India Calls on UN Human Rights Bodies to Shun Politicisation and Respect Context

During the 81st session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, India’s First Secretary Anuj Swarup urged UN human-rights mechanisms to rise above politicisation and to respect cultural and historical contexts, asserting that New Delhi is committed to universal human rights without double standards. He reiterated India’s willingness to cooperate with the UN Human Rights High Commissioner, describing the relationship as one of trust and partnership.

Swarup also condemned the Office of the High Commissioner’s comments on recent Delhi protests as unwarranted interference. In response to a Special Rapporteur report on Indigenous peoples, he disputed the claim that many Forest Rights Act claims remain unresolved, offering official data showing over 5.4 million filings with more than 80 % resolved. He cited India’s progress in lifting 250 million people out of multidimensional poverty and expanding social protection to over a billion citizens. The statement concluded with a call for the Human Rights Council to function as an impartial moral compass.