America
'Non-ideological, open dialogue among religions needed to promote human rights'
By
By Arul LouisUnited Nations, March 4
India has called for a
non-ideological and open dialogue among religions and civilisations to
promote and strengthen human rights around the world.
“An open
and constructive dialogue among and within religions, cultures and
civilisations, taking into account different national circumstances,
facilitates the promotion of a culture of understanding, tolerance,
moderation and respect for diversity,†B. N. Reddy, India's Acting
Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, told the UN Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) on Tuesday,
“This pragmatic and non-ideological
approachâ€, he said, “can contribute greatly to the enhancement of
international cooperation for the promotion of human rights."
Reddy
was speaking on behalf of India and 27 other “like-minded group†of
countries at the UNHRC meeting on “Enhancing International Cooperation
in the field of Human Rightsâ€. The group included Pakistan and countries
as diverse as Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Laying
out a holistic approach to human rights, Reddy said the challenge in a
world riven by “persistent poverty and staggering inequalities†called
for an approach based on the Right To Development.
“Security,
development and human rights are mutually dependent and interrelatedâ€
and they should not be treated in separate silos, according to Reddy.
“Global
community's collective response to human rights challenges has been
limited in scope and priorities, often driven by narrow objectives that
tend to ignore the underlying causes,†he added.
“An approach
based on the Right To Development, which is an inalienable universal
human right, can provide the right framework to promote international
cooperation and to comprehensively address human rights challenges and
simultaneously strengthen the three pillars of the UN system.â€
The
Right to Development Declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly in
1986 declared that everyone is "entitled to participate in, contribute
to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in
which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realised.â€
Suggesting
that the UNHRC should take the lead in giving the declaration priority,
Reddy said its concepts should be mainstreamed “in the work of all UN
system organisations, including in the areas of finance and tradeâ€.
Martin
Kohor, the executive director of the South Centre, noted that basic
needs were now considered basic human rights. He cited the right to
food, which he said had achieved constitutional status in India.
India
was re-elected to a second three-year term on the UNHRC last October,
earning 162 votes in the General Assembly in New York, the highest for
an Asian nation.
(Arul Louis can be contacted at [email protected])