PERMANENT MISSION OF INDIA
GENEVA

Statementby Shri Ajit Kumar, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the UN -32nd Session of Human Right Council- Item 3: General Debate - Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.

20.06.2016

Mr. President,

          India thanks the Deputy High Commissioner for presenting the reports under the Agenda Item 3.I would like to reiterate our core beliefs that inform our assessment of various reports that are presented to this Council under Agenda Item 3.

3.       India has a long tradition of promoting and protecting human rights and is clearly reflected in the vision of our nation’s founding fathers, who framed our Constitution. It has always been our belief that in a truly diverse society like India, development and genuine welfare of citizens cannot be ensured without adequate focus on promotion and protection of human rights.

4.       We also remain convinced that the core objectives of the Human Rights Council will be difficult to achieve withoutmutual respect; cordialdialogue and genuinecooperation. Following the deliberations of the Council in the recent past has only heightened our sense that there is an urgent need for building a consensual understanding of the human rights issues and themes that it seeks to address.Opinions and ideas should not be ignored even ifa small minority or group propagates them. As we have said before, selective attention wouldbe counter-productive to our common endeavor and is bound to produce future gaps in the promotion and protection of human rights.

5.       The continuing tendency in the Councilto focus just on manifestations of human rights abuses and violations rather than their causes, is not conducive towards a holistic and integrated understanding of the issues at stake. Partial, politicized and polarizing discourses within the Council can potentially derail any meaningful cooperation amongst Member States.

6.       There remains a strong inter-relationship between development, human rights, democracy and international cooperation. The absence of exchange of information, and financial and capacity-building assistance adversely impacts the attempts at addressing violations of human rights International cooperation and dialogue with meaningful participation of the country concerned is still an underutilized mode of protection and promotion of human rights.

Mr. President,

7.       As we celebrate the10th anniversary of the Council’s establishment, we must not ignore the growingconcerns at the politicization and polarization in the working of the Council.This needs to be addressed as a matter of prioritylest it irreversibly underminesthe credibility and relevance of this august body.

I thank you Mr. President.

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