Member of the European Parliament Charlie Weimers tweeted that the European Parliament is holding a closed meeting devoted to the escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
“President Emmanuel Macron confirmed France has evidence on Turkey supporting Azerbaijan with Islamists from Syria. He will ask the European External Action Service if the European Union has condemned Turkey’s interference in the conflict and if it considers the expulsion of Turkey from the OSCE Minsk Group,” he tweeted.
AMMAN, Jordan — Earlier this year, as the pandemic was sweeping across the globe, something unusual happened in news reporting—profound ideas about social transformation and acts of solidarity were making headlines worldwide. Although less pronounced now, news outlets continue to feature such stories, many of which would have been considered irrelevant or insignificant before the crisis.
Responding to increased interest among media professionals about new approaches to the field, Bahá’í communities in several countries have been exploring with journalists and others how the media can contribute to societal harmony and stimulate thoughtful conversations on issues facing humanity.
Responding to increased interest among media professionals about new approaches to the field, Bahá’í communities in several countries have been exploring with journalists and others how the media can contribute to societal harmony and stimulate thoughtful conversations on issues facing humanity.
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Photograph taken before the current health crisis. The Bahá’ís of Jordan have been hosting roundtable discussions with journalists on how the media can be a source of hope for society.
The Bahá’ís of Jordan have been hosting roundtable discussions with journalists on how the media can be a source of hope for society. “The Bahá’í teachings envision the media as a vital element of society with the potential to be a mirror for the world, reflecting the range of experience of diverse people,” says Tahani Ruhi, of the country’s Bahá’í community’s Office of External Affairs.
“At certain points in the past few months, a fuller picture of the world has been reflected in news reporting: not just of sensational narratives, but also of the constructive processes that exist in every community. The media’s power to inspire hope has become especially visible during this time. Due attention has been given to positive developments—big and small—that show the nobility of people and their capacity to put the needs of their fellow citizens ahead of their own.”
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A discussion with journalist held by the Bahá’í community of Jordan.
Ghada al-Sheikh of the Al-Ghad newspaper, a participant of the roundtable meetings, says: “These discussion spaces are allowing us to better understand important concepts related to progress and to think deeply about their implications for our work. Our consciousness of our mission as journalists is being strengthened as we consult together on issues of social and economic solidarity and how the media can contribute to people’s sense of priorities.”
The roundtable participants in Jordan have also been looking at the impact of structural factors in a media industry shaped by commercial interests. “Media practitioners should not view themselves as competitors, but as collaborators. We are seeking truth, whatever form of media we produce,” said Mahmoud Hishmeh, director of the East and West Center for Dialogue and Sustainable Development, during one of the discussions.
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Photograph taken before the current health crisis. A series of structured discussions held by the Bahá’í community of Australia in collaboration with First Draft and the Centre for Media Transition, is bringing together media practitioners to reimagine the Australian media landscape.
On the other side of the world, the Australian Bahá’í community has also been bringing journalists and others in media together to examine how to be conducive to social cohesion, an issue of great significance in the country. One such effort includes a series of structured discussions, in collaboration with First Draft and the Centre for Media Transition, bringing together media practitioners to reimagine the Australian media landscape.
“By drawing on the principles of Bahá’í consultation we have had the opportunity to exchange diverse experiences respectfully and in an environment that is encouraging and dynamic,” says Venus Khalessi of the Office of External Affairs. “In what is often a fast-paced environment, where complex decisions are made under immense time pressure, media practitioners appreciate the opportunity to step back and reflect on how to apply guiding principles and values to the situations they face.”
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The Australian Bahá’í community has been bringing journalists and others in media together to examine how to be conducive to social cohesion, an issue of great significance in the country.
At one gathering, Alan Sunderland, Executive Director of the Organization of News Ombudsmen and Standards Editors, said, “There are a lot of people talking at the moment about how the media can do more than just highlight divisions, but can talk about things that unite us. That is challenging for journalism, which traditionally is built on a conflict model, one where you find problems to expose. Finding ways to be constructive while recognizing that there is a fundamental requirement for journalism to ask difficult questions is a really interesting issue to explore.”
Participants at the most recent gathering in Australia expressed that the current health crisis has shown more than ever the responsibility of media to act for “the greater good of humankind.” Just as there is a need for accuracy in reporting facts, participants have noted the need for stories to convey values conducive to harmony. Examples of this during the pandemic have included a greater effort by news outlets in the country to report on stories of community-driven response and resilience.
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Photograph taken before the current health crisis. The Bahá’ís of Spain have been having conversations with journalists and other social actors about the need to overcome division and polarization in response to crises.
Meanwhile in Spain, the Bahá’í community has also been having conversations with journalists and other social actors about the need to overcome division and polarization in response to crises.
“Early in the pandemic, new topics entered the public consciousness,” says Sergio García of the country’s Bahá’í Office of External Affairs. “Media outlets focused on discussions of the need for greater international cooperation; the need to transform economic models to be more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient; and many other profound ideas in all areas of life.
“Though older patterns of media coverage reemerged after some time, this change showed a glimpse of how media can open the horizons of human thinking and foster a deep discussion about our common future in a shared world. Media contributes to setting the tone for relations among different elements of society, and it can generate the feeling that we are one world and one people who need to work as such to address our common challenges.”
President Tzitzikostas at local leaders conference in Mannheim: “Cities and regions need direct access to EU funds to turn green words into green actions”
The city of Mannheim virtually welcomed the 9th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns organized by ICLEI with the support of EU institutions, including the European Committee of the Regions (CoR). Hosted by the Mayor of Mannheim and CoR member Peter Kurz, local leaders gave support to the Manheim Message, a collective call for cities and regions to be key partners in the EU’s path towards climate-neutrality and a joint commitment to develop Local Green Deals.
The Mannheim 2020 conference was held virtually from 30 September to 2 October in a difficult social and economic context due to the COVID-19. Five of CoR’s prominent members took part, including President Apostolos Tzitzikostas, calling for cities and regions to be placed at the heart of the design and implementation of the EU’s recovery plans, ensuring every territory becomes more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, CoR President and Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia intervened saying: “To reach climate neutrality by 2050 and deliver a sustainable future for our citizens, regions, and cities need to be part of the development, delivery, and monitoring of EU recovery policies. As local and regional governments, we need to take ownership of the Green Deal, shape our own national investment and climate plans, and have direct access to EU funds to make the Green Deal tangible in our communities. We must turn nice green words into real green action. If the Green Deal is not built and delivered with our cities and regions, it will not happen at all”.
The CoR member and Mannheim Lord mayor Peter Kurz (DE/PES) declared: “The Mannheim Message underlines how important cities and local authorities are as key actors for Europe’s future. We are committed to Local Green Deals designed in cooperation with our citizens and key stakeholders. We aim to build the strong foundations for the implementation of the Green Deal in Europe and to accelerate the transformation to carbon-neutral, sustainable, and inclusive societies. However, the Mannheim Message also stresses that we do not want to be merely implementation partners for programmes, measures, and regulations. We want to be truly involved in co-creating Europe’s future for the well-being of our citizens today and for future generations”.
The Mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas (ES/PES), Chair of the CoR’s ENVE commission and Green Deal Going Local Working Group, congratulated the Polish city of Katowice for winning the 2020 Transformative Action Award. Mayor Espadas said: “Our cities and regions need to undergo a deep economic and societal transformation to address the current COVID-19 crisis, but also the upcoming climate and biodiversity crises. A Europe made by smart revolutionary actions that have the capacity of changing the face of our territories, restoring ecosystems, contrasting climate change, and moving towards healthier and more inclusive societies is indeed possible. Congratulations to Katowice that through its action aims to increase civic participation and to encourage residents to help make the city more sustainable.”
Rafał Trzaskowski (PL/EPP), Mayor of Warsaw, said: “The Climate Pact is, first of all, a bottom-up process in which local communities make public their commitment to the European climate neutrality by 2050. But it is also a catalyst for social innovation, enabling mutual inspiration on the methods, ways, and tools that are used to transform our societies towards a climate-neutral Europe as quickly and equitably as possible. Cities across Europe desperately look forward to some new, bold financing schemes. Already a year ago, Warsaw, together with the other signatories of the Pact of Free Cities, called for more European funds to be directly accessible for cities. Such funds would boost investment in new, sustainable transport infrastructure, renewable sources of energy, greenery, deep retrofit of buildings, and power-saving measures.”
Roby Biwer(LU/PES), Member of the Bettembourg Municipal Council, Head of the delegation of Luxembourg at the European Committee of the Regions took the floor at the session ‘Designing Just Green Cities through Urban Greening Plans’. The CoR rapporteur on various biodiversity opinions declared: “One of the key learnings from COVID-19 is that cities have to rethink their urban development plans. There is a higher expectation by the bulk of the population to breathe a better air and get greener areas in their neighbourhoods. We need to integrate nature and biodiversity in our lives to build a better future. The European Urban Greening Plans have the potential to bring nature back to cities and reward community action to restore and protect biodiversity in urban and peri-urban areas, by also allowing cities to exchange planning tools. Let’s be the leaders of biodiversity conservation, not victims of it.”
Publication of Eurosystem High-Level Task Force report on digital euro
Eurosystem needs to be ready for possible future decision to introduce digital euro
Public consultation and experimentation to be launched
The European Central Bank (ECB) today published a comprehensive report on the possible issuance of a digital euro, prepared by the Eurosystem High-Level Task Force on central bank digital currency (CBDC) and approved by the Governing Council.
A digital euro would be an electronic form of central bank money accessible to all citizens and firms – like banknotes, but in a digital form – to make their daily payments in a fast, easy and secure way. It would complement cash, not replace it. The Eurosystem will continue to issue cash in any case.
“The euro belongs to Europeans and our mission is to be its guardian,” said Christine Lagarde, ECB President. “Europeans are increasingly turning to digital in the ways they spend, save and invest. Our role is to secure trust in money. This means making sure the euro is fit for the digital age. We should be prepared to issue a digital euro, should the need arise.”
The Eurosystem task force, bringing together experts from the ECB and 19 national central banks of the euro area, identified possible scenarios that would require the issuance of a digital euro. These scenarios include an increased demand for electronic payments in the euro area that would require a European risk-free digital means of payment, a significant decline in the use of cash as a means of payment in the euro area, the launch of global private means of payment that might raise regulatory concerns and pose risks for financial stability and consumer protection, and a broad take-up of CBDCs issued by foreign central banks.
“Technology and innovation are changing the way we consume, work and relate to each other,” said Fabio Panetta, member of the ECB’s Executive Board and Chair of the task force. “A digital euro would support Europe’s drive towards continued innovation. It would also contribute to its financial sovereignty and strengthen the international role of the euro.”
A digital euro would preserve the public good that the euro provides to citizens: free access to a simple, universally accepted, risk-free and trusted means of payment. It also poses challenges, but by following appropriate strategies in the design of the digital euro the Eurosystem can address these.
The Governing Council has not taken a decision yet on whether to introduce a digital euro.
The Eurosystem will engage widely with citizens, academia, the financial sector and public authorities to assess their needs, as well as the benefits and challenges they expect from the issuance of a digital euro, in detail. A public consultation will be launched on 12 October.
Experimentation will start in parallel, without prejudice to the final decision.
For media queries, please contact Alexandrine Bouilhet, tel.: +49 172 174 93 66.
Rahman* was out buying food when Spanish police handed him a 500 euro fine for breaking coronavirus restrictions. “I’ll pay this as soon as I get a residence permit,” he told them. He laughs and shakes his head as he tells the story on a video chat. “Look how thin I’ve become, I weigh only 57 kilos,” he says. The 21-year-old Palestinian lets the webcam display his skinny 1.70m frame.
We speak in Swedish, mixed with Norwegian expressions – his capacity in both languages is testament to the nearly five years he split between the countries as an adolescent. They were formative years where he learned that even apparently kind gestures like the offer of a place to stay could open the door to unfathomable cruelty.
It was a time where no matter what Rahman suffered, the legal right to remain in Europe always eluded him. His lack of status contributed to appalling crimes being committed against him, just as it left the criminals unpunished. He has been exploited and deported but his dream of Europe endures and he has found his way back to the continent but the future is uncertain.
In October 2013, 15-year-old Rahman arrived in Sweden alone. Like so many other young refugees, had heard many good things about Sweden: children are protected, they get to go to school and feel safe, their rights are respected and almost all get to stay.
He grew up in Jordan with Palestinian parents from Gaza. Jordan’s citizenship laws had no place for Rahman, leaving him stateless. When the war in Syria was in its third year his father wanted to send him across the border to fight with jihadists against the Syrian regime. His mother disagreed and the teenager fled to what she hoped would be a place of safety.
Refugee shelter
In Sweden, Rahman lived in a refugee shelter, started school and quickly learned the language. He played football in his spare time. But despite his young age and troubles in Jordan, the court of migration in Stockholm rejected his asylum application in the summer of 2014.
He didn’t know what to do, or where to go. The only thing he was certain about was that he couldn’t return to Jordan and his father. Rahman decided to stay in Sweden without a permit. He left the youth hostel in Stockholm to avoid being deported, and cut off contact with his guardian.
That’s when a friend introduced him to Martin: a large man in his thirties, with a shaved head and heavy gold chains around his neck. Once Martin understood Rahman’s situation, he invited him to a flat in central Stockholm.
When he got there Rahman was shocked. Some people sniffed glue; others did cocaine. He was given a drink – it was the first time he had tried alcohol. The night became a haze. Martin took him into a room. Rahman was struck to the ground and felt hands on his body.
The rapes and beatings continued for months. Martin threatened to kill him if he tried to run away. Rahman had seen guns and knives around the flat and didn’t dare argue or ask questions. “I had nowhere to go. No money. And there was no one to help me,” he says.
Fast food and drugs
A lot of people came to the flat, and it was Rahman’s job to keep it clean. He was given fast food and drugs. Martin would call at any hour and send him off with a bag and address to deliver it to. He was sent on drug trips across Europe, for which he was given new clothes, a fake passport and a bag to carry. Rahman, usually on drugs, slept through the flights.
Rahman is among thousands of children who came to Sweden in recent years only to go missing when their European dreams were shattered. According to the Swedish Migration Agency, 2,014 unaccompanied minors are missing without trace since 2013 — equivalent to almost 70 school classes. The threat of deportation is often mentioned as a reason for these disappearances, as is human trafficking.
But no one really knows, because no one is searching for them. The police keep records but often don’t actively search for the children. Municipalities say children no longer resident in their area are not their responsibility. The Swedish Migration Agency says they can’t examine the cases of missing children. In 2016, the UN Human Rights Committee criticised Sweden for failing to prevent these disappearances.
Many, like Rahman are vulnerable to abuses and traffickers. According to a 2015 survey by a Swedish government agency, the County Administrative Board, most suspected child trafficking cases involved unaccompanied minors. At that time, none of the trafficking investigations involving unaccompanied minors, had resulted in a prosecution.
Systemic failure
To understand where the system was failing, I researched every suspected case of human trafficking of minors in Sweden during a four-year period up to 2015. According to police reports and preliminary investigations, more than half of the trafficking cases involved sexual slavery, in which nearly half of the victims were boys. The police’s failed response to trafficking was systemic.
Rahman was one of those cases. I tracked him down in Norway. After several months, he had managed to escape Martin. On reaching neighbouring Norway, he once again applied for asylum and reported his experience of trafficking to authorities. Rahman and his lawyer felt they didn’t take his case seriously. Because the trafficking took place in Sweden, Norwegian police passed the investigation to their Swedish colleagues. Rahman didn’t trust the investigators in either country. They didn’t seem to realise how dangerous it would be for him to single out Martin with no guarantee of protection.
“I can’t build a life here. I want to go to Europe again. I am never giving up.”
Shortly after Rahman turned 18, we spent a few days at a seaside resort. Surrounded by glittering Norwegian fjords, he and his court-appointed guardian sat outside on a mild summer evening. He leaned against her with his big ragged hair, long eyelashes and gentle smile. “She’s like a mother to me,” he said.
The Swedish trafficking investigation was eventually dropped. His asylum application in Norway was also rejected. Now he was no longer technically a child. In the summer of 2018, he was deported to Jordan.
After nearly five years in Europe, Rahman struggled to fall in line with the more socially controlled society in Jordan. He couldn’t return to his strictly religious family: he now smoked, drank alcohol and wore an earring. He was meant to try and find a job without a national ID, which also meant no access to doctors or hope of returning to education.
Yellow dinghy
The police seemed to relish harassing him. They would ask: Why were you in Europe? Why have you come back? And he was mocked by friends and relatives: Where’s the money, the success, the expensive things? For a while he worked 12-hour days at a tourist bazaar for wages that did not even cover his rent. After a few weeks, unable to see any other way, he decided to leave again.
First he attempted to sail to Greece via Turkey but the yellow dinghy was stopped by Turkish coast guards. After a month and a half in a Turkish prison, he returned to Jordan. He still had a Norwegian girlfriend at the time. As a European she could just take a plane and come to visit for a few weeks. Rahman has none of these options.
Thierry Monasse | Getty Photos
His friends in Norway arranged for him to stay with people they knew in Kosovo and he planned to continue overland further into Europe. But he was arrested in Montenegro and sent back to Kosovo. He became severely ill and returned to Jordan. But in his head he was already making new plans to reach Europe.
“I can’t build a life here,” he told me in the summer of 2019. “I want to go to Europe again. I am never giving up.”
This time he went to Morocco. Rahman knew this was his most dangerous journey so far. “But I am going to make it, I am sure of it!” he insisted. Later that summer, he reached the Moroccan border with the Spanish exclave, Melilla. This gateway to Europe is enclosed with high barbed wire fences and monitored by drones. Migrants and Moroccan boys his age were everywhere, hoping to get through the border at night. Some had been trying for months, even years. Rahman’s plan was to swim around the sea fences, a treacherous feat where border guards sometimes fire plastic bullets at swimmers. His first four failed attempts and was hurt in a fall before he finally managed to swim into the port of Melilla.
Cargo ship to Spain
“I am so happy – I am in Europe again!” he said in a message.
Afraid of being forced back to Morocco by authorities in Melilla, he stowed away aboard a cargo ship to mainland Spain. He was given a place in a refugee shelter and 50 euros a month to live on. But this assistance was cut after six months, just as the coronavirus pandemic hit Europe.
As we kept in touch over the years, I would always ask how he was and he always replied, “good,” no matter the circumstances. He has to stay positive, he says, to keep going towards what he longs for: an ordinary life, with a home, a girl and children. He would like to study languages and maybe work with tourists as he is so used to meeting new people.
Newsletter in English
But there is very little space to talk about the future right now. Rahman does not even know what tomorrow will bring, where he will sleep or how he will eat. He is considering two unwanted options: Start selling drugs again or commit a crime deliberately to get caught. “If I get arrested, I have somewhere to live until corona is over,” he said.
Rahman’s European dream has brought him back. Despite the trials he has gone through, the stateless boy is now a young man but no closer to having papers. The asylum process in Spain is long, up to 18 months, and uncertain and that was before the pandemic. He thinks of Sweden or Norway but doubts his chances. From Scandinavia to Jordan he has never been granted the right to belong. “Why is that?” he asks. “Why can’t I be legal anywhere?”
This article is part of the Europe’s Dreamers series, in partnership with Lighthouse Reports and the Guardian. Check the other articles of the series here.
BRUSSELS — September 30, 2020 — EURATEX responded to the EU consultation on the impact of foreign subsidies on the EU Internal Market. It welcomes the initiative and calls for a comprehensive instrument which guarantees level playing field, but it is not protectionist and does not discourage foreign investment.
The European textiles and clothing industry (T&C) is very globalized, with complex value chains and inter-dependencies with many other sectors. For T&C companies to operate well, they need open and “efficient” markets, but combined with effective controls where necessary.
Against this background, the absence of a level playing field and fair reciprocity between EU and third country competitors on the EU internal market, is a concern. The distortive effects of subsidies provided by non-EU governments have jeopardised the competitiveness of many EU T&C companies. These foreign subsidies could distort the internal market, specifically the general market activity of economic operators in the EU, the acquisitions of EU undertakings, public procurement procedures and access to EU funding. The Commission proposal to create a new legal instrument to address these challenges is therefore very much welcomed.
In its contribution to the public consultation on the matter, EURATEX emphasised that the EU proposal needs to be as comprehensive as possible, both in its scope and in the redressive measures it proposes. The new legal instrument should take into account provisions already available in e.g. EU competition law, Trade Defence Instruments (TDIs) and the International Procurement Instrument. Indeed, consistency and complementarity with other EU tools is key.
According to Dirk Vantyghem, “the aim of the instrument is to level the playing field, not to be protectionist and not to discourage foreign investment. For this, the instrument must be non-discriminatory and WTO-compliant”. EURATEX therefore encourages the EU and member states to move forward with thin initiative as soon as possible.
He highlighted some of the Organization’s accomplishments, such as putting in place vital agreements that codify and protect human rights, setting ambitious goals for sustainable development, and charting a path towards a more balanced relationship with the natural world, among many others.
However, he also outlined some challenges ahead, saying more remains to be done to “hold back the tides of fear, hatred, inequality, poverty and injustice.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the world’s fragility, laying bare “risks ignored for decades”, namely, inadequate health systems; gaps in social protection; structural inequalities; environmental degradation; and the climate crisis, flagged the UN chief.
“But the setback to the fundamental Charter goals of peace, justice, human rights and development has been deep and may be long-lasting”, Mr. Guterres acknowledged.
The UN chief also conceded that even before the pandemic, “the world was not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the target date of 2030”.
And although the UN called for massive global support for the most vulnerable people and countries – amounting to least 10 per cent of the global economy – a rescue package has yet to fully materialize.
In emerging from the COVID-19 crisis, the Secretary-General stressed the importance of multilateralism for a world based on fair globalization, the rights and dignity of everyone, and for “success measured in human rather than economic terms”.
In Guatemala, the UN food relief agency, the World Food Programme (WFP) is assisting indigenous communities affected by food insecurity due to the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the course of a single summer in 2020, Jewish graves in Worms, Germany, were vandalised, an Austrian Jew was attacked in the street and a calendar published in the Czech Republic that glorified Nazi leaders. It came in a year during which Europe and the world marked 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
Meanwhile, Belgium, Denmark and Poland have either proposed bans or actually banned ritual slaughter, the method by which millions of Jews and Muslims in Europe require their meat to be killed. In Iceland, Denmark and Norway, a furore has erupted over circumcision, with critics arguing that the practice is inhumane and should be banned for those under the age of 18.
“It is very frustrating, there is no question,” Rabbi Menachem Margolin, president of the European Jewish Association, told Euronews from his office in Brussels.
“You just think, […] why do we have to [do this] again […]. Three weeks ago it was the circumcision issue in Belgium […]. Two weeks ago it was circumcision in Denmark, this week it is ritual slaughter in Poland, I mean what is next?”
Poland’s ban on kosher meat was pushed through by the governing Law and Justice Party (PiS) earlier in September against the objections of its two minority coalition partners, potentially bringing down the Polish government and paving the way for new elections.
The ban on kosher meat was part of a wide-ranging law on animal welfare, which will similarly outlaw Muslim halal slaughter and the production of fur. It is currently in a 14-day review period, but the fact that the PiS was willing to let its coalition collapse to pass it suggests it could stand.
Speaking to Euronews last week when the law was passed, Margolin told Euronews that the campaign for the animal welfare law had distinct antisemitic overtones, presenting the supporters of the law as “good Polish citizens” and its opponents, among them the Jewish community, as bad. But there will also be a practical impact on Europe’s Jewish community.
“Limiting the export of kosher meat from Poland will immediately impact Jewish people from all over Europe because many Jewish people from Europe consume kosher meat coming from Poland,” he said.
Margolin is keen to make the distinction between antisemitism, on the one hand, and a lack of respect for Europe’s religious minorities, including Jews, on the other. Being attacked in the street, he said, is unpleasant, but it is a crime and should be treated as such. The slow chipping away of religious freedoms is the bigger threat to Europe’s three million Jews, he said.
“Of course, governments have to be very tough with people who commit crimes against Jews. But much more important is to take care of the long term: education and a strong commitment to ensuring freedom of religion,” he said.
Key to beating both, he said, is education. As the events of the Holocaust, when six million European Jews died in the death camps of Europe, recede in the memory of Europeans, as the generation that remembers fascism in Europe is dying out, the history of Europe’s Jews must be made part of the curriculum in every school in every European state.
“Antisemitism is a very old disease. If you want to fight against anti-Semitism you have to educate,” he said.
‘Ignorance is an open door for populists’
“We have been pushing European governments to update the curriculum [to] include more information about the Jews, their customs, their history, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, these are things that Europe has faced for two millennia. Every child needs to learn about that,” Margolin said.
Ignorance, he added, is “an open door” for the populist movements of both right and left, and it is from the right, left and the political centre that antisemitism is coming. He is reluctant to name and shame but said centrist parties have noticed the success that the far right and left have had using hatred to win votes, and are now adopting similar tactics.
“What we see is that mainstream political parties do not take the right direction in order to fight the extremists, they adapt themselves to part of that agenda, which is very dangerous,” he said.
“I prefer not to attack anyone in particular. It is a phenomenon that is all over Europe. All over the world. But when it comes to the Jewish situation it is a dangerous direction.”
Every year since 1994, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) holds a summit known as a Conference of the Parties (COP) attended by representatives of participating countries.
This year, the twenty-sixth COP was postponed by a full year due to the ongoing pandemic. Originally scheduled for November 2020, it will now be held at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow from 1 – 12 November 2021. COP26 will be hosted by the UK in collaboration with Italy, which will be hosting key preparatory events such as a Youth Event and the Pre-COP summit.
On Tuesday, Nigel Topping, the UK High-Level Climate Action Champion for UN climate talks spoke at a briefing held at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome. The event, organized by the UK embassy to the Holy See, was themed “The Road to COP26.”
During his speech, Mr. Topping highlighted that with an estimated 1.3 billion Christians worldwide, the Church has the capacity to effect massive change through concrete actions and multi-faith dialogue. He also urged everyone to be committed and accountable in their personal, concrete initiatives in the fight to stem the effects of climate change.
Other speakers at the briefing included Fr. Augusto Zampini, adjunct secretary for the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, and Tosca Barucco, the Italian Envoy for COP26.
Nigel Topping (2nd right) with other speakers at the Briefing held at the Pontifical Urbania University on 29 September 2020
Mr. Topping explained that his role as the UK champion for climate action was created in 2015 by all the parties to the UN Climate Convention in Paris. He added that the countries recognized that, aside from national governments, civil society, businesses, investors and the private sector have a role to play in determining the success in the fight against climate change.
“My task, therefore, is to drive ambition and action alongside the policy-making process, and to help governments go faster,” explained Topping to Vatican News after the Tuesday briefing.
“The faster that business and civil society goes, the easier it is for policymakers; and the bolder the policymakers are, the faster that businesses and cities can go,” Topping observed, adding that they reinforce each other in “a positive dance of change.”
Interview with Mr. Nigel Topping
Charting the path to begin anew
Responding to a question about the choices we should be making as countries restart their economies after the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Topping proposes two options.
The first, he explains, is the faster transition towards a cleaner economy. He pointed out that seven million people die prematurely every year because of air pollution – mostly from the same sources that drive climate change, including cars and coal. He recommends choosing to not support the old industries in the same manner as before, but rather transitioning towards newer ones that promote a cleaner economy. However, this transition, Topping notes, must be “done carefully” and be “just,” as we cannot simply get rid of all the jobs attached to the old industries.
The second, continues Topping, is the “equity” dimension of the transition. He explained that with the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as with climate change and other challenges, there is a disproportionate level of suffering among the more vulnerable and minority communities. Therefore, in transitioning to a zero-carbon economy, there is a need for human solidarity.
Head, heart and hands
Mister Topping said that to make the transition such as the one we called to make now, we will need a combination of heads, hearts and hands.
The head, he notes, is the intellectual understanding that we “just cannot continue like this,” and the ability to “read the signs” seen in floods, fires and the melting of glaciers. The heart, he continues, helps figure out the spiritual element providing motivation behind fighting for a better, cleaner climate. These, he explains are contained in transcendent values like justice and honoring the beauty of creation as Pope Francis illustrates in the 2015 Encyclical on the Care of our Common Home, Laudato sí.
The hands, for their part, help in carrying out bold, concrete actions that the head and the heart inspires them to do.
Coordinating concrete efforts
Speaking further on his mandate as the High-Level Champion, Topping said that he works with non-state actors – civil society, investors, schools and people of faith, among others – to encourage them to be bolder in taking initiatives. He then amplifies the visibility of these instances of positive action to inspire other people to take action in their turn.
The more people are committed and acting towards the zero-carbon future, the easier it gets for everyone, he said. “By moving together, we reduce the risk for everybody, which actually means we can go faster.”
“We always have agency over our future,” Topping said, adding that it is choice that requires moral courage.
However, it is already too late to stop some things: “We already have one degree Celsius of warming and three times as many extreme weather events as we had twenty years ago.”
Nonetheless, “it is never too late to act,” he insisted.
He pointed out that in addition to working towards achieving zero carbon emissions, he is particularly interested in working with vulnerable communities, especially as catastrophes like sea level rises, droughts and floods are now much more likely than they were 10 years ago. He hopes that through collective, global solidarity, the impact of these challenges will not be disastrous on poorer communities.
Hope for the future
Mister Topping expresses his hope that 2021 will bring about the better actualization of the multilateral processes of the 2015 climate convention and the 1992 biological diversity convention.
The two conventions are already beginning to yield fruit, as China has recently committed to zero-emission in the 2050s and 71 countries signed a nature pledge on Monday.
His second hope is that we learn to “express our commitments to new global goals” like the Sustainable Development Goals and work towards a more equitable society.
For some, noted Topping, 2021 is the year of the “great reset”. “We are not just going back to where we were before! This is a very big challenge and an opportunity to accelerate some changes and to change direction” towards building a cleaner, more equitable global economy for future generations.
It was a 45-minute “cordial” encounter in a “respectful environment”, during which it was possible for both sides to present their respective positions on China, as well as discuss some of the world’s bloody conflicts.
The American Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, arrived at the Vatican on Thursday morning to meet Cardinal Pietro Parolin and his counterpart, Archbishop Gallagher, the Holy See’s “Foreign Minister”.
Responding to questions from journalists, the Director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said: “During this morning’s talks between the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Michael Richard Pompey, and His Holiness’ Secretary of State, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, the parties presented their respective positions regarding relations with the People’s Republic of China, in a respectful, relaxed and cordial environment. They also spoke about some areas of conflict and crisis, particularly in the Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Eastern Mediterranean. The meeting lasted about 45 minutes.”
As is known, in recent weeks some statements made by Secretary Pompeo against the Provisional Agreement signed two years ago by the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China have provoked discussions in the media.
The Holy See, as Cardinal Parolin has repeatedly stated, intends to propose renewing the agreement, which is still in provisional form. He has emphasized its genuinely pastoral character, which is aimed only at ensuring that the Chinese bishops are in full communion with the Successor of Peter.
