By\u00a0Mandeep S.Tiwana<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NEW YORK (IPS)\u00a0<\/strong>– On the day following the US election, UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres issued a brief\u00a0statement<\/a>\u00a0commending the people of the United States for their active participation in the democratic process. He wisely omitted mention that the election of Donald J. Trump \u2013 who attempted to overturn the people\u2019s mandate by inciting an insurrection in 2021 \u2013 is a major setback for the UN\u2019s worldwide quest to advance human rights and the rule of law. Trump is a self-avowed admirer of authoritarian strongmen like Russia\u2019s Vladimir Putin and Hungary\u2019s Viktor Orban who disdain international norms that the UN seeks to uphold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unsurprisingly, questions posed to the UN Secretary General\u2019s spokesperson, St\u00e9phane Dujarric, in a press conference on November 6, ranged from what will be Trump\u2019s response to the war in Ukraine to potential funding cuts that might come with the new US administration to whether the UN has contingency plans ready for when Trump takes office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The US plays an outsized role in global affairs. Therefore, any changes in policy in Washington impact the whole world. As someone who bears responsibility for stewarding a global civil society alliance, it worries me what a second Trump presidency will unleash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even without Trump in power we are living in a world where wars are being conducted with complete disregard for the rules; corrupt billionaires are dictating public policy for their benefit; and greed induced environmental degradation is putting us on a path to climate catastrophe. Hard fought gains on gender justice are in danger of being rolled back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first Trump administration showed disdain for the UN Human Rights Council and pulled the US out of vital global commitments such as the Paris Agreement<\/a> to combat climate change. It restricted support for civil society groups around the world and targeted those that sought to promote sexual and reproductive rights<\/a> of women. Promotion of democracy and human rights are key pillars of US foreign policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s deeply concerning that when disinformation and misinformation have assumed pandemic level proportions, the majority of the US electorate have cast their vote in favour of a candidate who ran his campaign on divisive dog whistles, half-truths and outright lies. These tactics have deepened fissures in an already polarized United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Families countrywide were left devastated by Trump\u2019s negligence and COVID denialism as president which resulted in tens of thousands of Americans dying of avoidable infections. His administration\u2019s immigration detention and deportation policies instilled fear in minority communities. This time Trump has vowed to deport millions of people<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s stances on abortion rights have caused women immeasurable suffering<\/a> in several US states that have introduced laws to ban the procedure. He has promised to accelerate harmful fossil fuel extraction and undoubtedly views gender justice advocates, environmental defenders and migrant rights activists as a threat to his power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n