SPEECH BY THE HON EDDIE FENECH-ADAMI PRIME MINISTER AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE COURSE "MEDITERRANEAN MASTER'S IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRATISATION"

It gives me great pleasure to be with you this evening for the inauguration of the Mediterranean Master?s in Human Rights and Democratisation.

The post cold war world is a less predictable and less ordered world than that which preceded it. In the past few years we have witnessed a worrying proliferation of local conflicts which, besides creating situations of political instability in the most diverse regions of the world, have inflicted all kinds of suffering on entire populations.

Conflicts within borders tend to be even more violent and bloody than international ones. They are often waged within the boundaries of a single State, with scarce respect for international rules and conventions intended to protect the civilian populations and to reduce the human costs of war.

As a result, the international situation is characterised by the proliferation of crisis situations. These often bring about massive violations of human rights and create humanitarian emergencies leading to massive population movements to neighbouring countries.

In the face of these human catastrophes, the subject of human rights is not only a matter of studies, reports and proposals but is fertile terrain for political initiatives directed at providing solid guarantees to populations which risk extermination either from war or from hunger and disease.

In terms of human rights the post-war period will be remembered as possibly the most productive for documents enunciating the principles which should inspire every government to defend man?s dignity. The more recent years, those following the end of Communism, will probably be remembered as the years in which the rights enshrined in these documents have, in spite of numerous difficulties, not only been promoted but, more importantly, put into effect by the international community.

The world has moved on, from declarations to concrete protection of rights through interventions of every kind, including military ones, capable of bringing back peace to areas of conflict and, in particular, capable of protecting unarmed citizens from the violence of military encounters.

In these actions for peace and the protection of human rights the United Nations takes pride of place. However, several other regional organisations, such as the OSCE, as well as individual governments, have made important contributions wherever human tragedy took place. NGO?s too have demonstrated their usefulness to society through their mobilisation of thousands of volunteers, world-wide, to bring help to whoever is suffering.

Human Rights have, through these actions, become a central theme in the daily life of the international community.

The commitment of individual governments to create the necessary conditions for a full realisation of the human person seems to have the overwhelming support of public opinion in all countries. What stands out is the passion, unprecedented in the history of humanity, with which public opinion expresses itself on this subject.

Working for the respect of human rights does not mean only intervention whenever and wherever they are threatened. It means inculcating a culture of human rights which renders governments, populations and individuals vigilant and committed so that their violation becomes practically an impossibility.

Taking this point of view one understands why, all over the world, human rights are being taught in high schools and universities and why there is a constant search for more sophisticated and effective protection of such rights.

In this context, the initiative of our University to embark on a Master?s course which aims to train young persons from various Mediterranean countries in human rights is indeed praiseworthy. Over the next few months, the University will be hosting over thirty students originating from countries having different political regimes, different religions and different cultures, but who are united in a common belief in the supremacy of the law, in man?s dignity and in the need to protect such dignity by every possible means.

This course is made possible through the help of the European Union, which has set up similar regional Master?s courses elsewhere. The EU is not only devoting considerable sums of money to human rights but is giving a strong political commitment. It is an honour for Malta and for its University that the European Union has chosen our country to host this important course.

To the overseas students, and to the professors who will come from many countries to teach them, we should like to offer a tradition of cultural tolerance, of political pluralism, of understanding, and appreciation of every form of diversity. The Mediterranean Master's has to become a special place for the teaching and practice of tolerance.

The Mediterranean littoral is characterised by the diversity of its institutions, be they political, religious or cultural. In studying human rights it is important to study in depth also the structure of the individual societies in the region and of their respective institutions. This will help students understand history and arrive at the conclusion that diversity is a richness which needs to be fostered by every means possible.

Dear students, I am sure that you will feel at home in Malta, and that the University will spare no effort to make your stay a fruitful one in every respect. We would like you, in future years, to recall with pleasure the time you spend in Malta and to think of it as time of personal and professional enrichment.

I wish you all every success in your course of studies.