JOHANNESBURG – In a diminished spotlight because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading human rights defenders on Friday urged people in these fractured times to connect through politics — and vote, too.“In many places around the world, participation is being denied and civic space is being crushed,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on the sidelines of the annual U.N.
gathering of world leaders, this year held online.People must take part in the decisions that affect their lives, he said, noting “new heights” of inequalities and and warning: “The window to address climate change is almost shut.”In the cautious language of diplomacy, no names were named, no governments called out.