President Draupadi Murmu inaugurated the Annual General Meeting and Biennial Conference of the Asia Pacific Forum on Human Rights in New Delhi on 20 September 2023.
During this, President Draupadi Murmu said that more than the codified law, it is the moral responsibility of the international community to ensure human rights in every sense.
For what purpose was the event organised?
- The event aims to ensure that businesses prioritise human rights and environmental sustainability in their operations.
Highlights of the President's address:
- The President said that man is as good a creator as he is a destroyer. According to scientific studies, the planet has entered the sixth extinction phase, where man-made destruction, if not stopped, will destroy not only the human race but also other life on Earth.
- The President also said that our Constitution adopted universal adult franchise since the inception of the Republic and enabled us to initiate many silent revolutions in the field of gender justice and protection of life and dignity.
- The President said India is open to learning from best practices in other parts of the world to improve human rights, which is an ongoing project.
- The President emphasised that the Asia Pacific Forum has a major role to play in developing international consensus through discussions and consultations with human rights institutions and stakeholders around the world.
- Addressing the Conference of National Human Rights Institutions of the Asia Pacific Region in New Delhi, the President said that in the last few years, the Government has also launched several ambitious schemes to ensure basic amenities like housing, toilets, education and health facilities.
- The President said that India had ensured a minimum of 33 per cent reservation for women in local body elections. Equal reservation for women in state legislatures and the national parliament is now taking shape. This will be the most transformative revolution of our times for gender justice.
- President Murmu emphasised that the life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi paved the way for the shaping of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights:
- The two-day conference will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and 30 years of national human rights institutions and the Paris Principles.
- A sub-theme on environment and climate change was also kept in this conference. Additionally, the National Human Rights Commission, India, will also organise a seminar on Business and Human Rights.