Rights violations must be solved through cooperation, not walls: Chilean president

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet told UN Human Rights Council (HRC) members convened in a special session Wednesday that the myriad issues the world is currently facing must be resolved through dialogue and cooperation, not by divisive rhetoric or policy.

"To summarize, we are facing a series of considerable tasks that we must address as soon as possible," Bachelet told the HRC, while reminding that Chile has led an initiative against torture bringing together countries from every continent.

"No country, regardless of powerful it is, is immune to these problems, and they cannot be resolved by building walls, either real or metaphorical," she added.

Bachelet highlighted that the response to global issues including conflicts, the refugee crisis, protracted inequalities and rights violations, must be collective, coordinated and cooperative.

The Chilean president also said that the international community's answer to such challenges must be underpinned by multilateralism, which in turn will pave the way to peace and security.

"Those who do not understand this simple yet crucial principle will be forced to retrace the costly steps taken by humanity through history," she warned.

Bachelet noted that the HRC has a "moral imperative" to stand by these ideals, and to speak out against human rights violations irrespective of gender, ethnicity or political regime in place in each nation.

Bachelet also addressed the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Wednesday to talk about multilateralism, free trade and the WTO's role in international trade. Endit