United Nations, October 31: India has called for stronger international cooperation against terrorism, telling the United Nations that protecting human rights requires sustained attention to threats against human life.
Addressing a General Assembly debate on the Human Rights Council’s report, Bhavika Mangalanandan, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said the Council should tackle terrorism consistently and follow a policy of zero tolerance.
She pointed to a resolution adopted in Geneva in July that recognised terrorism as a serious threat to human rights and called on countries to work together to prevent and combat it. India urged the Council to give the issue the continuing attention it deserves.
Mangalanandan also warned that political bias, selective scrutiny and double standards damage the Council’s credibility and weaken its work.
India argued that progress on human rights depends on dialogue, practical assistance and cooperation with the countries concerned. Mangalanandan said country-specific initiatives pursued without their involvement seldom improve conditions on the ground and risk widening divisions.
She also stressed that economic, social and cultural rights must receive the same attention as civil and political rights. Poverty, debt and difficulties in accessing finance and technology, she said, continue to prevent many people in developing countries from fully enjoying their rights.
Reaffirming India’s willingness to work with other members and observers, she called for a balanced approach that helps bridge differences within the Council.
