Guterres calls for humane treatment of Kashmiris

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday that the people of Kashmir have every right to humane treatment and protection of their political rights and fundamental freedoms.

"Human rights are not political rights but they are political, economic and social rights - some of the political rights are pushed back," he added. He was addressing the student representatives at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on the subject of "Role of the youth in UN of the 21st Century".

He said wanted ban on automatic weapons as these killed people indiscriminately, adding that the inclusion of the youth in decision making was vital as the new generations was more exposed to the threats by the new technologies if not properly regulated.

He said: "Terrorism, hate speech and criminal organizations use the internet and the cyberspace to divide societies." The youth must have a fundamental voice and role in order to overcome all challenges faced the world.

He further pointed out that the UN was taking steps to ensure equality among the people as well as the states, adding that 'power has to be taken, it is not given'. He said the UN system was evolved after the WWII and it must not disconnect with the people otherwise it would create mistrust.

He stressed the need of more youth participation and gender parity within political systems and international organizations in order to address issues like global warming, unfair globalization, unregulated new technologies and conflicts in the world. He said it has become necessary to engage young people in order to promote institutional dialogue in democracies, adding that "permanent inter-flow of communication between the political society and civil society is the basis of modern democratic system".

The UN Secretary General said that presence of youth was absolutely essential in the corridors of power where decisions are made, policies are defined and actions were implemented, admitting that his generation had failed to achieve desired goals in reversing emergency in climate change, fair distribution of resources to all segments of societies, regulating new technologies and avoiding conflicts.

Terming climate change defining issue of the age, Guterres said, "We do not have the political will to reverse the climate emergency." He said the world today was faced with the challenges of record increase in levels of gaseous emissions in the air, land and sea, rising temperatures, soaring water levels due to the melting of glaciers.

Regarding Globalization, he said: "Despite producing enormous benefits to the world in trade etc, globalization has produced increase in poverty levels which is a threat to the social cohesion of societies". He said the governments, across the globe, must formulate economic and social strategies under which globalization worked for all and no none was left behind.

"If the things moved in the current manner, the sustainable development goals for 2030 will not be met," he warned. Guterres urged the need to ensure parity to the women in world affairs, adding that women were playing the role they should play in world affairs. Advocating equality for women, he said the male dominated global society had failed to check the conflicts for being more aggressive while presence of women in international bodies had compassion to control the permanent cycles of conflict.

Urging the need to regulate modern technologies, Guterres said the youth had a key role to play as the world regulates or devises a mechanism in checking the wrong use of the modern technologies like the digital society; artificial intelligence and genetic engineering has become a problem for the world societies. Guterres said single use plastics posed a great threat to environment, adding that most countries have banned the use and Pakistan is one of those. "Rawanda, an African country, banned single use plastics some 15 years ago," he responded. He said plastics pose a very serious problem under the seas with micro-plastics and nano-plastics. He urged the governments to ban it across the globe. About regulating the social media, the UN General Secretary said a multi-stake holders approach was needed to adopt laws.

Later, the UN Secretary General had a souvenir photograph with the students and faculty of LUMS. Earlier, the US Secretary General had visited the Kindergarten School in Defence Housing Authority where he administered polio drops to a select group of toddlers.