New York, PTI: India on Wednesday said it is "proud" to endorse the US initiative on a joint statement on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration recognises the many differences in national traditions and yet reaffirms fundamental freedoms and rights for all.
A joint statement, issued by the US, on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) said, "On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, We, the above listed signatories of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, established and adopted in 1948, recommit ourselves today to the Declaration and its foundational ideal that certain principles are so fundamental as to apply to all human beings, everywhere, at all times."
"India is proud to endorse the US initiative on the Joint Statement on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," India's Permanent Mission to the UN tweeted.
Other nations joining the US on the statement include Bahrain, Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Maldives, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
"We recognise the many differences in our cultural, political, legal, religious, and other traditions, yet reaffirm fundamental freedoms and rights for all, and reassert our commitment to honouring the dignity of all persons that is the basis for our commitments under the UDHR," the joint statement said.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a "milestone document" in the history of human rights.
Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in Paris in December 1948 as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.
