"As delivered by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe"

Mayor of Kristiansand,

Vice-President of the Norwegian Parliament,

Mayor of Mykolaiv,

Guests, Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to be back here in Kristiansand.

And to see the success of this annual Democracy and Human Rights Conference –

Which continues to put down ever deeper roots.

Since we last met here, twelve months ago, Europe has endured a very difficult year –

Especially Ukraine and its people – as my distinguished fellow panellist, the Mayor of Mykolaiv will discuss shortly.

The Russian Federation’s appalling and completely unacceptable war of aggression against Ukraine has continued –

With hundreds of thousands dead –

Many more wounded – with far too many to think of tortured and raped –

And millions of Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes and now live as refugees throughout our continent.

At the same time, we can all be grateful for the incredible stamina, strength and extraordinary fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people, and their President and leaders.

It’s the revival of aggressive nationalism in Europe, an old ghost that is causing such pain and misery.

But it did not happen overnight in Russia.

It gathered pace over the course of several years – even before Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.

We saw it in the systematic crackdown on independent media – and the physical attacks and even the killing of journalists.

We saw it in the clamp-down on independent civil society – including Memorial.

In new and ambiguous legislation, and the many ways the authorities prohibited demonstrations by ordinary people, and declared illegal any dissent with  regard to the war in Ukraine.

And finally, we saw it in the big increase in the number of arrests - and even murders - of members of the opposition.

These include the poisoning, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of Alexei Navalny, and most recently the Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza – both as an effort to punish individuals, but also to intimidate broader society.

Mr Kara-Murza was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison for so-called “high treason.”

What a mockery of justice; yet another example of how much repression has accelerated in the Russian Federation.

The so-called “crimes” Vladimir Kara-Murza was tried for – speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine and his advocacy on behalf of victims of human rights violations – are in fact acts of outstanding bravery.

Regrettably, we have seen very much the same developments in Belarus.

Last year, here in Kristiansand, we were joined by Tsviatlana Tsikhanouskaya –

She reminded us of the crucial importance of engaging with those from her country who share our values, who believe in democracy and in a Europe at peace.

Since then the Council of Europe has established a Contact Group to do exactly that, working with – and keep on assisting – the independent Belarusian civil society and democratic forces in exile.

No other international organisation has managed to do the same. We believe that we will only see a democratic Belarus one day, if we start working for it through engagement with independent Belarusian civil society right now.

We already have 15 projects underway.

And we will further develop this relationship –

As well as looking at how we might engage with similarly-minded groups from the Russian Federation.

And only a few weeks ago we organised – together with the Justice for Journalists Foundation and the Swedish Institute – a workshop in Gothenburg to support Russian journalists in exile.

While the democratic backsliding in Russia and Belarus are the most extreme examples that Europe has witnessed in recent times –

We also find that backsliding of democracy elsewhere on our continent.

Almost everywhere, to varying degrees.

When governments pass new laws –

Or misuse old ones –

To shrink civic space, or prevent legitimate protest – or to deny independent media and journalists a voice.

That is democratic backsliding.

So too is the rise of anti-rights movements –

That roll back laws or practices designed to protect specific groups from discrimination – such as women or LGBTI people.

Few phenomena – few crimes – are as important to address today as violence against women.

But no crime is more common.

Governments have both the capacity and the moral obligation to act –

And they have at their disposal the tools – and – by far – the most important one – is the Istanbul Convention – that helps us make deep, positive and lasting change in the interests of all women – all people – across Europe.

Dear friends,

What then will 46 European leaders decide, when they meet in Reykjavik later this month for the Council of Europe’s 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government ?

Ukraine will no doubt be the no. 1 issue at the Summit.

We must continue to do everything we can to support Ukraine, and we provide assistance covering a wide range of areas from the investigation of war-crimes to assistance to law enforcement and the judiciary.

In the trenches of Bakhmut, the Ukrainians are not only fighting for their beloved homeland, but for all of Europe - for a Continent where we respect each other’s independence and self-determination – and where we promote and uphold our values and fundamental rights.

We have all seen the suffering and pain. The bombing and rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities – hitting people’s homes, schools and even hospitals – indiscriminately.

So there is an obvious and urgent need to register and record all loss and damage, resulting from the grave human rights violations that are taking place in Ukraine as a consequence of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified full-scale military aggression.

Preparations are therefore underway so that the Council of Europe can play a leading role in the set-up of such a Registry of damage, and this will no doubt be a very important deliverable – if not the main result – of the upcoming Summit in Iceland.

This comes on top of the ongoing and important work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague as regards crimes against humanity and war crimes, the on-going discussions to establish a special international tribunal addressing the crime of aggression, and the need to establish a compensation mechanism for all the victims.

What is clear is that without delivering justice there cannot be any lasting peace.

At the same time, many of us have been shocked by the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children, with thousands taken to Russia for ‘adoption’ or ‘re-education’.

The forced  transfer of children, and the failure to return children to their parents, all constitute grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Already the International Criminal Court, has issued an arrest warrant for President Putin and his children’s rights Commissioner for overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian children.

We need to do everything we can to raise international awareness, and to protect these children illegally taken and transferred to Russia.

Let me also add here, that we should consider actions to support war-affected children in Ukraine and in our other member states.

Dear friends,

One day, peace will return to Ukraine.

But we must ensure that such peace is just and sustainable.

And it is at tims like these that we should remind ourselves of the importance of human rights and democracy –

But also its fragility.

It is so easy to take our rights for granted.

But on any given day, every one of us relies on them.

This morning, most of you will have got up and read the news on your phone.

You have come here to listen, learn and debate and to express your views.

And throughout the day, you are likely to exchange text messages with your friends and family about all kinds of things.

In these everyday acts, your rights play a pivotal role.

Not just the freedoms of expression, assembly and association – vital though these are –

But your rights to privacy and data protection, and respect for private and family life –

Not to mention the whole host of other issues that these simple acts might haveencountered.  –

Such as disinformation and hate speech online.

Dear friends,

I will not be too long, but let me end by saying a big thank you to all of you who have helped organise this important conference.

In particular, Mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland, the City of Kristiansand and Ambassador Frøysnes, but also the key institutional partners: The University of Agder, Kilden Performing Arts Centre, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum (SKMU), Arkivet Peace and Human Rights Centre, Cultiva Foundation and Agder County Council. 

You are leading the way in explaining why democracy, why the rule of law, why human rights matter – and thereby also telling the story of the Council of Europe.

A story that needs to be heard – particularly today – and all over Europe.

So that everyone – and especially all young people – understand why they must take up the pen and help us write the next chapter in the history of democratic Europe.

Thank you for your attention.