Statement by India at the 38^th Session of the Human Rights Council (18 June to 06 July, 2018) on Agenda 10: Technical assistance and capacity building, delivered by Ms. Mini Devi Kumam, Second Secretary. [05 July 2018, Geneva] 

Mr. Vice President,

We acknowledge the efforts of the OHCHR in providing capacity building and technical assistance in the field of human rights.

2. We believe that the best way to protect human rights is by strengthening national mechanisms. The Council and its mechanisms, therefore, should focus on enabling Member States to develop the necessary national institutions and capacities through rendering appropriate technical assistance, upon request. The primacy of State’s role and participation should be fully respected in the process. Discussions under Agenda Item 10 must, therefore, genuinely engage on technical cooperation with an aim to address the needs of the concerned Member States. Such an inclusive approach will enjoy trust and confidence of the Member States and would result in optimal utilization of all resources available.

4. From the experience of presenting our Voluntary National Review Report on implementation of Sustainable Development Goals to the High Level Political Forum of the ECOSOC in 2017, we believe that developing methodologies for data collection, tracking the progress on the 2030 SDGs and establishment of transparent monitoring and evaluation systems by Member States are essential for effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda. A concerted effort in extending technical assistance and capacity building, in this regard, is crucial to achieve targets of the 2030 Agenda for various developing countries.

Thank you Mr. Vice President.