On the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, Ambassador Mumtaz Zahra Baloch participated in a panel discussion on “Free Flow of ideas and advancing Human Rights: Lessons and Perspectives at UN80”.
The event was jointly organized by UNESCO and the European Union. Director-General UNESCO, Dr Khaled El-Enany, and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, headlined the event.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Baloch underlined the importance of “free flow of ideas” as a foundation not just for democracies but also for international diplomacy. She expressed concern at the evolution in international diplomacy as spaces for open dialogue and intellectual exchange become restricted. There is thus a growing inability of states to constructively engage with each other to develop common ground to find solutions to global problems. This dynamic, she said, is contributing to a crisis for multilateralism and for international diplomacy.
Ambassador also spoke about the opportunities and challenges arising out of the UN80 process and its implications for the Human Rights Pillar of the United Nations. Terming the process as an opportunity to modernize and streamline the UN human rights machinery, she cautioned that the process should not lead to a weaking of the human rights mechanisms and procedures and dilution of the progress made in human rights.
Other participants in the panel discussion included Ms. Anne Savinel-Barras, President of Amnesty International France; Professor Jan Wouters of International Law at Institute for International Law, KU Leuven; and Thibaut Bruttin - Directeur général de Reporters sans Frontières (RSF).
