Statement by India under Agenda Item 10 : General debate on technical assistance and capacity-building at the 52nd Session of Human Rights Council (27 February – 4 April 2023) delivered by Mr. S. Senthil Kumar, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 3 April 2023 Statement by India under Agenda Item 10 : General debate on technical assistance and capacity-buildi..

Statement by India under Agenda Item 10 : General debate on technical assistance and capacity-building at the 52nd Session of Human Rights Council (27 February – 4 April 2023) delivered by Mr. S. Senthil Kumar, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 3 April 2023

Statement by India under Agenda Item 10 : General debate on technical assistance and capacity-building at the 52nd Session of Human Rights Council (27 February – 4 April 2023) delivered by Mr. S. Senthil Kumar, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 3 April 2023

Mr. Vice-President,

The celebration of 75th anniversary of UDHR and the 30th anniversary of VDPA, offer an opportune occasion to reflect on the Council's work under this Agenda item.

  1. ​We thank the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) and the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation for their presentations today. We appreciate and support the efforts of OHCHR in extending capacity building and technical assistance to States for effective implementation of human rights.

  2. ​My delegation reiterates its continued support for having a dedicated agenda item on technical assistance and capacity building. We believe that the Council and its mechanisms should focus on enabling Member States to develop their respective national institutions and capacities through rendering appropriate technical assistance.

  3. We firmly believe that discussions in the Council under Agenda Item 10 must genuinely aim to address the needs of the concerned countries, and should focus more on technical cooperation and not be used as a proxy for Agenda Item 4. As envisaged in the VDPA and the founding resolutions of this Council, any technical assistance rendered to States should be upon their explicit request and should be aligned to their national objectives and priorities. The accepted UPR recommendations and pledges provide a good framework to develop and strengthen technical cooperation.
  1. ​For technical cooperation to be effective, regular monitoring and evaluation of the results achieved is critical. We take note of the efforts of the OHCHR in improving its performance monitoring system.

  2. We also note with concern the increasing funding deficit in the UN Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation and underscore the importance of ensuring its sustainability. We encourage States and other donors to contribute to the voluntary fund so that the increasing requests for technical assistance can be met as a matter of priority.
  1. In conclusion, Mr. Vice-President, we call upon all States to give priority to Agenda Item 10 and facilitate an exchange of non-political views regarding the role of the Council in promoting and protecting human rights on the ground.

I thank you.