Permanent Mission of India,
Geneva

Statement by Ambassador Ajit Kumar, Permanent Representative of India to the UN in Geneva at Human Rights Council (32ndSession) under General Debate: Agenda Item 8

(27June 2016)

Mr. President,

1.      The Vienna Declaration and the Programme of Action (VDPA) marked the broadest political consensus achieved in the area of human rights by the international community. While we have witnessed considerable progress in the promotion and protection of human rights since its adoption 23 years ago, the full implementation of VDPA is still a distant reality. Concerted efforts are needed to remove the persistent obstacles and challenges to the realization of all human rights based on the principles and pragmatic guidance provided by the VDPA.

2.      VDPA categorically stated that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated and that the international community must treat human rights globally in a fair and equal manner and with the same emphasis. It also highlighted that the processes of promoting and protecting human rights should be conducted in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. It is unfortunate to note the balance that was espoused in VDPA seems to be fast waning out and one set of rights are being pushed to the detriment of others, often with political motives. As we steer the Council through its 10th Anniversary, it is important that we reset its compassin line with the VDPA to restore the sense of trust and all round cooperation that is needed for promotion of all human rights for all.

Mr. President,

3.      VDPA reaffirmed the right to development, as established in the Declaration on the Right to Development, as a universal and inalienable right and an integral part of fundamental human rights. Yet as we mark the 30th Anniversary of the Declaration, the right to development has seen the least progress in both normative and practical terms. The High Commissioner has a special responsibility in promoting the right to development and to ensure that critical work on this fundamental right is not undermined in the ongoing restructuring of his Office.  The Council and its mechanisms should facilitate effective international cooperation to eliminate obstacles to the right to development.
Mr.President, 

4.      The ambitious Agenda 2030 categorically recognizes that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. It is an irony that more than two decades ago, VDPA also noted that elimination of extreme poverty must remain a high priority for the international community. As stressed in VDPA, urgent steps are necessary to achieve better knowledge of extreme poverty and its causes, including those related to the problem of development, in order to promote the human rights of the poorest, and to put an end to extreme poverty and social exclusion.

5.      Finally, the VDPA is also reaffirmed the importance and the constructive role that national institutions can play in the promotion and protection of human rights while recognizing the right of each State to choose the framework best suited for it. It is only through constructive dialogue and engagement aimed at strengthening national mechanisms that the Council can achieve the full objectives of VDPA.

I thank you.

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