United Nations, October 15: India has called on United Nations human rights mechanisms to remain impartial and avoid politicisation, selectivity and double standards, stressing that cultural and historical contexts must be respected while addressing human rights issues.
Anuj Swarup, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, delivered the country’s statement during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on the report of the Human Rights Council.
Swarup said India would continue working with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in a spirit of trust and partnership.
“We hope that the UN human rights mechanisms will rise above politicisation and selectivity, respecting cultural and historical context, so that these bodies remain an impartial moral compass for the world,” he said.
India’s remarks came days after New Delhi strongly criticised comments by the UN human rights office regarding protests and reported detentions in the national capital, describing them as unwarranted interference in the country’s internal affairs.
The UN human rights office had expressed concern over reports of mass detentions involving demonstrators, protest leaders, civil society members, lawyers and journalists before and during large-scale demonstrations in Delhi.
During his address, Swarup said India’s approach to human rights was rooted in its civilisational values of pluralism and peaceful coexistence. He added that India, as the world’s largest democracy and a member of the Human Rights Council, remained committed to protecting the dignity and rights of every citizen through dialogue and cooperation.
Highlighting the country’s development initiatives, he said more than 250 million people had been lifted out of multidimensional poverty over the past decade. He also cited India’s social protection programmes, including free food grains for 800 million people, free health coverage for 600 million citizens and the opening of 320 million bank accounts for women.
Swarup reiterated that India remained committed to promoting and protecting human rights for all and working with other countries to make the Human Rights Council an effective, objective and credible institution.
Separately, India strongly objected to references concerning the country in a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert Barume. The report examined the demarcation, registration and titling of indigenous peoples’ lands, territories and resources.
The report noted that although millions of claims had been submitted under India’s Forest Rights Act, a substantial number remained unresolved, particularly community claims.
Responding to the findings, Swarup rejected the reference to India in paragraph 42 of the report, arguing that the assertion relied on an individual submission rather than official data.
He questioned the report’s methodology, stating that the selective use of unverified information raised concerns about its rigour and objectivity.
Citing official figures, Swarup said more than 5.4 million claims had been filed under the Forest Rights Act, of which over 80 per cent had been decided, while more than 2.5 million titles had been distributed.
India also offered to provide updated official data to the Special Rapporteur to help correct what it described as inaccuracies arising from unverified submissions.
Swarup concluded by reaffirming India’s commitment to sustainable and inclusive development, stressing that the country supported the promotion and protection of indigenous peoples’ rights.
Meanwhile, the UN General Assembly elected Brazil, Burundi, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Nepal, Nigeria, Moldova, Ukraine, Uruguay and Zambia to the Human Rights Council for the 2027–2029 term.
