Rohingya crisis: India for talks on ‘Responsibility to Protect’ in UN

India supported discussions in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ and the prevention of genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing as the world body takes up the issue after 12 years in the backdrop of Rohingya crisis.

India has agreed for the talks on the understanding that there won’t be any adoption of the resolution by the UNGA. New Delhi also hopes that “normative concepts at stake require careful deliberation”.

As many as 113 countries, including India, voted in favour while 21 others, including Pakistan, Iran and Cuba, opposed the idea of having a debate. Seventeen members abstained.

In his explanation of the vote, Syed Akbaruddin, India’s permanent representative to the UN, said that the talks on the concept required open, inclusive and transparent deliberation.

“The ‘Responsibility to Protect’ was one of the foremost of every state and, as such, India would support the inclusion of such an item on the agenda for the current session,” he said.

Akbaruddin said India is voting in support including it on the agenda of the 72nd session of the General Assembly with the understanding that the sponsors of the proposal aim to have a debate at the current session only.

“They have articulated their objective as wanting to have a thematic debate and not one that addresses country-specific situations, and have also indicated that they do not seek the adoption of any resolution,” said Akbaruddin. AS MANY AS 113 COUNTRIES, INCLUDING INDIA, VOTED IN FAVOUR WHILE 21 OTHERS, INCLUDING PAKISTAN, IRAN AND CUBA, OPPOSED THE IDEA OF HAVING A DEBATE. SEVENTEEN MEMBERS ABSTAINED.