Our Approach
The Sikh Human Rights Group is an NGO with UN ECOSOC status promoting pluralism, environment, diversity, human rights and responsibilities.
It is based on Sikh philosophy.
With an emphasis on pluralism, SHRG champions good intentions and diverse approaches that can be found within different civilisations, cultures and peoples.
If you would like to exchange ideas and information with the Sikh Human Rights Group please email us at info@shrg.ngo
SHRG’s approach is both principled and practical. We engage with international institutions, contribute to policy discussions, organise events and side events, collaborate with partners, and create space for reflection on the deeper ideas that shape public life. We see advocacy not simply as representation, but as a form of responsibility.
A central part of our work is connecting Sikh philosophy with contemporary international questions. Concepts such as sewa, dignity, shared responsibility, and respect for diversity are not treated as inward-looking religious ideas, but as living resources that can help illuminate questions of justice, development, and coexistence. In this sense, SHRG does not bring Sikh concerns alone to international forums. It brings Sikh perspectives to issues facing humanity more broadly.
This is also why community practice matters to us. Sikh traditions such as langar offer more than symbolism. They express a way of organising social life around equality, participation, hospitality, and resilience. For SHRG, such practices help demonstrate that ethical and community-rooted models already exist, and that they have much to contribute to global discussions on poverty, inclusion, sustainability, and social cohesion.
Our work is therefore shaped by a conviction that policy should remain connected to people, and that institutions function best when they are open to multiple ways of understanding the world. We support international cooperation, but we also believe that genuine cooperation requires pluralism. Different histories, cultures, and civilisational traditions must be able to speak in their own voice.
Across our work, several themes remain central: human rights, responsibilities and duties; sustainable development and the environment; diversity; governance and pluralism; and sewa. These are not separate compartments, but deeply connected fields. Together, they reflect SHRG’s effort to contribute to a more just, more thoughtful, and more humane international order. ## Leadership & Governance
SHRG’s governance structure reflects both institutional seriousness and a commitment to thoughtful, values-based leadership. Broad policy direction is shaped at board level, while specific policy areas are developed through executive leadership and the day-to-day work of the Director and team.
All human beings and communities co-exist with dignity and in harmony with each other with nature and with the cosmos as taught by Sikhi. To promote the principles of Sikh philosophy in the fields of voluntary sector activities, research and human rights work through projects and by supporting, funding and working in partnership with other organisations and individuals regardless of their belief, religion, race or nationality.
