New Delhi: Don’t treat human rights issue in isolation says Droupadi Murmu

New Delhi : 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.