NEW DELHI, Sept 20: President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday urged not to treat the human rights
issue in isolation and sought “equal attention” to nursing the natural environment, lamenting that
Mother Nature has been “deeply wounded” by human indiscretions.
Addressing a gathering at the biennial conference of national human rights institutions of the Asia
Pacific at Vigyan Bhawan, she also said the love for nature should be rekindled to conserve and
enrich it “before it is too late”.
The event is being organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India, in
collaboration with the Asia Pacific Forum (APF) from September 20-21.
Murmu said she looked at the list of conferences the forum previously held and expressed her
happiness that this is the first in-person sitting in the post-Covid phase.
“I am told that the conference is being attended by nearly 100 foreign delegates,” she said.
Murmu also underlined the degradation the natural environment is facing.
“Human beings are as good a creator as a destroyer. According to scientific studies, this planet has
entered the phase of sixth extinction where man-made destruction, if not stopped, will be the
undoing of not only the human race but also the other lives on the earth,” Murmu said.
“In this context, I would urge you to not to treat the issue of human rights in isolation and pay equal
attention to nursing Mother Nature, which is deeply wounded by the indiscretions of human
beings,” she added.
In India, the president added, “We believe that every particle of the universe is a manifestation of
divinity. Let us rekindle our love for nature to conserve and enrich it before it is too late.”
Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions Secretary Amina Bouayach, APF Chairperson
Doo-Hwan Song and NHRC chairperson Justice (Retd) Arun Kumar Mishra shared the dais with
Murmu.
The APF is also holding its 28th annual general meeting at Vigyan Bhawan on Wednesday to discuss
the issues of common interest to member countries.
Representatives of national human rights institutions from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the
Phillipines, Jordan and Australia, among other countries, are taking part in the conference.
Murmu said, “Let us ponder for a moment the causes of the pandemic and natural disasters that
have been taking place all around us. Let us also ponder over the challenges of climate change that
have been threatening the very existence of the planet.”
The concept of human rights is ever-evolving, dynamic and “quite close to my heart” in public life. As
humankind grows morally and spiritually, the definition of human rights gets further evolved, she
asserted.
“What gives me immense satisfaction is the fact that this concept is deeply rooted in Indian
civilisation. The world saw the first glimpse of it when, after massive destruction caused by the two
successive World Wars, the United Nations General Assembly came up with a formulation ‘all men
are born free and equal’ as the beginning of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” she said.
“It was then India’s representative, Hansaben Mehta, a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and freedom
fighter, who suggested changing it to ‘all human beings are born free and equal’. Her change of one
word expanded the notion of rights,” the president said.
Gandhi’s life and thoughts were also critical in shaping the draft of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. He influenced the human rights discourse. It was under his influence that the “notion
of human rights came to be expanded from basic necessities of life to dignity of life as well”, Murmu
said.
“As many of you know, on June 7, 1893, Gandhi was robbed of his dignity when he was thrown out
of a first-class compartment of a train at Pietermaritzburg in South Africa on account of racial
discrimination. He was a changed man then and went on to inspire millions to fight for their rights
and dignity,” the president recalled.
Similarly, Dr BR Ambedkar was an ardent champion of human rights. He taught the depressed
classes to stand for their rights and live with dignity, she said.
“He (Ambedkar) also led from the front in shaping the Constitution of India, which is not only aligned
with the modern concept of rights, liberty and justice but also deeply rooted in the Indian ethos that
sees the world as one family — ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — the echo of which resonated during the
recently-concluded G20 Summit,” she said. (PTI)
