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Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) President Naveed Walter addressed the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, calling for greater protection of Pakistan's religious minorities and other marginalised communities while stressing that sustainable development must be rooted in human rights and inclusion.
According to a press release issued by HRFP, Walter attended the forum following an official invitation and participated in official sessions, side events, policy dialogues and discussions with representatives of governments, UN agencies, diplomatic missions, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations and international human rights advocates. The 2026 High-level Political Forum was held under the theme, "Transformative, equitable, innovative and coordinated actions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals for a sustainable future for all." During his interventions, Walter emphasised the need to integrate human rights principles into sustainable development policies, particularly for religious minorities and vulnerable communities. "The UN forums provide an important opportunity to amplify the voices of Pakistan's marginalised and vulnerable communities before the international community. Sustainable development cannot be achieved while discrimination, exclusion, religious persecution, and human rights violations continue to affect vulnerable communities. The commitment to 'Leaving No One Behind' must be transformed into practical actions that ensure equality, justice, protection, and dignity for everyone," Walter said, according to the HRFP press release. The organisation said Walter urged that the principle of "Leaving No One Behind" under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should explicitly include religious minorities and marginalised groups. It added that representatives from a network of more than 500 civil society organisations agreed to prioritise religious freedom in their efforts to advance the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda. Walter also highlighted this year's priority Sustainable Development Goals under review at the UN General Assembly, stressing the importance of partnerships and inclusive participation. He said sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies cannot be achieved without guaranteeing equal rights, social inclusion, access to justice and meaningful participation for communities facing discrimination, neglect and exclusion. According to the HRFP statement, Walter said participation in UN forums strengthens the organisation's global advocacy efforts by enabling it to present firsthand evidence, policy recommendations and the concerns of affected communities before international stakeholders. He also thanked the United Nations and the organisers for providing the opportunity to participate and reaffirmed HRFP's commitment to advancing freedom of religion or belief, human rights, equality, peace, social inclusion and implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda through international cooperation. During one of the forum's side events, Walter congratulated the United States and its people on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and highlighted the importance of religious freedom. He said "freedom of religion remains a cornerstone of American values" and appealed to the United States to continue its global leadership in promoting religious freedom and human rights, including in Pakistan, according to the HRFP press release. (ANI)
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