'UN rights body should focus on enhancing genuine dialogue'

There is a need to find ways in support developing countries, particularly the Least Developed Countries

India has said that the United Nations (UN) human rights body should avoid falling in the trap of selective country spotlighting and intrusive monitoring and instead focus on enhancing genuine dialogue and cooperation.

"The continued success of Human Rights Council as the primary UN platform for promoting universal respect for the protection of human rights hinges on its ability to function in a non-selective, non-politicised and transparent manner," visiting MP Supriya Sule said here yesterday.

Speaking at a Third Committee session on Human Rights, she said the Council and its mechanisms should "avoid falling in the trap of selective country spotlighting and intrusive monitoring, which have been proved time and again to be counterproductive, and instead, focus on enhancing genuine dialogue and cooperation."

She said there is need also to find ways in support developing countries, particularly the Least Developed Countries, in implementation of their accepted recommendations through capacity building and technical assistance programmes.

She noted that India, as the world's largest democracy, with a proud history of unity in diversity and strong constitutional safeguards for fundamental freedoms, is "wedded" to the idea of just and equitable society.

Sule cited the Indian government's 'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' motto, saying respect for and promotion of all human rights for all is an integral component of the country's endeavor to achieve inclusive and sustainable development.

"We believe that a holistic and integrated approach that recognizes the inter-dependence, inter-relatedness and indivisibility of all human rights including the right to development should be at the centre of our collective efforts in promoting and protecting human rights.

"The 'transformation' that we desire to achieve by 2030 can become a reality only if we uphold the inalienable right of every person to development and create an equitable and just international order for its full realisation," she said.