Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist, Tawakkol Karman, emphasized that diversity is a source of strength and that the peoples of the region coexisted peacefully before colonialism. She warned that dividing the world along sectarian and ethnic lines would result in the creation of "a million states."

Karman made these remarks in response to a proposal by a Canadian professor during a conference organized by the Canadian Red Cross in partnership with the Global Justice and Development Department at Trent University on March 7, 2025. The professor suggested redrawing the borders of Arab and African countries based on sectarian and ethnic identities, allowing each group to govern itself as a supposed solution to conflicts in the region.

In her response, Karman rejected the proposal, arguing that ethnic and sectarian conflicts in the region are a colonial construct and a legacy of foreign interference. She stressed that the true solution lies in ending support for authoritarian regimes and halting external interventions, which would naturally lead to stability.