United Nations, Oct 14: India has urged UN human rights mechanisms to avoid “politicisation” and respect cultural and historical contexts, asserting that New Delhi is committed to advancing human rights for all without selectivity and double standards.

First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India, Anuj Swarup, delivered India’s statement at the 81st Session of the UNGA Third Committee on Agenda Item ‘Report of the Human Rights Council’ on Monday.

Swarup said India will continue to work with the UN Human Rights High Commissioner and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in a “spirit of trust and partnership, as we remain committed to advancing human rights for all without selectivity and double standards”.

“We hope that the UN human rights mechanisms will rise above politicisation and selectivity, respecting cultural and historical context, so that these bodies remain an impartial moral compass for the world,” he said.

India’s remarks came days after it termed the Office of the High Commissioner’s remarks on protests in the national capital “unwarranted” and “unacceptable interference” in the country’s internal affairs.

Last week, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had expressed concern over “reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society organisations, lawyers and journalists, before and during today’s large-scale demonstrations in Delhi.”

Swarup said India’s approach to human rights is rooted in its civilizational ethos of pluralism and peaceful coexistence.

“As a member of the Human Rights Council, India has engaged constructively in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation,” he said, adding that as the world’s largest democracy, India is committed to ensuring dignity for every citizen.

He highlighted that over 250 million people have been lifted out of multidimensional poverty in the last decade, with the country’s social protection system reaching over one billion people, with free food grains for 800 million citizens, free health cover for 600 million citizens, and 320 million bank accounts for women, reflecting India’s people-centric development model.

“India remains committed to promotion and protection of human rights for all, and working with all members to make the Council an effective, objective, and credible body,” he said.

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected Brazil, Burundi, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Nepal, Nigeria, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Uruguay and Zambia to the Human Rights Council (HRC) for the 2027-2029 term.

India also expressed its strong objection to a reference made to it in a UN report on the rights of indigenous peoples focused on demarcation, registration and titling of lands, territories and resources.

The report of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert Barume, on demarcation, registration and titling of indigenous peoples’ lands, territories and resources notes that “in India, although millions of claims have been submitted under the Forest Rights Act, a substantial number remain unresolved, particularly community claims.”

Swarup, delivering India’s statement at the 81st Session of the UNGA Third Committee on Agenda Item ‘Rights of Indigenous Peoples’, strongly rejected the reference in the Special Rapporteur’s report.

“While the report acknowledges that the Forest Rights Act recognises individual and collective rights, my delegation takes strong exception to the unsubstantiated reference to India in paragraph 42 of the report. The assertion that a substantial number of claims under the Forest Rights Act remain unresolved rests on a single submission by an individual. It is not supported by any official data. Such selective reliance on unverified input calls into question the rigour and objectivity of the report,” he said.

Outlining facts from official data, Swarup said that over 5.4 million claims have been filed under the Forest Rights Act, of which more than 80 per cent have been decided, and over 2.5 million titles have been distributed.

India offered to provide updated data to the Special Rapporteur “so that such anomalies based on unverified submissions can be rectified.”

He stressed that India remains committed to the sustainable and holistic development that leaves no community behind, adding that India has consistently supported the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples.

Washington, Oct 14: Facing criticism over the diesel deal with Russia, US President Donald Trump said the fuel from Moscow’s refineries was meant to stabilise the global market, which has been hit by high prices.

On October 9, Trump announced that Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by an additional 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.”

To facilitate the shipments, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary licence easing sanctions on Russian diesel shipments to global markets until April 7, 2027.

The move came ahead of November congressional midterms in the US, as diesel prices surged amid supply disruptions caused by the Iran war.

“That’s a diesel deal. Not for us. That’s being released into the world. That’s not being released to us,” Trump told reporters here on Tuesday, amid a growing chorus against the surprise deal he announced last week after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Republicans and Democrats hit out at the deal, which Trump announced three weeks after the US Congress authorised him to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia and slapped tariffs on its key trading partners, including China and India.

“That’s a diesel deal that’s going to be released into the world for the world market, because the world market suffered with high prices. And when you knock out diesel refineries, that’s not a great thing. But they are not releasing it to us. They are releasing it to the entire world,” Trump said.

On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of US senators wrote to Trump, terming the Russia deal a “gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies”.

“The deal you struck with President Vladimir Putin on October 9 will not achieve just ends, nor will it benefit Americans,” the senators said.

The letter was signed by Democrats Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Dick Durbin, Jack Reed, Jeanne Shaheen and Sheldon Whitehouse and Republicans Alan Armstrong, Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis.

“This deal is a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies; it should be rescinded,” the letter said.

Senators said they recognised the need to lower energy costs for Americans, but asserted that allowing Russian diesel into global markets will offer limited to no relief to Americans.

The deal “only provides Putin with more fuel to finance his war machine and enables Russia to continue its brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians,” they said.

“It will have a negligible impact on fuel prices, but the revenues the Kremlin will receive from this agreement will undoubtedly finance its desired war of attrition and advance its security cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea,” the senators said.

Last month, Congress passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, which Trump swiftly signed into law.

“Both chambers passed the legislation with resounding, bipartisan votes, clearly demonstrating our intent and granting you the authorities to broker a just and fair peace,” the senators said.

They said these authorities require the president to apply economic pressure on Russia and the chief enablers of its war, particularly China, thereby enhancing the US negotiating position to bring a swift end to this ruinous conflict.