PERMANENT MISSION OF INDIA GENEVA

25th SESSION OF HUMAN RIGHT COUNCIL

Item 2: General Debate

[26 March 2014]

STATEMENT BY INDIA

Mr. President,

1. We thank the UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their reports under this Agenda Item and also the Deputy Commissioner for her introduction today.

2. Apart from the thematic reports of the UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner under this Agenda Item, the reports relating to specific countries are valuable inputs in our deliberations.   We note that comments of the country concerned have been sought prior to the publication of such reports.  While the reports by the Secretary General and the High Commissioner are officially published and given wide visibility, this is not the case with the comments of the government of the country concerned.  

Mr. President,

3. In this regard, Paragraph 110 of the IB package states that "The methods of work, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 60/251 should be transparent, impartial, equitable, fair, pragmatic; lead to clarity, predictability, and inclusiveness. They may also be updated and adjusted over time”. At present, this is not the case with Comments by States to HC/SG Country Reports.

4. Given that the Council has been increasingly seeking reports from the Secretary General and the High Commissioner on particular country situations, it is pragmatic and fair that the Comments by the State concerned be published as an addendum to such reports, if the State concerned so desires, as followed in the case of Reports of Country visits by Special Rapporteurs, in accordance with Paragraph 25 of annex to Resolution 16/21, which states “The comments of the State concerned shall beincluded as an addendum to country mission reports”.

5. We believe such an approach will lead to consistency, predictability and fairness in publication of Comments of the State concerned complying with the principles in the IB Package.  It will also preserve the integrity of subject between the Report of the Secretary General or High Commissioner and the comments of the concerned State.

I thank you Mr. President.

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