ANALYSIS:Different ethnic groups live side by side successfully when there is engagement, mutual comprehension and respect, writes Robin Wilson
'THE TASK of living together amid growing cultural diversity while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms has become one of the major demands of our times and is set to remain relevant for many years to come."
That is the ringing conclusion of a document launched this week in Strasbourg by foreign ministers from 47 governments across Europe.
Living Together as Equals in Dignity, the Council of Europe White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue, has been in gestation for three years. It follows extensive consultation with the council's member states and non-governmental organisations, and it answers their concern for guidance on policy and good practice on the democratic management of cultural diversity.
This item has moved up and up the political agenda: 2008 is the EU Year of Intercultural Dialogue. First there were the wars of the Yugoslav succession in the 1990s, then came the al-Qaeda attacks in the US and the American-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, the ethnic riots in northern England in 2001 and urban France in 2005 and the Islamist bombs in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005. Not to mention the killing by an Islamist of the film-maker Theo van Gogh in 2004 and the uproar over the publication by a Danish newspaper of cartoons caricaturing the prophet Muhammad in 2005.
Ireland, north and south, has had a crash course in cultural diversity, on top of much experience over the decades - often violent - in dealing with its traditional divisions. Northern Ireland has recently been found to top a bigotry index of general intolerance, when set against 18 western democracies.
The Republic has latterly had a better story to tell. A national action plan against racism has been in place, a Minister of Integration, Conor Lenihan, has been appointed and the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism acts as a constructive critic. But there has been survey evidence of abuse of members of visible minorities, and the needs of schoolchildren for whom English is not their first language run well ahead of the finances available. In particular, the apartheid effects in Balbriggan of a church-dominated education system have posed stark questions.
The Council of Europe (which is not part of the EU structures) was established in 1949 to embody the universal norms of democracy, human rights and the rule of law which alone could say never again to the totalitarianism and nationalistic war that had ravaged the continent. On this foundation, the White Paper defines intercultural dialogue as "an open and respectful exchange of views" among bearers of diverse identities, and it charts a way forward, at once philosophical, political and practical.
Philosophically, the White Paper argues that two conventional ways of dealing with cultural diversity have had their day. On the one hand, an older idea that members of minority communities should assimilate to a predominant ethos - at the heart of traditional Irish republicanism and Ulster unionism, and oddly enjoying a revival in the UK under Gordon Brown with his stress on Britishness - has come up against the reality of not just diversity but a diversity of diversity.
On the other hand, the notion that different communities should be given official recognition as if they were collective entities, under the banner of multiculturalism, is now seen as having inadvertently fostered mutual incomprehension, while undermining human rights within communities.
Intercultural dialogue, the White Paper argues, "requires a democratic architecture characterised by the respect of the individual as a human being, reciprocal recognition (in which this status of equal worth is recognised by all), and impartial treatment (where all claims arising are subject to rules that all can share)".
Reciprocal recognition certainly favours the inter-religious dialogue the former taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, launched with the principal faith communities. But whether migrant agency workers always enjoy respect as individual human beings remains a moot issue in the coming social-partnership talks. And impartial treatment jars with the continued association of mainstream public services, in health and education, with the ethos of a particular predominant religion, rather than a neutral professionalism.
Ironically, the North's former policy framework on community relations, A Shared Future, was on all fours with the White Paper philosophy in these regards. But it was ditched by the new devolved administration.
Politically, intercultural dialogue is ideally embodied in a national integration plan. This can establish a positive framework for dialogue, via strong leadership at the heart of government, a joined-up approach which crosses departmental boundaries and full involvement of NGOs, particularly minority associations.
At local level, best practice (as developed in Germany and Denmark) is to establish integration councils, which bring representatives of minority communities together with local authority leaders. Practically, intercultural dialogue is a challenge to which everyone can contribute.
Journalists must enjoy editorial freedom, but with that comes responsibilities in impartial reporting - not always evident in tabloid coverage of immigration, asylum and crime. Teachers now all need to be competent in intercultural education, particularly with regard to history, religion and languages. This in turn entails investing in training and resources. Planners are obliged to ensure that public spaces provide opportunities for dialogue, rather than ghettoised anonymity amid social segregation.
Among many examples of good practice it highlights, the White Paper notes the intercultural plan developed last year by the Football Association of Ireland.
It is through allying intercultural dialogue to such day-to-day activities as sport that the warp and weft of an integrated society is ultimately woven.
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Robin Wilson co-drafted the FAI intercultural plan and was an external adviser during the preparation of the Council of Europe White Paper, available at www.coe.int/dialogue. This article was written in a personal capacity.