“Positive peace is the commitment to strive together, in pursuit of a common goal for an inclusive society.”This was the message conveyed by President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, during her closing address at the “State of Europe Forum”, organised at the Valletta Campus of the University of Malta.
She said that we can no longer afford to think of peace as the mere absence of warfare, and defined positive peace as the commitment to strive together in pursuit of a common goal for an inclusive society. “We must be guided by fundamental human rights and freedoms, in order to ensure that everybody is included,” she said.
“Europe has been built on these values of solidarity, peace and of holistic wellbeing”
The President said the values of solidarity, peace and of holistic wellbeing are present in our different faith traditions, and are a powerful component in the heritage of Christianity. “It is this heritage,” she said, “which had such a significant role in the history of our European Union.”
Quoting Robert Schuman’s declaration of the 9th May 1950, which many people consider to be the genesis of the European Project, the President said Schuman believed that the rebuilding of the European Community would only be possible if it was deeply rooted in basic Christian values.
President Coleiro Preca said that the values of solidarity, peace and of holistic wellbeing are firmly embedded within the tradition of Christianity, however they are not unique to it. In fact, these values are shared by all individuals and groups of goodwill. The President added that these values unite us all in one universal sense of solidarity, and one united desire to build a long-lasting and sustainable peace.
“Let us recognise that it is these values of solidarity, of peace, and of holistic wellbeing, which had such a profound impact during the establishment of the European Union. Moreover, these values have lost none of their importance, as we move forward today,” President Coleiro Preca stated.
“The primary message derived from these values, is a commitment of profound respect towards other cultures and groups, even those who seem to be very different from our own.”
The President said that this sense of respect is more important now, than ever before and stated that “putting real respect into practice means taking steps to achieve reconciliation, and to take every opportunity to be effective peace-builders.”
She said that forgiveness, reconciliation and healing, must underpin all our efforts to build positive peace within our communities, our societies, and across our nations. She also said that to sustain long-lasting positive peace, we need to include everybody.
“We cannot allow discrimination to go unchallenged, whether on the basis of gender, of sexual orientation, of ethnicity or race, of social background or culture,” the President said.
President Coleiro Preca said that it is only by nurturing respect and trust, that we can move forward, and be effective activists for peace and focused champions of wellbeing.
“No matter who we are, or where we are from, we should be united as one family, filled with one sense of purpose, to love and to be loved.”
The President stated that it was this sense of unity, which finds direct expression in a human rights-based approach that gave strong foundations to the European Union, and added that “not only should all individuals be equal, but all nations should also be equal.”
Appealing to all those present, she encouraged them to be strong advocates for peace and unity against the false populism of demagogues, whilst stating that the recent experiences in The Netherlands and France showed that the majority of the people are strongly committed to the foundations of the European Project.
“The essential truth is that we must love our neighbours as we love ourselves.”
President Coleiro Preca urged those present at the State of Europe Forum, to never stop striving to ensure that the message of loving our neighbours as we love ourselves, is effective in our lives, and in the lives of our communities and nations.
She also encouraged them to spread the knowledge that globalization brings communities and nations closer together, whilst also bringing new opportunities for our shared prosperity.
“We are stronger and more stable in our European Union when we combine the potential of our nations, to work for a common purpose with partners and collaborators from across the world,” The President stated.
In her concluding remarks the President asserted once more that we must continue promoting a culture of positive peace, a culture of encounter, and processes of dialogue with others.
“We must work in synergy to create real reconciliation and lasting unity. In this way, we shall build positive peace among our nations, and strive together for the holistic wellbeing and lasting prosperity of both present and future generations,” the President concluded.