Nigeria, India sign MoU to strengthen human rights cooperation
Nigeria and India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation between their national human rights commissions, with a focus on improving access to justice, complaint management and the protection of vulnerable persons.
The agreement was signed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Nigeria and its Indian counterpart as part of efforts to deepen institutional collaboration and promote the protection of fundamental rights in both countries.
The development was highlighted on Tuesday when a joint high-level delegation of the two commissions visited the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in Abuja.
The delegation was led by the Executive Secretary of Nigeria’s NHRC, Anthony Ojukwu, and the Chairperson of India’s commission, Justice V. Ramasubramanian.
Speaking during the meeting, Odumegwu-Ojukwu described the agreement as a timely initiative that would translate the longstanding diplomatic relations between both countries into practical institutional cooperation.
She stressed the need to strengthen access to justice, improve complaint-handling mechanisms and protect people in vulnerable circumstances by ensuring equitable access to essential support and services.
The minister said Nigeria and India, as members of the Global South, had an opportunity to contribute to building a more inclusive international human rights framework.
She reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to deepen engagement with India and other international partners to advance human rights diplomacy and improve the effectiveness of national and international human rights institutions.
