Geneva [Switzerland], October 7 (ANI): India’s experience in South-South cooperation and human rights capacity-building was highlighted during a General Debate at the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Hansraj Singh of Sambhali Trust addressed the Council, focusing on the importance of practical knowledge-sharing, institutional cooperation and capacity-building in strengthening human rights institutions.
Highlighting India’s experience through the International Cooperation and Training Programme (ITEC), Singh referred to a six-day programme held in September 2025. Organised by the National Human Rights Commission of India in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, the programme brought together 43 senior officials from 12 national human rights institutions for training on governance and human rights.
Singh presented the Indian experience as an example of how South-South cooperation can strengthen institutions through the exchange of practical knowledge and the development of institutional capacities.
He stressed that technical assistance is most effective when it responds to actual needs, reflects local realities and enables institutions to continue their work independently after external support ends.
Drawing on Sambhali Trust’s grassroots experience in Rajasthan, Singh further emphasised that capacity-building must ultimately reach communities at the last mile. He said training and technical assistance become more meaningful when accompanied by information in simple language, locally relevant examples and follow-up support, helping communities and civil society organisations understand and apply the knowledge gained.
Singh also encouraged the United Nations and Member States to strengthen such approaches by involving national institutions, local bodies and grassroots organisations wherever appropriate.
He further stressed that the effectiveness of capacity-building programmes should be measured not simply by the number of participants trained, but by their practical and lasting impact.
The intervention concluded with a message on the importance of sustainable knowledge transfer.
“Capacity-building succeeds when knowledge remains after the experts have left,” Singh said.
Through the intervention, Sambhali Trust highlighted India’s role in promoting practical and knowledge-based South-South cooperation in the human rights sector, while underlining the importance of linking institutions, civil society and grassroots communities for sustainable capacity-building. (ANI)