In its 2020-2022 activity report presented to the Committee of Ministers on Tuesday 27 September, the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities points to three major threats: the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has increased inequalities; the climate crisis, which threatens the traditional ways of life of indigenous people; and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“This war has caused and is still causing thousands of human tragedies as well as food and energy crises”, said Mikko Puumalainen, the Committee’s Acting President, in an interview with EUROPE. “But it also has specific consequences for national minorities. Many people have been forced to leave their place of residence, which is much more difficult when you live in rural areas, which are often the traditional settlements of national minorities and where attachment to the territory is even stronger than when you live in a city”.
“The destruction of cultural sites is also very violent. It goes beyond the buildings; you can rebuild a church, but you can’t do the same with the part of the people’s lives that it represents, their identity, their history”.
For Mikko Puumalainen, the fact that Russia started this war on the grounds of protecting minorities is “deeply destabilising”. “We denounced it in a Declaration as early as May”, he recalls. “The Russian invasion contradicts the very purpose of the Framework Convention. Article 2 calls for a climate of understanding and tolerance in accordance with the principles of good neighbourliness, friendly relations and cooperation between States. The situation for ethnic minorities in Ukraine could be improved, but it can never justify armed aggression”.
The Committee is also concerned about the impact of the war on minorities residing within the Russian Federation itself, noting in its report that young men from minorities are likely to be over-represented among the casualties in the Russian military.
Russia, which was excluded from the Council of Europe in March 2022, remains a contracting party to the Framework Convention and the report specifies that the Advisory Committee will continue to monitor the situation there “when the situation permits us to do so”.
“There are some similarities between the war in Ukraine and the climate crisis”, Mr Puumalainen says. “Both force national minorities to leave the places they live and migrate. The existence of many national minorities is closely linked to their natural environment. Melting ice, droughts, floods, forest fires, etc. threaten ecosystems, and therefore the lifestyles and occupations of entire populations, including indigenous people”.
However, he points out, measures taken to combat climate change “can also make these populations vulnerable. The transition to a greener economy may create economic difficulties for national minorities, for example, concerns have been expressed about the impact of wind farms on reindeer husbandry”.
Committee opinions on the countries concerned by these issues are being prepared, he announced.
Regarding the Covid-19 crisis, Mikko Puumalainen calls for “continued vigilance”.
The reporting period was marked by this pandemic, which exacerbated the difficulties for national minorities such as the Roma by limiting their access to information, education, cultural life and health care, as well as their participation in decision-making.
“Today, the most difficult phase seems to be behind us, but we must continue to make progress by listening to minorities and taking into account the efforts made by the Member States”.
This is the role of the Committee, he concludes: “to create a dialogue around the points of view of the different parties within the context of the Framework Convention”.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/3b5 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)