Statement by India under General Debate Agenda Item 10: Technical assistance and capacity-building at the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council (26 February–5 April 2024) delivered by Mr. Kshitij Tyagi, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 3 April 2024

Madam Vice-President,

1.  We thank the Office of the High Commissioner and the Board of Trustees of the Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation for their presentations today. We would like to reiterate our strong support to the Office of the High Commissioner for its commitment and efforts to extend technical assistance and capacity building to States, to achieve full realization of human rights.

2.  We reiterate our support to the dedicated agenda item on technical assistance and capacity building, and would like to emphasize the need for discussions under this item to be based on genuine dialogue, consultation and consensus-building, with due respect for principles of non-interference in internal affairs of States and their national sovereignty, and without politicization. The Council should therefore prioritize technical assistance and capacity building in consultation with, and with the consent of the States concerned, for tangible improvement in the human rights situation on ground. This approach must be aligned with the national priorities and objectives of the States, as envisaged in the founding resolutions of the Council and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.

Madam Vice-President,

3.  We call upon all Member States to give priority to Agenda Item 10. India has been making contributions to the voluntary fund for the past several years, and we will continue our support. We also take this opportunity to encourage other member states to similarly support the Fund's work to enable its ability to cater to the increasing requests for technical assistance from member states, and make a meaningful impact on the human rights situation on ground.

Thank you.