Blog Archives

COUNCIL OF EUROPE - CONFERENCE OF INGOs - Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Challenges Committee

Collaboration with the European Committee on Democracy and Good Governance on inclusive democratic participation

4/17/2015

Anne-Marie Chavanon, Chair of the Committee presented recent initiatives and efforts being deployed by civil society groups and NGOs in cooperation with public authorities especially at local level, that aimed at increasing inclusive democratic participation, witha view to counteracting disengagement and segregation as well as combatting radicalisation and extremism.

In the exchange which followed, participants outlined recently adopted measures aimed at developing local authorities’ awareness of and responsiveness to radicalism, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, local development and the prevention of racist and extremism language on-line. The CDDG would welcome additional information on the “interculturalcities” programme and the “No Hate Speech Campaign” of the Council of Europe.

The chair of the CDDG, Paul-Henri Phillips supported by the committee, invited all participants, delegations, NGOs, the Congress and observers to provide the Secretariat with an overview of initiatives being implemented or under consideration with a view to promoting inclusive societies and preventing extremism activities especially in cities and towns.This overview will constitute the basis for an exchange of views and sharing of experiences at the next CDDG meeting.

0 Comments

Building together to deconstruct religious, ethnic and cultural prejudices

4/2/2015

0 Comments

Abdel BELMOKADEM, Samuel GRZYBOWSKI, François BECKER

Active coexistence, the ability to be with someone

The Coexist association, founded by Samuel GRZYBOWSKI, brings together young people from 15 to 35, from all walks of life, all conviction and religions (Christians, Jews, Muslims, agnostics and atheists). It has 1,800 members in France and 600 active people. It aims to enable young people to live an "experience of unity on something other than their identity, that question so present in the march " I am Charlie, I am .. "

Diversity in their affiliations and unity in action
The association offers each young person the possibility to live its difference as a way of singularity so as to live more strongly common shares (dialogue elements, visit of worship places, organizing debates, roundtables, actions of solidarity with the poor, the elderly, the sick, the children).
They are in contact with other young people in schools, colleges, universities to deconstruct with them by conducting a work on religious but also ethnic and cultural prejudice .

In 7 years, CO-EXIST has enabled 27,000 young people to meet.

0 Comments

Create the conditions for dialogue for those who fail to meet

4/2/2015

0 Comments

A French citizen, secular, republican and muslim: a mediator

Dominique Jung, Anne-Marie Chavanon, Abdel Belmokadem, Samuel Grzybowski

"I am a French, secular and republican citizen, a Muslim," said Abdel Belmokadem from the outset.

Born in Vaux-en-Velin, Abdel is now a reference in the field of mediation and living together.

After a professional boxing career that led him to the top step of the podium, Abdel, long illiterate, has gone back to school. He wanted a job. To be in solidarity with others. He was deputy mayor at Vaux en Velin for 10 years before leaving politics and creating the Nés &cités (pronounced necessity) which aims to mediation in popular neighborhoods, to establish contact between sensitive areas and the economic, institutional and polical world.

Extend our hand

His profession of faith: "going towards the others, helping them as I was helped myself, and move forward with them."

A priority: jobs

Abdel puts in daily contact companies and city youth. We have, he said, developed concepts that are aiming at bringing closer young people and recruiting companies who have trouble finding specific profiles in times of crisis.

Due to 20,000 contact proposals from employers, 7,000 young people have found jobs, thanks to this direct contact.

We're lucky he said, the economic world follows us (my first sponsors in sports, and now many companies look for talents coming from our neighbourhoods to strengthen their activities and their development. "They can no longer afford to do without this human resource. "We love, he said, to work on our similarities but it is with our differences that we are complementary and the most useful.

"Jobs created a dynamic within families and within the territory because, yes, he says, these territories are marked! Yes, there are people who are lost! Yes, the actors that accompany them, are alone! Yes, the government has just forgotten us!,

Against regimentation:
"If there is one single message to fight against the scourge of regimentation, whether religious or criminal, it is employment!"

0 Comments

WINTER SESSION

4/2/2015

0 Comments

Dominique Jung : the success of the demonstration on January 11 has changed the way France looks at itself

Dominique JUNG, DNA Chief editor, shared with NGOs a very thorough analysis, sometimes incisive, of difficulties which hinder the development of more cohesive societies.

According to Dominique JUNG, France has been aware of transcending its individualism, but to the gratitude felt during the immediate mobilization succeeded, in his mind, a sense of concern about the number of dubious people, skeptics, recalcitrant not to the killing itself, unanimously condemned, but to the emotion it evoked : Is it that we already mobilized all convinced people, he asks? Didn’t we share a sort of collective exorcism rite which was lovely but left indifferent a significant portion of our citizens?

Do not underestimate Semitism
If the fight for the freedom of the press is a noble fight, it must not crush, insists Dominique JUNG, other battles such as the one against anti-Semitism "singled out" by the events of 11 January.

Consider the new information mapping
Dominique JUNG believes that the information map is redrawn today, with a ditch on the credibility of sources: social networks produce the best and the worst, the immediacy of information but also the dissemination and amplification of unverified information, false and dangerous rumors ... a kind of particle bombardment. These rumors are taking credit merely because they exist and circulate, he said giving the example of conspiracy theses appeared on the internet. This is the type of information that explains, in his eyes, the violence of hostility towards France, observed in some countries.

Asking more questions is our journalistic role underlines the editor, columnist of DNA, particularly on the link between politics and religion, between aesthetics, especially iconoclasm, and the way of thinking society between globalization and the emergence of a new "Terra incognita" where you cannot enter without risking death, he said, hoping that the Japanese journalist held by Daech be spared.

In his eyes, the killing at Charlie Hebdo shows that at the heart of Europe, there are "mentalities that may seem far from the values which we hope will be universal" ...

0 Comments

Français

Palais de l'Europe

Radek Maly, Jose Mendes Bota, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Anne-Marie Chavanon, Lord Georges Foulkes, Anna Rurka, Christine de la Maisonneuve, Michel Ballereau

Agora Building - Council of Europe

Texts on climate by the committee

Link to the dedicated website

Living together in multicultural societies : respect, dialogue, interaction

The European Local Democracy Week (ELDW) is organized, every year, in October in Europe and beyond. It offers an opportunity to joint actions with local and regional authorities and involvement of citizens

Council of Europe
Conference of INGOs
Committee