France national day reception: Govt, international institutions must defend human rights: ambassador

ISLAMABAD: French ambassador Nicolas Galey says human rights must be defended by governments and international institutions but also within each society. Addressing a National Day reception at his residence in the Diplomatic Enclave, he paid tribute to the remarkable action of the Pakistani civil society to promote the human rights.

He included social rights, rights of minorities, rights of the most vulnerable, rights of the workers and rights of women as part of the human rights.

He underlined the quality and intensity of the French cooperation with the NGOs, as well as with many public organizations which act for these rights.

‘’Quality and intensity also apply to our bilateral relations, which have continued to develop and enrich in recent years’’ the French envoy said.

The French National Day was observed on Sunday. Ambassador Nicolas Galey, who is an intellectual in his own right recalled that two hundred and thirty-five years after the storming of the Bastille and the proclamation, a month later, of the "natural, inalienable and sacred rights of human beings", the universal message of the French Revolution remains as relevant and essential as ever.

This is the case everywhere in the world, including in Europe, where, for two years since the start of war decided by Russia, the Ukrainian people have been deprived of their right to live in peace in the internationally recognized borders of their country, and of its right to decide its destiny.

The ambassador said that the aggression violates all rules of international law, including the fundamental human right to live in peace and security. International solidarity has stood up against this aggression and France is playing its full part in it, by helping the Ukrainian people defend themselves.

‘’In Gaza too, violence has been affecting the population for more than nine months. Here again, France took its responsibilities, dropping humanitarian aid as early as January of this year, and calling for an immediate ceasefire as well as the release of all the hostages, including French citizens,’’ the ambassador said.

France voted in favor of the resolution proposed by the UAE in May, which confers additional rights to Palestine within the UN.

Among the most essential human rights, there is of course the right to life and to security, in Ukraine, in the Middle East and throughout the world.

He said France is working tirelessly on this, in a world where conflicts are multiplying and multilateral instruments are more indispensable than ever to prevent their worsening and put an end to them.

Ambassador Nicolas Galey said human rights, including rights of women, are a priority of French diplomacy. ‘’We know to what extent they are despised in Afghanistan. The rights of children, the most innocent of all victims of conflicts.’’

Nicolas Galey referred to significant increase in university cooperation with Pakistan, with a growing number of Pakistani students who are studying in France, including those who benefit from the European Erasmus Plus program, the majority of whom have chosen to study in French universities.

US ambassador Donald Blome, PPP leader and former federal minister Syed Naveed Qamar, Fawad Hasan Fawad, Dr. Farooq Sattar, former Senator Mushahid, Hussain Sayed, former ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Governor Sindh Kamran Tissori were among the conspicuous guests.