United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed concern over protests in different parts of the world, called on world leaders to listen to the voices of their people, and urged all actors in Lebanon and Iraq to exercise restraint and avoid violence in protests.

Speaking to reporters at UN headquarters in New York, Guterres attributed the protests to various social, economic and political reasons, and explained that these reasons should prompt everyone to respond and think about the reasons that led to these protests.

He added that some protests stem from economic issues, including rising prices and the continued governance and financial systems that benefit elites, and some others are a reaction to widespread corruption and other forms of discrimination.

He pointed out that there are commonalities that require reflection and reflection on the underlying factors, where it is clear - according to the UN Secretary-General - that there is a growing lack of trust between peoples and their political institutions.

Guterres said the world also seems to be suffering with the effects of globalization and new technologies, which have increased inequality within societies. Works for everyone.

The UN official stressed that governments are obliged to support freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and that security forces must act with the utmost restraint in accordance with international human rights standards, stressing that there can be no excuse for violence from anyone.

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Lebanon and Iraq
Responding to questions from journalists about the message he wants to send about the demonstrations taking place in Lebanon, the Secretary-General said my message is that Lebanon must resolve its own problems through dialogue and refrain - both demonstrators and the government - from using violence.

On Iraq, the UN Secretary-General said that grave human rights violations were observed during the demonstrations in Iraq and should be clearly rejected and condemned.He deplored the high number of deaths during these demonstrations and urged the authorities and other actors to exercise restraint and avoid violence.

For its part, confirmed the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, a common link between the protests taking place in different parts of the world.

UNHCR spokeswoman Rafina Shamdasani told a news conference at the UN office in Geneva that there was a common denominator between the protests, due to several conditions, mainly social and economic, and the widening gap between rich and poor.

She pointed to the outbreak of protests in various countries of the world such as Chile, Iraq, Lebanon, Bolivia, Ecuador and Hong Kong, in addition to protests in the first months of this year in Algeria, Nicaragua, Russia, Sudan, Zimbabwe and some European countries, including Spain and France.

She stressed that while the reasons behind the protests were complex and varied, there was a common link that had led to public anger over corruption and inequality. She noted that the widening of the protests was caused by governments' intervention or excessive use of force by security forces against protesters.

Shamdasani said at least 157 people were killed in Iraq and 5,449 injured in violence in protests that began in early October to demand better services, jobs and corruption.