The session during the Turku Conference was a part of a discussion and process started already in Copenhagen 2001. The process aims to enhance discussion, making new contacts and mutual understanding among NGOs in the Baltic Sea Region.
The aim and idea of the session was to give an opportunity for different actors in the Baltic Sea Region to meet each other and to learn about each others activities. The questions put beforehand were:
Marita Ruohonen, who was the first key-note speaker on "Poverty and Inclusion from the European NGO Perspective", took the floor as a member and national representative of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN). Her message was very clear: poverty is a serious problem in Europe. According to the statistics there are more than 56 million people who are experiencing poverty and exclusion in the European Union - the area known for its wealth and prosperity all over the world. At least one in every ten people are living in consistent poverty.
The risk of poverty affects disproportionately the unemployed, the disabled, single parents of families with numerous children. By age, the risk is higher than average for children, young people and older women. Some additional reasons for social exclusion besides poverty are: - physical disability (in this seminar reported by Christer Karlsson, Sweden, prisoners and Vladimir Zakharov, Russia, children and youngsters with disabilities), - homelessness (Piotr Olech, Poland and Anna Eliseeva-Nochlezka, Russia), - age (senior citizens - Aili Kogerman, Estonia), - drug addiction (Julia Vinckler, Estonia and Claes Hejbel, Sweden), - mental health (e.g. suicides - Ingrida Gonak, Lithuania), - problems in social adaptation (ex-prisoners, Karlsson).
EAPN aims to put the fight against poverty and social exclusion at the top of EU agenda.
The Lisbon European Council (the highest decision making body in the EU) discussed poverty in March 2000 under the heading: The EU Social Inclusion Strategy. The Council launched a strategy aimed at boosting Europe's competitiveness and economic growth achieving higher employment rates and fostering social cohesion. The heads of States and Governments confessed their faith in the new religion according which the higher competitiveness and social cohesion go hand in hand.
Mrs Ruohonen continued by giving light to this aim in reality. After Lisbon meeting the member states made National Action Plans (NPAs) to fight poverty. The goal for the Governments was set to make a decisive impact on eradication of poverty by the year 2010. The EAPN has observed that there still seems to be countries where little or no priority is given to this strategy. In the view of EAPN it is ineffective to speak about poverty and extreme poverty without placing it in the context of a commitment to social solidarity, social justice and universal access to basic human rights for all, including social, economic and cultural rights. At the same time when addressing poverty we should be concerned about inequality and in particular income distribution. It is clear that the countries with higher levels of equality are also countries with lowest level of poverty.
The second speaker was professor Yakov Gilinsky from St. Petersburg, Russia. His theme was problems of inclusion and exclusion in contemporary Russia. He first gave an excellent definition by quoting N. Luhmann (1998) who writes about the new global social situation: The tendency to divide people and societies into included and excluded. The "Included" are personalities, who are real members in the functional systems of the society. The "Excluded" can only be individuals, who are not members in the functional systems, they only exist.
Professor Gilinsky then continued by explaining the consequenses of this process of inclusion/exclusion. He first reminded us that the opposition, contradiction between included and excluded countries is increasing and by this the possibility of armed conflicts and terrorism is increasing too. He also reminded the seminar that terrorism is a fight of poor men or groups against the rich and powerful, while terror is the constant state of affairs when the rich and powerful countries or regimes fight against poor people and poor countries. As the second consequence he mentioned that the excluded people often constitute the social basis of criminality, drug-addiction. Alcoholism, suicide and other kinds of deviations. Third, the excluded people are in need of social help, support and assistance. They are "humiliated and insulted" (F. Dostojevsky) and in need of help but not punishment.
Who are excluded?
Mr. Gilinsky summarized:
Social-economic inequality is a main cause of poverty.
Poverty is the first main cause for social exclusion.
Personal disorder is the second main cause for exclusion, and
The lack of social connections (as results of poverty or personal disorder) is the third cause for exclusion.
According to the speaker the situation concerning all types of excluded in Russia is getting worse and worse. More than 50% of the Russian population is already excluded if we use statistics as source of information (Borodkin, 2000). Professor Gilinsky concluded his message by a very sad vision: the ever growing economic polarisation of the population - visible in the stark contrast between the poor majority and the nouveau rich minority (the "New Russian") - is a guaranteed source of continuing social conflict. Mr Gilinsky reminded also that we are facing at the same time with economical and social problems a crises in spirituality and morality.
In the afternoon session about exclusion and inclusion, the theme was: "What problems do we face when we talk about exclusion and inclusion? Whom can one call excluded? How can participation be enhanced?"
Keynote speaker Tuula Helne answered also to the question put by Jari Virtanen, from Save the Children Finland and EURONET; who needs exclusion and poverty? I don't and you don't need it. He also stated that he doesn't believe that any single person in Europe needs poverty and exclusion. The only conclusion can be that it is the system that needs poverty and exclusion.
Tuula Helne raised the question of the kind of society in which we want to include everyone. Is the society we live in beneficent for its citizens and its environment? Are its aims, of which economic growth is the foremost, something that can be taken for granted? Aren't the demand for growth and the demand for individual success as its corollary, on the contrary, among the very factors producing exclusion?
Dr. Helne concluded her message clearly and critically: when using this expression (exclusion), we seldom think about the image of the excluded we convey. When we imply that the excluded are to be included, are we not also saying they are passive, in need of our help and in this respect also in some way inferior to the "included", whoever they may be. Could it also be that the excluded are a scarecrow society needs in order to motivate its citizens to stay included, whatever the cost may be.
The theme seminar gathered some hundred participants representing all Baltic Sea Countries. During the session we heard altogether fourteen (14) speakers from the podium and very lively discussion by the participants after the presentations.
Several speakers during the session referred to the problem of definition: social exclusion as a concept that is defined by those who use it, is very much culturally related. At the same time they agreed, however, that poverty is the main cause of social exclusion and also that it is the main task of the governments to find and develop effective means to combat poverty. NGO's can work to diminish the worst consequences of poverty and exclusion by putting up projects and activities where the public sector doesn't work on.
The common understanding was that NGOs are needed and the work we do is very important and helps the people in crisis and in threat getting excluded. During the session many speakers and participants took up the importance of co-operation between first, second and the third, it is, the NGO sector. It was suggested that in the future forums it would be interesting to have a possibility to discussions with these other sectors of our societies as well. The seminar also agreed to promote a data-bank including mailing lists about NGOs working in related fields in the Region. It was seen very important to have this data-bank also in the Internet.