My dear friends,

I bring you all our greetings from India and the Asian continent where humanist parties are present other than my country in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and the Philippines
The Humanist party of India founded in 1984 has contested many elections in these years, the most recent in 1997 with a front of humanist candidates. We have run numerous campaigns on national integration, political accountability, and different issues of human rights. Today we unite under the umbrella of humanism hundreds of organisations all over India who share faith and respect for the human being and its capacity to construct its own destiny.

The political establishment of India is concerned with filling their pockets while distracting the attention of the people with irrelevant issues. 
When still 37% of the population cannot read or write, 60% lack drinking water, when millions of Indians live in the most abject poverty and deprivation the same trends  are imposed upon us by the IMF, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation. India is following the model of privatisations of public utilities, opening its borders to unfair cheaper foreign imports and thus destroying our national industries and the livelihoods of millions of people.

I congratulate the Congress for its wonderful work and inspiration and I offer all our support from India and the Asian region to working together with the European regional in furthering our common objectives.