India Presses Zero Tolerance on Terror, Development-Led Human Rights at UNHRC

Overview

• In a virtual address to the UN Human Rights Council’s High-Level Segment, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar urged the Council and UN bodies to adopt zero tolerance for terrorist acts, calling for collective resolve.
• He advanced a human-centric approach that ties rights to development and capacity-building to deliver tangible improvements for vulnerable communities.
• Jaishankar criticized politicisation, selectivity and double standards in rights debates, emphasizing dialogue, consensus and genuine partnerships.
• Citing India’s Digital Public Infrastructure, he said hundreds of millions have accessed welfare and financial services with transparency and minimal leakage, framing the system as a global public good.
• He noted India’s new Council mandate—won with 177 of 188 UN General Assembly votes—highlighted humanitarian outreach guided by empathy, and warned that pandemic, climate, geopolitical and economic pressures are eroding rights progress and the SDGs.