All Different All Equal - Minister-s Speech - March 2007

Parmjit Dhanda speech on The Council of Europe ‘All Different: All Equal’ Campaign 27th March, 2007.

Introduction

The UK is a very diverse country. Mostly we manage this diversity very successfully and this has led to cultural and economic success. But it's all too easy to fall into the trap that Rudyard Kipling identified, where “All the people like us are we, and everyone else is they.” If we are to build a modern, cohesive society, we cannot define anyone as "they." We should not be afraid of the unfamiliar. Difference does not negate equality and that’s what this campaign recognises - that we are ‘All Different: All Equal’.

I’d like to thank the many groups working together to on this including my own department, National Youth Agency, Minorities of Europe, the British Youth Council and the Association of Principle Youth and Community Officers (APYCO), to name but a few. I particularly want to thank the organisations that have contributed to the work of the campaign’s steering group.

The ‘All Different, All Equal’ campaign covers three areas: participation, human rights and diversity. In this country there are a plethora of good projects going on that are directed at these three different elements but they often operate independently. The focus of the UK campaign is to get those projects working together and achieve a ‘critical mass’.

One of the projects involved in today’s conference - ‘Article 12’ in Scotland, who have been going for over a decade, is a young person led human rights network of individuals and organisations. They work, on a peer to peer basis, to empower some of Scotland’s most marginalised young people to operate as equal citizens at all levels of society. They run workshops, lobby on voting issues and help young people develop skills in things like report writing or public speaking. Their name, of course, is taken from the article in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) which outlines “A young person’s right to express an opinion on matters that affect them and to have that opinion taken into account”.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – rights to participation – rights to protection and rights to provision are particularly relevant to youth work and sit happily beside the themes for the campaign (human rights/diversity and participation). The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has informed Northern Ireland Youth Work Strategy - its core themes are delivering effective inclusive youth work and participation. Northern Ireland policy is ‘Whilst youth work cannot remove the root causes of social exclusion and conflict, it is evident that responsive and empowering youth work can and does make a significant contribution in wider efforts to ensure that young people enjoy their fundamental rights and are enabled to reach their full potential.’

We need to build on and highlight good projects like Article 12, as well as pinpointing where we are weak and can improve. With that in mind I’m glad that there’s is a mapping exercise going on that will illustrate what is working well and also to build up a bank of resources that young people can access. This will be launched on the National Youth Agency Website in the late spring.

I’d like to briefly mention the good work of Minorities of Europe (MoE), the 'Pan European Inter-minority network' which seeks the development of an inter-cultural Europe, open to and based upon the contribution and participation of all communities, particularly those facing exclusion and alienation from the process of European integration. They support and promote positive intercultural relations between minority and majority communities, provide a framework for co-operation and exchange between minority groups, and initiate and promote tangible projects between people of different faiths, cultures and traditions. I’d like to commend their important work to break down boundaries. This is particularly important in the light of research such as the NSPCC's recent survey about reporting abuse.

The report highlighted an apparent reluctance among British Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis to talk to the authorities if they suspected a child was being abused. While it's stating the obvious to say that no community supports child abuse, it is important that everyone is prepared to challenge suspected abuse, in whatever context. Trust and social cohesion is essential in tackling this. It’s essential that professionals who work with children are able gain the confidence of all of Britain's communities and challenge attitudes that could put children at risk.

History

In 1995 the European Youth Campaign, All Different: All Equal, run by the Council of Europe and its Member States reinforced the fight against racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and intolerance.

Our commitment to fighting racism and xenophobia in the UK is untarnished, but we also want to fight oppression or intolerance of anyone who is marginalised for whatever reason, be that economic, racial or sexual or because they are disabled. That’s why we have broadened our scope this time around.

Funding

This conference is the end of the launch phase of the UK All Different – All Equal campaign. My department, the DfES, have worked closely with the National Youth Agency, and DfES and the DWP have provided the financial support for the launch phase. Today I’d like to announce the Government’s continued commitment to this work by providing another £30,000 to extend our support for the All Different – All Equal campaign in 2007-08. The extra money will allow for the campaign to be coordinated whilst it is running - although how it is spent will be guided by the steering group.

It will consider the findings of this conference and recommend the best way to support the campaign.

In addition to running the campaign, the ‘All Different: All Equal’ steering group will also research practice in other Council of Europe member countries and compile useful materials after considering the report from today’s conference.

I know that Michael Raphael, the All Different: All Equal campaign manager from the Council of Europe, spoke at last night’s dinner but I’d just like to thank him and his team for the incredible hard work they are putting into this. I’m glad to hear that the National Youth Organisation are making ‘All Different: All Equal’ the theme of their Youth Work week, in the first week of November. One of the key defining qualities of youth work is that it respects and values difference, and that it encourages young people to do so too and so the choice is an apt one. Thousands of young people will be finding creative ways to explore the notion of equality and to show ways in which they and their peers can celebrate and welcome diversity. I look forward to seeing the different projects that grow out the ‘All Different: All Equal’ theme.

And what we’re doing here mirrors the Council of Europe, European Youth Forum theme. The European campaign, based on the slogan and logo first used in a similar youth campaign in 1995, is about respecting diversity, knowing about human rights and standing up against the discrimination of others. We hope that Youth Work Week will enable some of the big themes of the European campaign to be translated into local action that can truly engage young people and make the sometimes abstract or worthy principles more meaningful.

We want young people in the UK to interpret the themes of participation, human rights and diversity in their own way. Maybe young people will want to campaign on access issues for young people with disabilities, or to stage an event that focuses on human rights. Maybe people will want to make a film that celebrates the way their youth club helps young people make friendships across barriers.

In the summer the National Youth Association will produce an information pack with further resources to help people plan activities for the week. In the meantime, the NYA wants to hear from you. I hope this conference gives everyone an opportunity to reflect and take pride in what has been achieved so far as well giving as inspiration for the future.

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