GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2022) Leaders of today's democracies fail to tackle global issues effectively, as they are preoccupied with internal battles and short-term problems, a prominent international watchdog said.
On Thursday, Human Rights Watch released its 32th report on human rights trends in over 100 countries and issues of racism, women rights and the freedom of assembly.
"Today's democratic leaders are not meeting the challenges before them. Whether it is the climate crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, poverty and inequality, racial injustice, or the threats from modern technology, these leaders are often too mired in partisan battles and short-term preoccupations to address these problems effectively. Some populist politicians try to divert attention with racist, sexist, xenophobic or homophobic appeals, leaving real solutions elusive," Executive Director Kenneth Roth said in his introductory essay to the report.
The document also claimed that opposition was facing increasing crackdown in such countries as China, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Turkey, Thailand, Egypt, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, and stresses that last year, Myanmar, Sudan, Mali, and Guinea witnessed military takeovers, while the transfer of power in Tunisia and Chad was "undemocratic."
"Autocratic leaders faced significant backlash in 2021, but democracy will flourish in the contest with autocracy only if democratic leaders do a better job of addressing global problems," the organization retells Roth's summary.
The Human Rights Watch chief stressed that democratic leaders must take a more serious approach to solving global and regional issues and prove that democracy can bring fruit, in order to contribute to "contest with autocracy." The leaders must, in particular, stand for democratic institutions even if it provokes "unwelcome scrutiny or challenges to executive policies."
Human Rights Watch is a non-governmental organization funded by the US, which monitors, investigates, and records human rights violations in over 70 countries.
