Let’s Talk… Is Diplomacy Dead?

Human rights and fundamental freedoms are facing new challenges in Europe.

Fifty years ago, leaders from thirty-five European and North American states signed the Helsinki Declaration, setting out principles to guide their relations: respect for sovereignty and borders, rejection of force, protection of human rights and freedoms, and the right to self-determination. These principles inspired democratic movements behind the Iron Curtain, such as Charta 77 in Czechoslovakia and Solidarity in Poland, and helped pave the way for the fall of the Berlin Wall. The declaration became a cornerstone of European cooperation.

The Helsinki Effect (dir. Arthur Franck) tells the story of this landmark agreement; it can be called a study of diplomacy. But in today’s Europe, where institutions are tested and freedoms face new threats, the question arises – where does diplomacy stand today?

Moderator:
Pyry Niemi, Chairperson The Norden Association Sweden; former member of Swedish parliament

Panellists:
Heidi Avellan, Political Editor-in-Chief Sydsvenskan and Helsingborgs Dagblad, Sweden
Jouni Laaksonen, Head of the Task Force for the Finnish chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Valentin Jeutner, Director of the Museum of International Law, Lund University