Statement by India during the 4th Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Australia at the 51st Session of UPR Working Group (19-30 Jan 2026) delivered by Mr. Kshitij Tyagi, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of India, Geneva, 26 Jan 2026
Mr President,
India warmly welcomes the delegation of Australia and thanks them for the presentation of their national report.
We appreciate Australia’s efforts towards protecting and promoting human rights, such as the launch of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children and the continued progress under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap to improve outcomes for First Nations people.
In the spirit of constructive engagement, we recommend the following to Australia:
One, fully implement the recommendations arising from the independent statutory review of the Modern Slavery Act 2018, including the establishment of a national compensation scheme for victim-survivors of contemporary forms of slavery.
Two, intensify efforts to address the overrepresentation of First Nations people in prisons, including by identifying underlying causes and enhancing the use of non-custodial measures and diversion programmes.
And three, take the necessary legislative and policy measures to raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility in line with international standards.
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