India has urged UN human rights mechanisms to avoid “politicisation” and respect cultural and historical contexts, asserting that New Delhi is committed to advancing human rights for all without selectivity and double standards.
Mr. Mr. The report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert Barume, on demarcation, registration and titling of indigenous peoples’ lands, territories and resources notes that “in India, although millions of claims have been submitted under the Forest Rights Act, a substantial number remain unresolved, particularly community claims. He stressed that India remains committed to the sustainable and holistic development that leaves no community behind, adding that India has consistently supported the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples.
First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India, Anuj Swarup, delivered India’s statement at the 81st Session of the UNGA Third Committee on Agenda Item ‘Report of the Human Rights Council’ on Monday (October 12, 2026).
Swarup said India will continue to work with the UN Human Rights High Commissioner and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in a “spirit of trust and partnership, as we remain committed to advancing human rights for all without selectivity and double standards”. “We hope that the UN human rights mechanisms will rise above politicisation and selectivity, respecting cultural and historical context, so that these bodies remain an impartial moral compass for the world,” he said. Swarup said India’s approach to human rights is rooted in its civilisational ethos of pluralism and peaceful coexistence.
Last week, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had expressed concern over “reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists, before and during today’s large-scale demonstrations in Delhi.
