Back San Marino recalls its accession to the North-South Centre

Opinion article
San Marino recalls its accession to the North-South Centre

In 1990, the Republic of San Marino took over the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from Portugal. On that historic occasion, the Government of my country decided to join Portuguese initiative of founding the North-South Centre, being convinced that political involvement in global interdependence and solidarity was an opportunity to seize. At that time, Europe was going through a particular phase of its history, marked by the fall of Berlin wall: in 1990, under the Presidency of the Republic of San Marino, Hungary was to become the first “Eastern Country” to join the Council of Europe, giving life to the enlargement process which the then Secretary General, Catherine Lalumière, admirably managed. The North-South Centre reminded us the universal dimension of our fundamental values, in a rapidly changing world following the end of the Cold War.

The openness of the North-South Centre to participation, not only of political institutions, but also of civil society, was and still is today another pivotal, positive feature. I have always appreciated the Centre’s management system, based on a quadripartite structure including Governments, Parliaments, local authorities and NGOs: an open and democratic winning choice, bearing fruit.

It also must be stressed that the actions carried out by the Centre go in the right direction. The Lisbon Forum, for instance, gathers prominent personalities committed in the protection of human rights, democracy, intercultural dialogue, education and youth empowerment. Another example reflecting the important role of the Centre is the North-South Prize, held every year and organised through open, public participation. For more than 20 years, the Prize has been awarded to those who fight for our shared values, in the South as well as in the North, sometimes under extremely difficult conditions. I bear in mind, for instance, the two women laureates of the last edition: Giusi Nicolini, Mayor of Lampedusa, an island constantly facing the human tragedy of immigration, and Mbarka Brahmi, member of the Tunisian Parliament, highly committed in the fight for democracy and women’s right in her country. Among the laureates of the past editions, stand out personalities who highly contributed to shape today’s Europe, such as Emma Bonino, Simone Veil, Mario Soares, Jorge Sampaio, and others.

I personally had the chance to follow the Centre’s activities since 1991, few time after its creation, when I was deployed to Strasbourg as a diplomatic representative to the Council of Europe. Even while serving as ambassador to the UN, from 2010 to 2014, I kept following the Centre’s activities with the highest interest, firmly believing in its mission and capability to build open societies.

 

In conclusion, I am glad and welcome the recent accession to the Centre of North African countries; their role is pivotal in the European Neighbourhood Policy, and with a view to strengthening Mediterranean cooperation in the coming years, for the benefit of all.

 

Guido Bellatti Ceccoli

Ambassador of the Republic of San Marino

to the Council of Europe

09/06/2017
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