Washington: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday urged the global community to confront threats of genocide against minorities in “certain countries”.

Speaking in the UN Security Council (UNSC), FM Bilawal said: “We must confront the rise of the ideologies of hate, xenophobia, populist extremism and racial and religious intolerance, including Islamophobia, which imposes discrimination and violence, and even threats of genocide, against vulnerable minorities in certain countries.”

He said multilateralism must be based on “universal and consistent adherence” to the fundamental principles of the UN Charter — self-determination of peoples, non-use or threat of force, non-acquisition of territory by the use of force, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and non-interference in their internal affairs.

The UN General Assembly must play the “central role” in reinforcing multilateralism and enhancing equity and justice in international relations, he added.

The foreign minister said the world’s attention must also turn away from “pursuing narrow national ambitions” to addressing the global threats and challenges it confronts: climate change; nuclear threat; terrorism; refugees and migration; famine and hunger; the misuse of the metaverse.

Bilawal stressed upon the UNSC to implement its resolutions over the Kashmir dispute and deliver upon its commitment to peace in the region.

“We believe it a multinational agenda, an agenda of this UNSC and if you want to see the success of the multilateral institution or multilateralism and the success of this very council, surely you can aid in this process; allow the implementation of the resolutions of the UNSC, when it comes to the question of Kashmir, prove that multilateralism can succeed, prove that the UNSC can succeed and deliver peace in the region,” he added.

The foreign minister is on a seven-day visit for talks with world leaders at the UN headquarters and with senior US officials in Washington.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 15 2022

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