Pakistan secures consensus at UN on funding to appoint Islamophobia envoy

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has secured consensus in the Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a resolution to fund the newly established Office of the Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia, officials said on Saturday.
The Fifth Committee is one of six main committees at the UNGA, which deals with internal United Nations administrative and budgetary matters. The resolution on revised budget estimates was adopted during the closing session of the first part of the 79th UNGA.
Jibran Khan Durrani, first secretary at Pakistan’s UN mission, delivered the national statement at the session, expressing gratitude to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Group of 77 (G77) and China, and other international partners for their support.
“My delegation welcomes the consensual outcome of the resolution of the revised estimates of Islamophobia, an agenda item which was very important for my delegation as well as other OIC countries,” he said.
“My delegation extends sincere gratitude to the support extended by all members of the Group of 77 and China, OIC countries, and welcomes the constructive discussion that we had with our partners during the course of negotiations, making the consensus the first among all the consensual outcomes of this session.”
The Office of the Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia will be established effective from April 1, according to the resolution. Its mandate will include monitoring, reporting and advising on rising Islamophobic trends globally and supporting the UN’s broader efforts against religious intolerance.
Pakistan played a leading role in the Fifth Committee discussions and the adoption of the resolution marks a milestone in Islamabad’s multilateral engagement, following its successful push to designate March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia in 2022.
“We look forward to working with all delegation members in the upcoming session in the same spirit,” Durrani said, thanking the attendees, the 5th Committee Secretariat and all those who were part of the negotiations.
This month, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need to reverse an “alarming tide” of Islamophobia as the world marked the international day to combat the phenomenon.
He said March 15 not only serves as a “stark reminder” of the gravity of the challenges being faced by Muslims worldwide, but also as a powerful call to action, reflecting the collective will of the international community to combat Islamophobia through concrete legislative and policy measures.
“However, much more is urgently needed to reverse the alarming tide of Islamophobia and end the flagrant violations of fundamental human rights and religious freedoms,” Sharif said in a statement.
“At a time when religious intolerance is on the rise, we reaffirm that no justification exists for blasphemy or the desecration of sacred symbols under the guise of freedom of expression.”
Sharif said Pakistan was extremely proud to have led this important initiative at the UN and welcomed actions taken by some member states to outlaw the desecration of the Holy Qur’an as well as to address systemic marginalization of Muslims, urging the international community, human rights organizations, and global leaders to raise awareness against Islamophobia.