The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Executive (ITEC) capacity building programme for the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from Global South got underway here on Monday.

The six-day programme is being organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

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The programme is being attended by 47 delegates from the NHRIs of 14 countries from the Global South. The participating countries include Madagascar, Uganda, Samoa, Timor Leste, DR Congo, Togo, Mali, Nigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, Mauritius, Burundi, Turkmenistan, and Qatar, as per the NHRC.

In his inaugural address, NHRC Chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian said India is a country of rich and diverse cultural ethos with various castes, communities, art forms, and languages, yet thrives in its unity of shared values and traditions for centuries.

However, he said diversity also comes with diverse problems requiring diverse solutions. “Every country has its socio-cultural, political, and economic traditions and diversities may face challenges while addressing the human rights issues given their standardised approaches set to dealing with them following the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Therefore, solutions to the problems can’t be tailor-made for every country to follow,” the Chairperson said.

Ramasubramanian also referred to many ancient Indian texts highlighting the human values and ethos practiced in the countries or centuries, which hold relevance even today for the whole world.

He expressed his gratitude to the participating senior functionaries of the NHRIs of Global South and their countries for accepting NHRC’s invitation to depute them for participation.

A NHRC member. Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, said the commission has played a crucial role in shaping India’s human landscape through its wide-ranging initiatives. “Unlike many Western approaches that emphasise individual freedom above all else, India follows a more balanced model that values both individual and collective rights. India’s engagement in international human rights forums reflects its dedication to building a just and equitable global order,” Sarangi elaborated.

He said that capacity-building initiatives like ITEC play a crucial role in expanding our knowledge and refining our skills.

Vijaya Bharathi Sayani, who is also a member of the rights body, said by sharing our collective wisdom and resources, we can significantly enhance the protection and promotion of human rights across our nations and regions in the scenario of constantly evolving global human rights landscape.

She also highlighted some of the key thematic issues of human rights that are being focused on by the NHRC including the rights of women and achieving gender equality, protecting marginalised communities, safeguarding vulnerable populations in the context of development and displacement, among others.

NHRC Secretary General Bharat Lal said India traditionally wanted to share its most cherished knowledge and wisdom for the larger cause of humanity. This training has been organised with the same spirit wherein we hope and expect to learn from each other.

Senior officers of the NHRC and the MEA were present on the occasion.