0.4.1.2. Final Act of Helsinki, 1st of August 1975

The Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, which opened at Helsinki on 3rd July 1973 and continued at Geneva from 18 September 1973 to 21 July 1975, was concluded at Helsinki on 1 August 1975 by the High Representatives of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, France, the German Democratic Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, the Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Yugoslavia.
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THE HIGH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PARTICIPATING STATES HAVE SOLEMNLY ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING:

Questions relating to security in Europe
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DECLARATION on principles guiding relations between participating states
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VII. Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief.

The participating States will respect human rights and fundametal freedoms, including the freedoms of thought, conscience, religion or belief , for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.
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Co-operation in the field of economics, of science and technology and of the environment
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Co-operation in other areas.
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Economic and social aspects of migrant labour.

THE PARTICIPATING STATES,

Considering that the movements of migrant workers in Europe have reached substantial proportions, and that they constitute an important economic, social and human factor for host countries as well as for countries of origin,

Recognizing that workers' migrations have also given rise to a number of economic, social, human and other problems in both the receiving countries and the countries of origin,

Taking due account of the activities of the competent international organisations, more particularly the International Labour Organisation, in this area,

are of the opinion that the problems arising bilaterally from the migration of workers in Europe as well as between the participating States should be dealt with by the parties directly concerned, in order to resolve these problems in their mutual interest, in the light of the concern of each State involved to take due account of the requirements resulting from its socio-economic situation, having regard to the obligation of each State to comply with the bilateral and multilateral agreements to which it is party, and with the following aims in view:
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to regard with favour the provision of vocational training to migrant workers and, as far as possible, free instruction in the language of the host country, in the framework of their employment;

to confirm the right of migrant workers to receive, as far as possible, regular information in their own language, covering both their country of origin and the host country;

to ensure that the children of migrant workers established in the host country have access to the education usually given there, under the same conditions as the children of that country and, furthermore, to permit them to receive supplementary education in their own language, national culture, history and geography;

Co-operation in humanitarian and other fields

Co-operation and exchanges in the field of culture.

Access

To promote fuller mutual access by all to the achievements -works, experiences and performing arts- in the various fields of culture of their countries, and to that end to make the best possible efforts, in accordance with their competence, more particularly;
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to promote wider dissemination of books and artistic works, in particular by such means as:
promoting, on a wider scale, the translation of works in the sphere of literature and other fields of cultural activity, produced in the languages of the other participating States, especially from the less widely-spoken languages, and the publication and dissemination of the translated works by such measures as:
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developing their efforts in the basic and advanced training of translators;
facilitating the exchange between publishers and interested institutions of lists of books which might be translated;
promoting between their countries the professional activity and co-operation of translators;
carrying out joint studies on ways of further promoting translations and their dissemination;
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to seek to develop the necessary conditions for migrant workers and their families to preserve their links with their national culture, and also to adapt themselves to their new cultural environment;

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National minorities or regional cultures.

The participating States, recognizing the contribution that national minorities or regional cultures can make to co-operation among them in various fields of culture, intend, when such minorities or cultures exist within their territory, to facilitate this contribution, taking into account the legitimate interests of their members.

Co-operation and exchanges in the field of education

Foreign Languages and Civilizations

To encourage the study of foreign languages and civilizations as an important means of expanding communication among peoples for their better acquaintance with the culture of each country as well as for the strengthening of international co-operation; to this end to stimulate, within their competence, the further development and improvement of foreign language teaching and the diversification of choice of languages taught at various levels, paying due attention to less widely-spread or studied languages, and in particular:
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to favour, in higher education, a wider choice in the language offered to language students and greater opportunities for other students to study various foreign languages; also to facilitate, where desirable, the organisation of courses in languages and civilisations on the basis of special arrangements as necessary, to be given by foreign lecturers, particulary from European countries having less widely-spread or studied languages;

National minorities or regional cultures.

The participating States, recognizing the contribution that national minorities or regional cultures can make to co-operation among them in various fields of education, intend, when such minorities or cultures exist within their territory, to facilitate this contribution, taking into account the legitimate interests of their members.
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