Youth Reporter: What are the most emerging poverty and inequality issues at the moment in your opinion?

Mr. Arber Fetiu: There are many issues related to inequalities that are emerging and, one ought to think, especially, due to the situation of the pandemic, that certain issues have been exacerbated and have become more and more important than they were previously.

For example - the digital disparity that exists in populations.

We saw that during the pandemic, people who didn't have access to technology also did not have access to education online afterwards, and other opportunities that we were all bound to follow online.

Another issue is health care disparities.

Obviously, around the world, people do not have access to health care in the same way. There are certain regions where people struggle to have quality health care, while in other places things are better. And in the situation of the pandemic, this was felt because people were affected more if they didn't have good quality health care and access to health care.

Clearly, the COVID had an economic impact on people.

A lot of people lost their jobs and a lot of people working in low-income and vulnerable communities faced very severe economic challenges. Some people were bound to continue working in presence (offline), and the nature of their job could not be done online, so they had to provide services to others, and generally, these people were those who are low-income working class.

Another aspect is the educational disruptions - the fact that school closures due to the pandemic disrupted the education.

This did affect in many respects certain populations who were poor more than others. Clearly, also beyond the pandemic, these issues are relevant. It's just that the pandemic did exacerbate them. They become even more manifested during the pandemic.

Another thing that I may think of, is racial injustice or social injustice, as such different movements advocating for racial and social justice have gained momentum highlighting systemic inequalities that became manifested during this period. But, definitely, also we have seen minority groups being treated in unequal ways and in ways that are not decent for human dignity.

Another issue that is also important is the question of migration.

A lot of people quit their countries due to the fact that the living conditions in those places are not decent, unfortunately, and they seek refuge in other countries. And this whole issue is even more emphasized by climate change, because climate change and what is called climate injustice also is a real fact, and that affect communities that are already in a situation of poverty or injustice.

A lot of people who are in a situation of poverty or injustice live in places where the possibility of them being affected by natural disasters is higher than that of people who are better off and who live in better conditions.

And then, of course, there's the question of gender equality. There is a gap, for example, in the wages which we pay people between male and female workers and other aspects of it.

Youth Reporter: Why do you think the young generations have to be interested in human rights issues?

Mr. Arber Fetiu: It's a pleasure for me to be able to, if I’m allowed to say so, give some good advice with regard to the importance of human rights and the engagement of youth when it comes to the fulfillment of human rights for themselves, but also for others.

The issue of human rights is important because the youth play a crucial role in shaping the future. Understanding and advocating for human rights is something that not only promotes social justice and equality, but also it empowers the youth themselves in actively participating in the democratic game or in the democratic process. And that is probably one of the avenues that youth should consider engaging with because it is an avenue that provides more tangible results when it comes to engaging and raising awareness, but also shaping the future by building new policies that address the question of human rights.

Many issues, such as climate change, for example, or access to education, social justice - they all intersect with human rights, and a commitment to engage in these issues is also a commitment to engage for human rights.

Youth Reporter: What message would you like to convey to the future generations about the theme of this year's forum?

Mr. Arber Fetiu: I would like to put it in a kind of formula, probably something that people may carry on, but that is always hard to do. I believe that it is important for youth to embrace empathy, to continuously learn, ​to respect diversity, and to act in sustainable ways.
This probably is something that will shape our collective fate for the future. And if all of us, adults and youth, stick to those principles, I believe that we can build together something that is better for all of us.