MINSK, 24 February (BelTA) - Mass protests in the United States and the EU have exposed these countries' continuing systemic inequalities, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said as he addressed the high-level segment of the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, TASS informs.
“The pandemic has exacerbated old problems such as racism and xenophobia, as well as discrimination against national and religious minorities,” Sergey Lavrov noted. “Mass protests in the United States and Europe have exposed these countries' continuing systemic inequalities, while highlighting the risks of condoning extremist ideologies.”
Sergey Lavrov also criticized the organizers of campaigns to weaken political stability in sovereign states easily use children for their own purposes. “Today, the global media is becoming a place for pursuing narrow and self-serving geopolitical goals. Fake and aggressive media campaigns undermine internal political stability in sovereign states, fuel unrest and violence. Of particular concern is the ease with which false advocates of democracy irresponsibly use youngsters and children for their political purposes. This is unacceptable,” the minister stressed.
Development of international rules for regulating social networks will shield their users against censorship and manipulation on the part of these networks, the Russian foreign minister believes. “Of growing concern are non-transparent policies of social networking platforms which openly manipulate public opinion by banning or censoring user content at their own discretion. In this regard, it is of paramount importance to develop rules for regulating social networks at the national and international levels to prevent such abuses,” he said.
Sergey Lavrov noted that states that have undertaken commitments to ensure freedom of access to information for all citizens must now prove that they are able to deliver on these commitments rather than hide behind corporate policies.
