Prize Speech by President Herman Count van Rompuy, Chairman of the Advisory Council,Theophano Foundation

The Theophano Prize continues to honour people and institutions committed to cooperation, reconciliation and peace. Not more than a year ago, we chose David Barenboim who brings Israelis and Palestinians together in his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra to demonstrate that it is possible to work together. That ideal, that dream is needed more than ever to end the current nightmare.

I cannot help but quote the recent words of our laureate last year: “In the current situation, I naturally ask myself about the significance of our joint work in the orchestra and the academy. It may seem little – but the mere fact that Arab and Israeli musicians share a podium at every concert and make music together is of immense value. Over the years, through this commonality of music-making, but also through our countless, sometimes heated discussions, we have learned to better understand the supposed other, to approach them and to find common ground. We start and end all discussions, no matter how controversial, with the fundamental understanding that we are all equal human beings who deserve peace, freedom and happiness.”

We have a duty to remain hopeful.

Some want to present the tragedies taking place in the world today as a struggle between East and West. That so-called contradiction was already there a thousand years ago at the time of Empress Theophano. She herself was a living proof that this contradiction can be bridged. A Byzantine princess who became a German empress. Today, politically speaking, the terms East and West have a different meaning. It is often an artificial rivalry because citizens on both sides want nothing more than to live a normal life for their children, their families and themselves. They want good health care, enough food, freedom and security, peace, just to be happy. But ordinary, normal people are not asked for their opinion. They have to submit and obey.

The UNO was exactly the answer in 1945 to that cry of ordinary people after the tens of millions killed in World War II. That deep yearning is more topical than ever in the increasingly brutalised and dangerous world we live in today. The United Nations Charter and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights put that humanist ideal on paper. They made the UN an expert in humanity. It has not become 70 years of peace though we often forget that a repeat of the crazy first half of the XXth century has been avoided. However, the events from February 24, 2022 to today show that we are on the wrong track. There has been renewed talk of the possibility of using nuclear weapons since then. That is why the words of my compatriot and first president of the UN General Assembly, P.H. Spaak, are topical again. He said in 1948 at the beginning of the Cold War on the speakers’ tribune of the General Assembly, “We are afraid of you, afraid of your government, afraid of your politics. We are afraid.” Those words, unfortunately, have lost none of their topicality. But our fear is not that of cowards.

The real decadence is launching a war.

If every state and every government recognised the unique value of every human person there could be no war. Human rights are above the rights of a party, a clique or a dictator. Humanitarian law is above any other law. Being human does not mean being weak. That things can be different is proven by the story of 70 years of peace between the countries of the European Union. The centuries-old utopia of a united Europe has largely been realised. The UNO is not a supranational institution like the EU but an international organisation based on principles and rules to serve peace as much as possible, save the climate, fight hunger, prioritise health during pandemics and beyond, preserve cultural heritage, protect the rights of children and refugees. Not just by declarations but by actions. However, the UNO is only as strong as its 193 member states want it to be. That does not stop the organisation’s leadership and its secretary-general from raising its voice and taking actions such as a year ago to continue providing the world with sufficient food by allowing exports of Ukrainian grain and thus avoiding famine. An extension of that food deal was not possible for incomprehensible reasons.

The right to food and water is a basic right for everyone everywhere, in any time.

The major climate conferences organised every year under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and in particular the 2015 Paris COP21, have become the reference for the survival of the human species on the planet. To be or not to be. The climate continues to deteriorate faster than expected even though the media attention today is completely consumed by the tragedies of two wars. The climate does not care about these human follies. Again, things could be different. Humanity has its destiny in its own hands. The UNO played and is playing a pioneering role in this.

Wars and climate are humanity’s biggest threat. This is what makes our world so dangerous today. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his staff and his colleagues in charge of the specialised UN agencies deserve our deep appreciation. Mr. Guterres says what his conscience asks him to say also in difficult times. In the end, ‘a good conscience is our only sure reward’ as President Kennedy said in 1961.

Populists and nationalists -both go together- are against multilateral organisations because they don’t care about peace and harmony. French President François Mitterrand once said “Nationalism means war”. It is still true today. If I were to talk about terrorists, all this applies even more. In fact, they are nihilists.

The more multilateralism is attacked, the more we have to defend it. Of course, I know we should not be naive. I know that the lives of people and nations are determined by political realism on the one hand and ethical idealism on the other. There are enough so-called realists in the world and too few people with a vision and inspired by positive values. We must return to putting the value of each human person first and thus the positive values of freedom, justice, equality, solidarity and fraternity, moderation  -I love that word so much- and hope as a response to the negative un-values of hatred, envy, revenge, cruelty, fear, violence.

The values underlying the UNO are not obsolete. People’s fundamental rights are not open to much interpretation. Silence and blind obedience do not replace human rights. Democracies almost never attack other democracies. On the contrary, they are often attacked themselves. But even then, they may not defend themselves no matter how. Democracies are not perfect, but moreover, all in all, they produce many times more prosperity and welfare per capita than authoritarian regimes.

However, the UNO itself should be able to adapt to the new era. I am not repeating the values that underpin its existence. In the concert of nations, all countries are theoretically equal but some are more equal than others. The small group of nations with veto rights in 1945 are no longer representative of the world as it is today. Former colonies have now become large regional or sometimes even global actors. The EU with its biggest single market in the world, with the euro the second most widely used reserve currency in the world, the EU’s role as standard-setter in many areas including and especially on climate issues, is also a new reality. That adaptation to current realities would enhance the UNO’s clout and credibility. I know it is not for tomorrow but will we still be working with the superpowers of 1945 in 2045? But it is even more important that countries, large and small, remain true to the values enshrined in the Charter. Respect for what was subscribed to at the time is even more important than any reform of the United Nations.

The world is at a turning point in what is called the post-war period. Brutality is growing and ethics are falling. The pinnacle of public ethics is peace in freedom and justice. Globalisation is in danger of turning into fragmentation between blocs of so-called like-minded countries. It is no longer a Cold War but a hot war. Some practise a kind of false wisdom as if there is nothing new under the sun. So there is something new, unfortunately.

If not much international understanding is possible then we need to overcome that mistrust to at least work together on essentials for people: climate and food. Back to basics. What just doesn’t get through to rulers, is that no empire or regime is eternal, especially in these times of rapid change on any front. Power is temporary and superpowers even more so. In 1990, we once again witnessed the end of an empire on the European continent. This should encourage humility and wisdom and, as mentioned, focus on the essential, on the ethical minimum.

The UNO is a message and an organisation.  The less the time is ripe for that message the more we have to do to make it ripe. We must be activists for humanity. The Theophano Prize also wants to contribute to that. A simple and noble cause.