KARACHI — Respect for human rights is closely linked to economic cooperation and access to international markets, speakers said at a seminar organised by the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) on Saturday, as they discussed the challenges facing human rights in an increasingly polarised world.
The event was addressed by Austria’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Wolfgang Oliver Kutschera, and Assistant Professor of Constitutional and Administrative Law at Vienna University, Dr Stefan Hammer. PIIA Chairperson Dr Masuma Hasan introduced the speakers and highlighted Austria’s diplomatic significance, noting that Vienna hosts several major multilateral organisations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation.
Ambassador Kutschera said Pakistan’s participation in the European Union’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP Plus) demonstrated the practical link between human rights commitments and economic benefits. Under the scheme, Pakistan receives preferential access to EU markets in return for progress on the implementation of 27 international conventions covering labour rights, environmental protection, governance and human rights.
You May Also Like: ‘Super Flu’ in Pakistan Warrants Caution but No Panic, Say Health Experts
“GSP Plus illustrates that human rights obligations and economic cooperation are closely connected,” the ambassador said, adding that respect for human rights was essential for economic stability and long-term access to international markets.
He also spoke about Austria’s diverse social fabric, citing data from the 2021 census showing that nearly two-thirds of the population identified as Christian, while Muslims formed 18.3 per cent, making them the country’s second-largest religious community. The diversity, he said, was especially visible in Vienna, where 41 per cent of children in public schools come from Muslim families.
PIIA’s Chairperson Dr Masuma Hasan said that she had had the privilege of serving as a bilateral and multilateral ambassador for three years in Austria.https://t.co/HvdIdd9qwK
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) December 14, 2025
“This is the Austria of today — dynamic, diverse and evolving,” he said, stressing the need for inclusive dialogue to ensure the protection of human rights for all communities.
The ambassador noted that Austria and Pakistan shared values such as respect for religious diversity, tolerance and the rule of law, while also facing similar challenges related to polarised public debates. He said Austria had recently launched “dialogue residencies,” a flagship initiative aimed at supporting civil society exchanges and dialogue-based projects, including Dr Hammer’s visit to Pakistan.
In his address, Dr Stefan Hammer discussed debates surrounding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, noting that while it was often viewed as a global consensus document, this assumption had increasingly been questioned. He said critics, particularly from the Global South, argued that the declaration reflected a Western conception of human rights emphasising individualism and overlooking duties and collective values.
Dr Hammer added that the process of decolonisation was incomplete at the time of the declaration’s adoption, limiting representation from colonised regions, and that several signatory states lacked fully democratic governments. These factors, he said, continued to shape contemporary debates on the universality and legitimacy of international human rights frameworks.
The seminar concluded with a discussion on the need for sustained dialogue to address differing perspectives while upholding fundamental human rights principles in a changing global environment.
