Permanent Mission of India
Geneva

Statement by Shri Ajit Kumar, Ambassador and PR of India to UN at the Human Rights Council - 32nd Session (13 June-01 July 2016) under Agenda Item 4: General Debate

22 June 2016

Mr. President,

As the first decade in the life of the Council comes to a close, let us refresh our thoughts on the needs and reasons for its establishment. Above all, the Council was to be a platform for providing impetus to international cooperation and collaborative dialogue with the prime objective of enhancing respect for promotion and protection of all human rights for all.

2. In its existence so far, the Council has encountered enormous challenges on issues as diverse as migrants and refugees, terrorism and violent extremism, climate change and sustainable development to name just a few. The human rights challenges of our era emanate from all sources including non-State actors. If in such a challenging milieu, the Council resorts to a politicized and polarizing discourse, its disservice to the international community will be significant. These challenges cry for a constructive, non-confrontational, non-politicized and objective response.

3. We repeat our concern at the perpetuation and proliferation of country specific mandates under this agenda item, focusing only at developing countries. The deliberations in the Council on this agenda item have been some of the bitterest, and in effect, largely unproductive. It is only with genuine dialogue, and not through one-upmanship that we can achieve enhanced capacity of Member States in addressing their human rights challenges.

Mr. President,

4. In the recent past, and with growing frequency, India have had noticed that the principles of universality, objectivity and non-selectivity are being observed only in their breach. Albert Einstein defined madness as doing the same things and expecting different results. If mere ten years are enough for us to forget the discredited legacy of the Council's predecessor then we will have only ourselves to blame if we repeat history.

5. The Council's deepest commitment should be towards creating adequate conditions, both at the national and global levels, under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from international human rights law can be maintained and promoted. Selective approach with excessive focus on one set of rights while completely undermining rights, including right to development, which affect the vast majority of the world will only reinforce the status quo. Deconstructing the web of development, human rights, democracy and international cooperation will not take us anywhere.

Mr. President,

6. Let us channel our collective efforts towards a constructive and holistic approach which is not uninformed by the needs, circumstances and specificities of the concerned country. The temptations of intrusive monitoring and finger pointing must give way to dialogue, consultation and consensus building. Therein lies our only hope.

Thank you.
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