Sommaire: Speech by Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy: "Education: unlocking the Middle East's potential", Commencement Address at Lebanese American University (Byblos: 6 July 2006)
Dear Dr Jabbra,
Members of the Board of Trustees,
Faculty and staff,
Distinguished alumni and guests,
and especially graduates and students, family and friends, Class of 2006,
Thank you for inviting me to your beautiful university to talk to you today, and for the honour you do me in awarding this Doctorate.
Most importantly, congratulations to the Class of 2006! I am very happy to be here to celebrate with you. You richly deserve the reward you receive here today.
Congratulations, of course, also go to your parents - whose sacrifices for your education reveal the depth of their love and commitment to you - and faculty and friends, whose support has helped you get where you are today. Your achievements are due in no small part to that love and support, so on your behalf let me thank parents, friends and family for that.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Education is a prize whose value exceeds all others. It is the most important gift we can receive. In Mark Twain's words, "Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run"!
The ancient Phoenician city of Byblos is a fitting setting to appreciate the wonders of education. In bringing us the world's first alphabetic phonetic script, the precursor of modern alphabets, the Phoenicians made an enormous contribution to mankind's ability to communicate ideas and knowledge effectively.
And it is this power to communicate complex ideas and information which has paved the way for all subsequent scientific and humanitarian developments.
You have been tremendously fortunate to have had the opportunity to study here at the Lebanese American University. Its reputation extends well beyond the borders of Lebanon, and indeed beyond the Middle East. And I am confident that with this start in life, you will go on to great things.
After all, you are the future - the future for Lebanon, for your home countries, but also, for the world.
Because increasingly, thanks to globalisation, the actions we take and the decisions we make have repercussions around the globe. I am sure the positions you go on to hold in business, politics, government, or the non-profit sector will bring you into contact with your peers around the world.
That is why the kind of education I know LAU promotes - not only academic excellence and advancing scholarship but also the education of the whole person and promoting future leaders in a diverse world - is so vitally important.
By studying with people from other countries you will already have learnt important cross-cultural communication skills. I know from my own career - in business, at the United Nations, as Austria's Foreign Minister, and now as European Commissioner - that the ability to communicate with people from other countries and cultures is extremely valuable. And increasingly, thanks to the global marketplace, that skill is essential for leaders.
But there is something else - studying, living and socialising with others teaches important lessons in tolerance, respect and understanding. I know LAU prides itself on developing world citizens with a deep sense of civic engagement, and promoting the values of peace, democracy and justice.
It is precisely those values which the world needs more than ever. In today's uncertain times, the need to enhance cooperation and deepen understanding between peoples, cultures and faiths has never been more pressing.
Recent months and years have seen increasing attention paid to the so-called "clash of civilisations" between the West and Islamic nations. But what we are facing today is not a clash of civilisations, it is a clash of ignorance.
After all, we have our roots in the same civilisations. The three monotheistic religions stem from the same root. Islam is part of Europe's history and society, and today we are more interconnected than ever before. The issues with which our societies are grappling are also remarkably similar. In all our societies we must reconcile old and new values, demographic and economic changes, and find jobs and opportunities for the young.
But unfortunately these commonalities are too-often overlooked. The cartoon crisis was a particularly disturbing example of the gulf of misunderstanding between us. It revealed the depth of ignorance in much of Europe about what others might find offensive. And it revealed the depth of ignorance outside Europe about what Europeans - of whatever religion or creed - find acceptable.
The one thing we learnt from the accusations and counter-accusations was that no country can lay claim to the moral high ground. Around the world minority groups face persecution on religious, ethnic or racial grounds. And we all have work to do to fight prejudice and to build bridges of greater understanding and respect between us.
How do we do this? The answer is education. It is through education that we learn to see things through the eyes of others, and so come to understand and respect difference. Education is vital for combating ignorance, prejudice and misunderstanding, at local, national and international level. It allows people to see beyond a world of hate and hopelessness to one of possibilities. Education unleashes the creative contributions of every citizen to improve their own lives and build the common good. No wonder Mark Twain described it as dangerous!
But education is, unfortunately, a privilege rather than a right across much of the world, and especially in the Middle East. I am sure you are familiar with the findings of the United Nation's Arab Human Development report, written by scholars from across the Middle East. They identified three deficits which contribute to the region's poor development record: gender equality, political and civil liberties, and education.
In the Middle East and North Africa a third of the population is under 15, eight million children do not attend primary school and 27% of adults are illiterate. There are serious gaps between boys and girls in the education system. In rural areas in particular, people struggle to access any level of education at all. And as you know better than most, higher education is certainly a rare privilege.
This situation is untenable. The bare minimum we should do to turn this around would be to meet the millennium development goals - halving illiteracy by 2010; giving equality of access to quality education for boys and girls by 2015; and ensuring that by 2015 all children complete at least primary education.
Not only would that make a huge difference to sustainable economic development, it would be a major contribution to increasing understanding of other cultures and societies - and so addressing one of the great challenges of our time.
That is why education is such a priority for me, and for the European Commission.
You may already be familiar with the European Neighbourhood Policy. It is an offer of a very special relationship between the EU and its closest partners and neighbours. It gives Lebanon the possibility of drawing as close to Europe as it wants, based on the recognition of our common values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The goal is to create an area of prosperity, stability and security for the EU and our neighbours. The relationship on offer goes far beyond anything we have ever previously offered to partner countries, except those en route to joining the EU.
ENP works by supporting the government's efforts to implement commonly agreed reform priorities. The EU and Lebanon agreed the "ENP Action Plan" in May, and I am delighted to say that yesterday the full European Commission endorsed the plan and passed it on to our Member States for their approval.
The Action Plan focuses on Lebanon's national priorities and includes elements like increasing the judiciary's administrative capacity; exchanging information about the EU's health and safety standards so that Lebanon can trade with us more easily; and encouraging student mobility through new scholarship programmes. Lebanon will be able to participate in EU programmes and agencies, and we have already made progress in some specific sectors, like aviation, where tomorrow I will sign an agreement with the government.
Education is an important part of ENP. We are introducing a new scholarship programme for university students from across our neighbourhood. A number of these scholarships will be ring-fenced for women. I know LAU, with its pioneering role in promoting women's education in this region, is particularly committed to promoting higher education for women, another achievement for which I salute you.
I also want to introduce a two-way system of exchanges - we all need to be more knowledgeable about each other. I hope students and youth from the EU will be able to spend more time in our partner countries, seeing at first hand the evidence of our common inheritance, and learning to appreciate tolerance and respect for difference.
But of course adopting any plan is only a start - the hard work comes now as we put it into action, as I will discuss with your government tomorrow. I am sure you will be following this with great interest and I encourage you to keep an eye on both the EU and your government to make sure we don't lose momentum!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Class of 2006,
Let me close by congratulating you once again, one and all, for your fantastic achievements here at this wonderful institution.
I hope that you will keep in your hearts the appreciation of the privilege you have had to study at LAU, and seek to make the most of the advantages in life it has given you.
I ask you to use the qualities of leadership you developed here - and certainly I am sure I am looking at many of the leaders of tomorrow - to take responsibility and make this privilege more widely available, so that others may follow in your footsteps.
And as world citizens I count on you to continue the task you began here in Lebanon, a country which is itself a lesson in building bridges between communities, by working for better understanding and respect between all the citizens of the world.
Because you are the future, and it is in your hands to make a difference.
You must show by your example the benefits education brings and encourage your governments to prioritise education, as the basis for the knowledge, research and technological renaissance the Middle East needs.
Let the city of Byblos, which in ancient times made such a tremendous contribution to the advance of knowledge, which, indeed is the root of the Greek word for "book", and which has been the setting for your educational achievements, be the inspiration for you and your country in scaling new heights.
Just as the Phoenicians who once populated this city were pioneers of knowledge, invention and enterprise, I encourage you too to be pioneers for your country and to spread knowledge, invention and enterprise as you go. And what better motto can I offer than a voice from the ancient world, the ancient Greek poet, Homer, "Always to be best, and to be distinguished above all the rest".
I wish each and every one of you all the very best as you embark on a new, intense phase of your life. I have every confidence that you will make your parents, faculty and LAU proud.
Thank you.
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