Geneva, Sep 13 (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday honoured Indian reformer and educator Hansa Mehta by naming a hall in her memory at the country’s Permanent Mission here.
Jaishankar also paid his respects to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian constitution at his statue at the premises.
“Hansa Mehta was a pioneer and role model, whose contributions to international diplomacy and gender equality can never be forgotten.
“Happy to inaugurate the Hansa Mehta Hall @IndiaUNGeneva, in celebration of her work and ideals,” Jaishankar posted on X.
In another post on X, he said, “Babasaheb’s vision of social justice, equality and progressive modernity is an inspiration for the world.”
“In the naming of this hall Hansa Mehta, I want you to think of all these as reflecting what is also happening at home in India,” Jaishankar later told a gathering of the Indian community.
Mehta served as the Indian delegate to the UN Commission on Human Rights from 1947 to 1948 and is known for ensuring a more gender-sensitive language in the landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UDHR.
Mehta, who died in Mumbai at the age of 97 in 1995, is widely credited with significantly changing the language of Article 1 of the UDHR, by replacing the phrase “All men are born free and equal” with “All human beings are born free and equal.”
“Just like we have built a chancery, modern India is also getting built brick by brick, step by step, building by building,” he added.
“The cause of social justice, the idea of inclusive growth, the rule of law is gaining ground and today we are able to successfully inculcate it into the international community,” he said, adding, “It’s a sort of microcosm of what is happening at home.”
Later, as he recounted India’s achievements in various fields, he again invoked Mehta.
“Since we were talking about Hansa Mehta today, if you look at school enrollments in India, for the first time, more girls are enrolled in girls. In fact, if you look at even higher education, the number of girls, the females in higher education, has gone up by 32 per cent in this period,” he said.
Earlier in June this year, UN General Assembly President Dennis Francis paid tribute to Mehta as he honoured women diplomats’ “invaluable contributions” on International Day of Women in Diplomacy.
Earlier, he started the day by planting a sapling at the premises of India’s office at the UN.
“The #Plant4Mother represents India’s commitment to a sustainable and inclusive future,” he posted on X along with the photographs of the event.
