UNESCO Conference, Stockholm, 30 March-2 April, 1998 (Extracts)
The importance of culture cannot be emphasised enough. This conference has not come a day too soon. We are happy that international opinion is coming to respect culture, not as a mere instrument of economic growth but as a constituent of human development. We are equally happy that the vision of culture is broadening and encompassing world views, value systems and beliefs.
India, from time immemorial, believes in the idea of unity in diversity, and in the welfare of all beings. In the Indian world view the whole world is a family - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. In fact, we not only say Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu - let everyone be happy – but also wish shanti - Peace - for all beings, humans, animals and plants, all that is movable and immovable on earth. Further, the central message of our philosophy has been -Ekam sat viprah bahudha vadariti - what learned men speak of as many as essentially one and the same. The Indian world view advocates Sarvadharma Samabhava -respected to all cultures. Non-violence, tolerance, respect for all cultures, conduct of inter-cultural dialogue on an equal footing, equality before law, and equality of opportunity - these principles form the core of the Indian value system; they need to be reaffirmed as the common heritage of mankind.
A major theme of this conference is what had been termed as the challenge of cultural diversity. The background document poses several key questions – how can we forge societies that are truly liberal and multi- cultural, yet possess a shared sense of unity and a corpus of common values? What can the States do to help different cultural communities within them to live together as a harmonious society? Can national identities be so defined, that the diverse communities constituting them, may identify with the country and its self-definition? These are not speculative questions, but issues of high policy; of particular salience in the developing world, where the construction of nation-states has commenced only recently, with the emergence of freedom struggles in the colonial era. As another conference document succinctly puts it, unity and diversity are dialectically related in such a way that unity is embedded in and nurtured by diversity and diversity is located within and regulated by unity. It is for each society to assess the character of this dialectical relationship and to strike its own balance in a manner consistent with the principles of national interests and national ethos which also constitute an aspect of the common heritage of mankind. Culture and development within each national community have to be a part of the context to which they belong. Development, therefore, has to be culture specific and culture has to be the source of strength for a community in its developmental process. In the global context, every cultural identity represents a manifestation of the cosmic world, of the universal human society as envisioned in the mystic opulence of an ancient Indian text ... In all humility, I would like to invite you to enter into the spirit of the Indian tradition of handling social diversity and cultural plurality, a tradition which has fostered creative interaction and peaceful co-existence for thousands of years among people speaking different languages, subscribing to different religious faiths and persuasions and practicing different customs and habits.
Perhaps we need to stimulate debate and discussion in this forum, on the question of how different national cultures can co-exist in symbiotic relationship with each other; and contribute to the emergence of a shared cultural heritage for humankind.
The emphasis of our discussions should be on integrating cultural policies into development plans and programmes. The need of the hour Is to recognise and nurture a 'culture of development' ... Neither development nor culture can exist in a vacuum, or in separate compartments unrelated to each other. Without the steadfast commitment of the international community to such a culture of development, I am afraid we will have neither development nor culture. Peace is inconceivable without development. Therefore culture of development is a vital element of the culture of peace.
... As far as cultural rights are concerned, my delegation is of the view that they are best left to the relevant treaty body, namely, the Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights. This is all the more so as the final objective is to have a body of enforceable cultural rights. There can be no two opinions that greater clarify is needed in the subject as it has been argued that the diversity of cultural rights is not always compatible with a uniform model of human rights. We need to avoid any unnecessary duplication or overlapping between the activities of different UN bodies in this area. We should also avoid creation of new mechanisms in the name of implementing cultural rights. Further while speaking of rights we cannot lose sight of human duties and obligations. Mahatma Gandhi in consonance with India's legal and ethical traditions insisted that rights without duties can never be secured and that duty well-done fortifies a right more than a mere demand for that right.
Indeed rights and duties are only the two sides of the same coin. We have struggled for many decades to make human, civil and political rights work; we have striven for many decades to promote and reinforce social, economic and cultural rights. Let us open a new chapter of duties as an essential concomitant of rights.
