UN. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a global "pushback against the pushback" on ensuring human rights by issuing "a very strong appeal" on Wednesday to come up with a political solution to Syria's nearly nine-year conflict.

Axar.az reports citing Daily Sabah.

Speaking on the matter at the start of the U.N.'s 75th anniversary year, Guterres expressed his deep concerns about the decline of respect for human rights. "There is indeed a pushback in relation to human rights. I think the pushback that we need is a pushback against the pushback," said Guterres in his statement.

He emphasized the growing conflicts and terrorist attacks by stating that war and persecution are forcing more people to flee their homes than at any time since World War II.

Touching upon the Syrian Constitutional Committee, Guterres stressed that the first step towards ending the conflict is moving forward the work of the committee to draft a new constitution. The committee's second meeting ended in failure due to Assad regime's walkout during talks.