Rapid Fire
Honours to India's Hansa Mehta
- 27 Jun 2024
- 2 min read
Recently, the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) honoured Hansa Mehta on the International Day for Women in Diplomacy (24 June).
- This day honors and acknowledges the contributions and accomplishments of women in the realm of diplomacy.
Hansa Mehta:
- She was a prominent Indian scholar, educator, social reformer, writer and diplomat from India.
- She was born on 3rd July 1897 and was a champion of women's rights.
- Mehta played a pivotal role in revising the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to include gender-inclusive language.
- She successfully changed the phrase, “All men are born free and equal,” to “All human beings are born free and equal” in Article 1 of the UDHR.
- As the President of All India Women's Conference (AIWC) in 1946, she led the drafting of the "Indian Women's Charter of Rights", which demanded gender equality, civil rights and justice for women in India.
- She was also part of the Constituent Assembly of India, a member of its Advisory Committee and sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights.
- She was the only other female delegate, apart from Eleanor Roosevelt to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
Read more: Empowering Women, Elevating India
