United Nations, Dec 11 (PTI) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he insisted publicly on the importance of guaranteeing civic space and protection of human rights defenders as well as environmental activists during his recent visits to India and Vietnam.
“One of the key messages I clearly got and that I also tried to convey very clearly is that human rights must be at the centre of all environmental concerns and namely, the work of the CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity)," Guterres said last week during a press conference at the COP15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal.
“And one of the aspects that worries me more is in relation to the persecution of human rights defenders in general but including environmental activists,” he added.
