- Global experts who participated in the webinar unanimously maintained that the major threat to human Rights and democracy is the unevenness in the capitalist system.
- “The politics of free market economy and monopoly capitalism are major indicators that are affecting democracy and human rights”. Dr Palazzo an Italian Journalist and Political Analyst said.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Global Strategic Institute for Sustainable Development (GSISD), a non-profit global public policy think-tank, successfully organized an international webinar on “Capitalism, Democracy and Politics of Human Rights”.
The main objective of the webinar was to exchange ideas and initiate debate to explore a relationship between capitalism and democracy by focusing on the political use of human rights.
Experts and policymakers from different countries including Georgia, Kazakhstan, Italy, Azerbaijan and Pakistan participated.
Azerbaijani Expert on International Relations Dr Afsana MAMMADOVA highlighted a pertinent concern regarding George Soros’s Open Society Foundation involvement in disrupting democratic rights in the Caucuses.
In the backdrop of the statement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regarding the Armenian government as an agent of Soros’, Dr. Claudia, a political Analyst from Italy responded that Soros tactics violate democratic principles in the region.
Shandana Gulzar Khan, a Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan, shared her experiences and said that foreign intervention of various stakeholders are a major setback to democracy in Pakistan and around the world.
Shandana Gulzar Khan highlighted the impacts of global conflicts and proxy wars in the region. Pakistan suffered a lot due to these conflicts and conspiracies. She highlighted the Chinese economic growth due to its meritocracy and suggested a merit-based system for Pakistan’s economic and democratic development.
Shandana is an elected Chairperson of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians.
Maiya Suyunchaliyeva (Kazakhstan), a Ph.D as well as IVLP Scholar and Human Rights Activist, explored the contradictions of capitalism and democracy and their implications on human rights issues. The rise of populism and unrest in different parts of the world reflect inherent contradictions of capitalism. She further added that the concentration of wealth in a few hands causes unevenness which badly affects human rights and democracy around the world.
Nona MAMULASHVILI, a Member Parliament from Georgia, as a keynote speaker expressed that capitalism and democracy have changing relationships with each other and due to this complexity the system is under question. She also explained Georgian experiences of Democracy and Capitalism by focusing on the Human Rights issues. She said that Georgia has launched many reforms in the judicial and human rights sectors but yet there are many challenges.
Dr. Muhammad Shakeel Ahmed, Co-Founder and Director Research, Planning & Development of GSISD was the moderator of the webinar.
The webinar was attended by senior researchers, policy makers, human rights activists, journalists, youth leaders and other relevant stakeholders from around the globe.