On the 4th Anniversary of the United Nations Faith for Rights declaration, the UN Office of the High commissioner on Human Rights has issued a short video on gender equality which contains a stanza from Guru Granth Sahib read by renowned scholar and human rights activist Dr Iqtidar Cheema.

The video was launched at a United Nations conference on March 30, 2021. The conference heard from Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and various UN special rapporteurs and civil society organisations.

Speaking at the conference, Cheema said that Guru Granth sahib carries a universal message. He said that the condition of women at the time of Guru Nanak was very deplorable as under the Brahmanical caste system, women were given a low status in life. But Guru Nanak strongly voiced for equal status of women, he added.

"Honoured to contribute to @UNshort video with readings from #Interfaith core texts," Cheema wrote in a tweet while sharing the video on the micro-blogging site.

According to an official statement, he said that he was honoured to get three stanzas of Guru Granth Sahib included in the UN faith for rights declaration and also to read the stanza about women rights in the UN official video.