52nd Session UNHRC: Intervention by Mr. Malaiz Daud (Research Fellow EFSAS) on General Debate Item 5
24-03-2023, Geneva
Text and video of Mr. Malaiz Daud's Intervention on General Debate Item 5 (Human rights bodies and mechanisms) during the 52nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Video of Mr. Malaiz Daud's Intervention on General Debate Item 5 during the 52nd Session of the UNHRC.
"Mr. President,
If we truly care about human rights and promoting them globally, we cannot ignore the growing authoritarian bloc led by China, rather smartly, through its state and non-state proxies, particularly in South and Central Asia. This bloc's victories in recent years in countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, as well as its facilitation of détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia, highlight the threat it poses to human rights. With China's abysmal human rights record, its influence is further emboldening its clients to trample on the rights of those who do not conform to their worldview.
Despite this, there is hope in the form of tens of thousands of members of marginalized communities putting up peaceful resistance to this tyranny. Nonviolent movements by Pashtuns and Baloch in Pakistan, as well as women in Afghanistan and Iran, are examples of this resistance.
Therefore, there’s a need for UN human rights bodies to create a new mechanism to:
1. Better understand the designs of the despotic bloc,
2. Identify and connect with grassroots nonviolent movements in countries directly affected by the actions of the said bloc,
3. And, come up with a plan to effectively support these nonviolent movements and curb their adversaries, for example the Pakistan Army and the Taliban.
Mr. President,
Help us, the grassroots nonviolent warriors, to help you in improving human rights globally.
Thank you".
