Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen on Holocaust Memorial Day, 27 January 2004

According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Democracy is based on equality among people. In a democracy the majority make decisions that affect the minority. It is the majority's duty to make sure that the minority's rights are respected. The majority bears responsibility for the minority. By respecting others we also teach our children tolerance.

It is good for humanity to remember its history. This also applies to dark periods in our past when human values were destroyed and human rights were trampled in an extremely cruel way. 27 January is a day when people in Finland and elsewhere can remember the victims of the Holocaust and other atrocities. It is also a day of hope, since it marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. It is being observed in more and more countries to remind us of the past and of the importance of defending human rights today and tomorrow.

Elina Sana's recent book has drawn attention to people who were deported to Germany by Finland during the Second World War. I asked Prime Minister Vanhanen for the Government to see whether the deportations should be investigated more deeply. In his report to the Government Professor Heikki Ylikangas recommends a more thorough study and this recommendation should be followed.

As Professor Ylikangas noted when he submitted his report, the time is ripe to examine this stage in our recent history. Finland is an open democratic society which should promote knowledge of its history. It is indispensable for our national self-awareness not to have unfinished business on our collective mind.

Human history is full of wars and atrocities and they cast long shadows. Modern states' borders have also been drawn through conquest and power politics. Democracy, human rights, respect for the rule of law and social justice are fundamentally important. Good ethnic relations prevent genocide, but we must remain vigilant. Genocide has taken place in our own day as well.

Our common past also tells us how we can seek to make amends and reconcile the past with the present. The South Africa of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu is an inspiring and encouraging example. Our own national tragedy, the shadow of 1918, is only now becoming part of our collective memory and consciousness. This shows what great efforts are required to heal a nation.

Even more important than history are the present and the future. Secretary-General Kofi Annan pointed this out at the Stockholm international forum on preventing genocide, which began yesterday. He proposed the establishment of a special committee on the prevention of genocide. In my opinion the Secretary-General's proposal is worth serious attention.

For my own part I would like to emphasize peace education. Past sufferings have not made us better people; we still have to foster equality and tolerance in ourselves and our children. Peace education is based on respecting others and valuing our own humanity, analysing conflicts and seeking solutions through peaceful means.

There have been signs of rising antisemitism in many countries. Extreme movements stir up prejudice against immigrants and Jews. The same people may disgrace Jewish cemeteries and monuments and burn immigrants' shops and discriminate against them and target them with violence. This cannot be tolerated.

Finland must actively participate in work to prevent racism, xenophobia and antisemitism within the framework of the UN, the Council of Europe, the European Union and Nordic cooperation. We must also work actively in our own country. Public authorities must do their duty, but this doesn't reduce the importance of private citizens' activities. Real equality can only be created through people's own commitment as individuals.

In Finland as in other parts of the world there have always been people with different cultural backgrounds. This is visible in our social infrastructure, industrialization, trade, art and culture. Finland's development would have been much slower without immigrants. Remembering this is important especially now, when the ethnic diversity of Finland's population is growing more rapidly than before.

Finland is part of the world community and it has its own responsibility in human rights issues. The better we can take care of things at home, the stronger a mandate and credibility we will have to act in international connections on behalf of human values and human rights.

This is not some separate task but must be part of all our civil and social activities. We need interaction among authorities, political parties, labour-market parties, non-governmental organizations, minorities' own organizations and the media at the national, regional and local level. Good ethnic relations and interaction cannot be achieved at one stroke. They must be constantly fostered if we are to pass on a human heritage to the next generation.

I would like to thank the Finnish section of Yad Vashem for organizing this year's Holocaust Memorial Day, along with all the other participants. While we observe this memorial day, our task is to act in all aspects of our daily lives and in the decisions we make so that our private stands or the stands taken by the group we represent strengthen social cohesion and combat antisemitism, racism, ethnic discrimination and hatred.