UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that “there is a growing deficit of trust between people and political establishments” across the world, urging governments “to uphold the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.”
“We are witnessing a wave of demonstrations around the world, from the Middle East to Latin America and the Caribbean … from Europe to Africa and Asia,” Guterres told correspondents at the UN headquarters in New York.
“Disquiet in peoples’ lives is leading to anything but quiet in streets and city squares.”
While saying that “every situation is unique,” he told the journalists that “some protests are triggered by economic issues – including rising prices, persistent inequality or financial systems that benefit elites.”
