European Convention on Human Rights: 75th Anniversary

Earl of Dundee Excerpts

Thursday 20th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Dundee (Con)]

My Lords, while congratulating the noble Lord, Lord Alton, on securing this debate, I begin by paying tribute, as he and others have done, to one of the ECHR founders and drafters in the 1950s, Sir David Maxwell Fyfe—later Viscount Kilmuir from 1954 to 1962 and Lord Chancellor here under Churchill, Eden and Macmillan—who earlier on at the Nuremberg trials, through his fair-minded skill and clarity as a prosecuting counsel, played an enormous part in enabling the German public to understand and accept the guilt of their leaders for crimes against humanity, his cross-examination of Hermann Göring becoming one of the most noted in history.

I join with your Lordships in giving huge thanks for the ECHR, whose 75th anniversary we now commemorate; for the extent to which it has not only healed wounds but with balanced purpose, as implied by the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans, reinvigorated the heart, mind and soul of Europe; yet furthermore, for its success in providing soft power, direction and stability well beyond Europe and throughout the world; thus with efficacy accomplishing what was intended of it in the first place, as expressed by Maxwell Fyfe in Strasbourg in August 1949, and I quote:

“We cannot let the matter rest at a declaration of moral principles and pious aspirations, excellent though the latter may be. There must be a binding convention”.


In my remarks today, I will briefly touch on three aspects: the scope for the United Kingdom to achieve results through the Council of Europe; education as a human right; and the practicalities of its delivery.

During the progress of the Data (Use and Access) Bill, your Lordships will recall that this House voted to protect private copyright under Council of Europe standards, yet in which regard we can still proudly reflect that the present copyright protection ECHR conventions are precedented and inspired by the United Kingdom in 1710, three years after the 1707 Act of Union, through the Statute of Anne, which granted publishers of books legal protection.

Particularly so to our advantage here as a revising Chamber, and as emphasised by the noble Lord, Lord Alton, and others, countless examples come to mind of the Council of Europe as a natural ally within which affiliation of 46 states the United Kingdom remains a prominent member, and where I am a recent chairman of its committee on education.

As we are all well aware, the numerous groups of people suffering disadvantage in education range from girls and women, students with disability and special needs, learners living in remote areas, and refugees and asylum seekers to those experiencing discrimination against them from a number of pretexts and prejudices, and not least those living in countries where education systems are insufficiently developed.

During its G7 presidency in 2021, the United Kingdom gave a commitment to promote education in the third world and elsewhere as necessary. What actions have the Government taken since then? Which initiatives are in progress? Can the Minister affirm that such G7 plans are being clearly designed and carried out so that they contribute towards building up the strength of international communities themselves?

What plans do the Government have, along with international partners, including at the Council of Europe, to co-ordinate the delivery of a variety of international education initiatives which are at risk of financial cuts?

As well as students, such interventions clearly stand to benefit communities, cities and regions as well. One example is the current academic partnership of joint research into green energy between the Scottish University of the Highlands and Islands in the United Kingdom and the University of Zadar in Croatia. Having helped to put this together, I declare an interest as current chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Croatia. What steps are the Government now taking to actively encourage similar partnerships, possibly facilitated by Horizon and other schemes?

Following ECHR and education as a human right, enhanced prospects for world peace will also derive from much better education and competitive skills opportunities at grass roots and within all international communities. Given that G7 countries have already embraced that objective, the United Kingdom, in its own interest and that of others, must now help to ensure that this objective is properly carried out.