democratic values worldwide – will use its time at the helm of Europe to work for change:

- for a positive re-appraisal of EU asylum policies, with basic international treaty obligations and human right in mind;

- for a commitment to promoting inclusiveness and empathy in the diverse societies that already exist in Europe;

- and for teaching tolerance to all people, young and old.

My dear friends, I wish you a most inspiring continuation of this Forum. Thank you very much. Tack alla samman, och lycka till.