ll Rappresentante Speciale delle Nazioni Unite per le questioni delle minoranze Fernand de Varennes è intervenuto alla cerimonia per i 30 anni dal rilascio della quietanza liberatoria che si è tenuta oggi (11 giugno) al Teatro Comunale di Bolzano. Il suo è stato forse  l'intervento più entusiasmante. Lo pubblichiamo integralmente nella lingua usata, peraltro senza alcun accento, da De Varennes. Per chi volesse vedere o rivedere l'intervento ecco il video.

“South Tyrol’s autonomy – a shared responsibility”

Ceremonial Act

Minister Di Maio, Minister Schallenberg, President Kompatscher, excellencies, distinguished guests, colleagues and guests, Mesdames et messieurs.

Guten Abend, buona sera.

Bonsoir tout le monde! Salve! Servus!

When former United States President Barack Obama made his famous speech almost 10 years ago before a huge crowd at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin he started with one word which was not in his written speech. He started by saying “wow”.

I will begin with the same word, wow, but not only because of the large number of people here tonight at the municipal theatre. I will also use that word because of what this ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the settlement of the South Tyrol dispute represents, not only for South Tyrol, not only for Italy, not only for Austria, but also what it can represent for the whole world.

It's important to understand the European and international context 30 years ago when the dispute was settled.

30 years ago in the 1990s, conflicts including the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, the war in Bosnia, the separatist violence in Corsica France, Basque Country Spain, Northern Ireland and many others often involved grievance claims from minorities. They were of course much more complex than this, and used as pretexts by some, but there were nevertheless significant contributing factors.

We are unfortunately seeing in recent years a dramatic increase of hate speech in social media targeting overwhelmingly minorities

Just like today, it was a particularly dark period in Europe, a dark period which led to significant efforts and measures to try to find solutions and approaches to peace and justice. At the time this led to the adoption 30 years ago of instruments such as the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML), the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, the creation of the mandate of the OSCE’s High Commissioner on National Minorities in 1992, and in 1993 the adoption of the Copenhagen membership for a country to join the European Union which included “stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights, respect for and protection of minorities”. We actually have many anniversaries this year.

We are unfortunately seeing in recent years a dramatic increase of hate speech in social media targeting overwhelmingly minorities, , what the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called a tsunami of hate and an increase in violent attacks against minorities in Europe and elsewhere. Social media platforms have become propaganda megaphones, and now amplify intolerance and prejudice reaching almost immediately huge numbers, thousands and even millions, of people causing real harm.

We’re also seeing an instrumentalizing of prejudices and scapegoating of minorities, of incitement to discrimination by populists and nationalists for their own gains. Minorities are being demonized as never before since the end of the Second World War in ways that are real-world threats to justice and peace as never before. 

In recent decades conflicts overwhelmingly are internal conflicts usually with an ethnic or religious dimension. There are now more violent conflicts globally than at any time in the past 30 years, and the world is also facing the largest forced displacement crisis ever recorded. For the first time in history, we have more than 100 million displaced people.

The ‘us’ and ‘them’ paradigm mixed in with feelings of injustice combined with perceived discrimination are reemerging even more strongly as potent factors of division rather than inclusion in European societies. Tensions are rising again in places where minority issues have perhaps never completely been resolved such as Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Cyprus, Corsica, Spain, not the mention recent and current wars in the complex contexts in places you all know as Azerbaijan, Yemen, Ukraine, and others.

That is why this ceremony, the settlement of the South Tyrol dispute is not only something to celebrate – but also to share with the rest of the world

That is why this ceremony, the settlement of the South Tyrol dispute is not only something to celebrate – but also to share with the rest of the world: because, well because it has worked. Maybe it’s not perfect, many of you will know this, but nothing is perfect, and compared to most other examples of conflict prevention and resolution, it has actually been working quite well. And this is why you should in fact be proud of the accomplishments of the people of South Tyrol, of the governments of Italy and Austria for this success even if it has taken many decades and much efforts and investments. It has worked.

Mesdames et messieurs, Minister di Maio, Minister Schallenberg, President Kompatscher there was another anniversary I hesitated to mention, and I’m afraid it’s a lot longer than 30 years.

You see, in a few days it will be my birthday.

I accept gifts. Not for me, you understand, but for the whole world really.

The title of tonight’s ceremony is South Tyrol’s autonomy, a shared responsibility. Let me suggest that there is also a responsibility to share.

On 21 September this year, the United Nations General Assembly will, for the first time in more than 30 years, maybe even in its history, hold what is called a high-level event of Members States during the three opening days of its session when heads of states usually are present in New York.  It would be a unique opportunity to use this occasion to share with the rest of the world the lessons learnt and applied if your governments proposed to the Presidency of the General Assembly the holding of a special side-event to share the South Tyrol autonomy, and other examples of good practices as the case of others such as the Oland Islands which just finished celebrating its centennial anniversary this week by the way - with the rest of the world – not as a model because the model here could never be applied in very different contexts in other parts of the globe.

There are extremely invaluable lessons as to how to move away from a potential conflict, of resolving through peaceful means and in full respect of the human rights of minorities – and majorities – in a fair and balanced way. You and others have shown some of the legal and political conditions and steps to ensure peace and stability through justice, for the protection of minorities and human rights – and a pathway on how to make this promise a reality on the ground.

The lessons of South Tyrol and Oland and others are today in Europe and in other parts of the world just as needed, maybe even more so than 30 years ago, as we face not only conflicts between countries in Europe such as the Ukraine and Russia, but growing instability and tensions all over the world.

A shared responsibility and a responsibility to share.

You should to be proud of the success of the processes and measures Italy and Austria, as well as you the people of South Tyrol, have put into place over many decades to make all of this work well, work peacefully and work justly.

Mesdames, messieurs.

I am finishing because I am told some of you may be hungry, and there is a human right to food.

It is customary at the end of presentations like this one for the public to applaud.

Do not applaud my speech. You should, we should, be applauding instead with pride what you have accomplished, what the Governments of Italy and Austria and all of you have achieved.

So please join me so we can applaud together the anniversary of your success, the anniversary of the South Tyrol settlement: be proud and share with the world.

Merci. Grazie mille, Vielen dank, et bravo, bravissimo.