United Nations, October 31: India has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to give sustained attention to terrorism, warning that it remains one of the gravest threats to human rights, particularly the right to life.
Speaking during a UN General Assembly debate on the Council’s report, Bhavika Mangalanandan, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, called for a consistent approach based on zero tolerance towards terrorism.
She recalled that a resolution adopted by the Council in Geneva in July had recognised the threat and called for stronger international cooperation to prevent and combat terrorism. India urged the Council to follow through on that commitment.
Mangalanandan also raised concerns about politicisation, selective treatment and double standards in addressing human rights. She cautioned that such practices weaken the Council’s credibility.
India stressed that dialogue, capacity-building and partnerships offer a better path to improving human rights. Mangalanandan said country-specific mandates pursued without the participation of the country concerned rarely improve conditions and can deepen divisions.
She also called for equal attention to economic, social and cultural rights alongside civil and political rights. For developing countries, she said, poverty, debt and limited access to finance and technology remain major barriers to the enjoyment of human rights.
India reaffirmed its willingness to work with Council members and observers to bridge differences and strengthen cooperation.
