Raipur, March 19, 2008: India informed the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva that its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report had been prepared “through a process of wide consultations with all stakeholders.” Unfortunately, only five members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Core Group of NGOs were invited to this meeting on Feb. 18, 2008. Furthermore, the meeting only lasted two hours, which cannot be called a “wide consultation.”
The Human Rights Council (HRC) – based in Geneva – was established pursuant to General Assembly Resolution 60/251 of March 15, 2006 and is mandated to “undertake a universal periodic review, based on objective and reliable information, of the fulfilment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments in a manner which ensures universality of coverage and equal treatment with respect to all States; the review shall be a cooperative mechanism, based on an interactive dialogue, with the full involvement of the country concerned and with consideration given to its capacity-building needs; such a mechanism shall complement and not duplicate the work of treaty bodies.”
Our source revealed that India’s NHRC held a meeting concerning the UPR report for the HRC in Geneva in which only five members of the NHRC Core Group of NGOs were invited. This contradicts the demands of the HRC: “based on an interactive dialogue, with the full involvement of the country.” Further, the meeting only lasted two hours, which is not nearly enough time to discuss every topic.
The State Government of India did not succeed in producing an accurate, objective and reliable UPR report for the HRC in Geneva. Instead, they ignored the majority of the Indian population by providing only one side of the story. They wanted to cover up the deplorable situation in which many Indian citizens live and make a good impression at the HRC.
[Input from Anke Boone]
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