Human Rights Council Holds High-level Meeting Commemorating the Thirty-fifth Anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development

The Human Rights Council held yesterday afternoon and this morning a high-level meeting commemorating the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development

Addressing the first meeting, Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, said more than 35 years ago, the General Assembly had adopted the landmark Declaration on the Right to Development, a ground-breaking achievement.  The Declaration recognised development as a human right, entailing comprehensive social, cultural and political processes.  This perspective informed the broad consensus reached on the 2015 agreement on the Sustainable Development Goals.  The time had come to recognise the right to development as a human right – on a par with other human rights and fundamental freedoms. 

Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said this year was studded with landmark celebrations that marked key steps on the path towards human dignity, including the General Assembly’s adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development.  The world was halfway through the 2030 Agenda’s 15-year framework, and the Sustainable Development Goals had been knocked badly off track, not least due to the pandemic of COVID-19.  In this regard, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September was a key milestone to turbocharge the right to development and ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals were met.

Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said the Declaration on the Right to Development established development as a human right and described it as a process of exercising individual and collective economic, social, cultural and political rights through both participating in and contributing to development and also enjoying its benefits.  The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had a special responsibility for mainstreaming the right to development into the broader United Nations system, in particular at the level of its country offices, and mobilising international support for revitalising and realising the right to development.

Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, said the right to development was paralleled in the human development approach, pioneered by the United Nations Development Programme.  First, there needed to be a transformation in the mindset towards the rights of future generations and the role of national human rights institutions was pivotal in this.  Unlocking new sources of finance would also be key to ensuring the right to development, a key aim of the Secretary-General’s new Sustainable Development Goals Stimulus Plan.  The plan called for the G20 to agree on a $500 billion annual stimulus for sustainable development to meet the 2030 Agenda, as well as new debt relief measures. 

Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said the right to development was not just a theoretical concept, a recognition of a universal human truth; it was, above all, a call to action.  It was about creating an environment in which people could live with dignity and respect, free from poverty, hunger, disease, and oppression.  More must be done to bring down development obstacles.  Persistent asymmetries in the international financial architecture and in the trade system, in addition to a widening digital gap, were among the challenges noted.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development made it clear that peoples’ participation was fundamental to the right to development and for achieving the right to health for all.  To ensure that development realised rights for all, countries had the duty to co-operate with each other.  The World Health Organization worked to ensure that the benefits of science, innovation, data and digital tools could advance health rights for everyone, without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, income, age or geography, and to improve global cooperation by supporting the development of a legally-binding pandemic accord.

Addressing the second meeting, Saad Alfarargi, Special Rapporteur on the right to development, said multiple factors hampered the implementation of the right to development, including politicisation, a lack of engagement, and adverse global trends.  The COVID-19 pandemic had also added an additional layer of complexity to these challenges.  Unfortunately, many of these challenges had still not been resolved.  The event today provided an opportunity to think about moving forward.  Mr. Alfarargi was heartened that many States had invested time in the negotiation process for a new legally binding instrument on the right to development and appealed to all to continue to engage, despite differences.

Zamir Akram, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the right to development, said during its fifth period, which started in 2019 and continued to date, the Working Group had been dealing with the elaboration of a legally binding instrument on the right to development.  The second revised text of the draft convention would be submitted to the twenty-fourth session of the Working Group, to be held from 15 to 19 May 2023, for intergovernmental negotiations.  Following this process, a final text would be submitted to the Council at the September session.  It was regrettable that a number of States chose not to participate in the negotiation process so far. 

Bonny Ibhawoh, Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, said the Expert Mechanism began operations in 2020 to provide independent perspectives and expert advice, and to assist the Council in mainstreaming the right to development.  The Expert Mechanism had been working on a Commentary on Article 1 of the Declaration on the Right to Development to clarify the provisions of the Declaration, and to suggest approaches to their implementation.  The Commentary was adopted a few days ago.  The Expert Mechanism hoped the Commentary would be a useful tool for Member States and other stakeholders in their efforts to operationalise the right to development.

Li Yuefen, Senior Adviser on South-South Cooperation and Development Finance, South Centre, said 35 years after its adoption, the Declaration on the Right to Development had renewed relevance in a world which was currently going through an important structural transformation.  However, some recent adverse global events had negatively affected the realisation of the right to development.  It was essential that the promotion, protection and fulfilment of the right to development should be continued in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
  
In the discussion in the first meeting, some speakers said, among other things, that 35 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly had adopted the ground-breaking Declaration, pronouncing that development was a right and putting people at the centre of the development process.  The primary purpose of the right to development was to promote and protect the capacity of the individual to participate in, contribute to and benefit from development.  Some speakers said that global trends were not encouraging.  Many different challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and military aggressions, hindered the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

Some speakers said that the crises facing the world had already increased extreme poverty and had hit people and countries in vulnerable situations the hardest.  It was time that the international community came together to address widening inequalities among countries.  Many countries of the Global South suffered from unilateral coercive measures which hampered their financial and social development.  The elaboration of a legally binding instrument on the right to development was a much-needed response to global challenges. 

In the discussion in the second meeting, some speakers reiterated their commitment to the right to development.  As the international community marked this milestone, it was a collective responsibility to make the promise of the Declaration a tangible reality.  Full implementation of the right to development had been lacking.  The pandemic had highlighted the major social and economic gaps in societies and raised issues regarding the right to health.  Countries which depended on a single economic sector were particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of lockdowns.  The pandemic highlighted that all States needed to consider development as a global challenge, not a local challenge. 
   
Some speakers called on the international community to recommit to the principles of the right to development and to take concrete actions to support the development of least developed States, including through financial resources and support for institutional development.  A number of speakers fully supported all initiatives to realise the rights to development, and looked forward to the development of a legally binding instrument on the right to development.  The international community was urged to operationalise the right to development by taking collaborative and multilateral action to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for all.

Speaking in the discussion on the first day were: Venezuela on behalf of a group of countries, Zimbabwe, South Africa, European Union, Oman on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council Group, Qatar on behalf of a group of countries, Finland on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries, Cuba, Iran, Germany, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Bahrain, Armenia, Food and Agriculture Organization, Thailand, Tanzania, China, Bangladesh, Senegal, Philippines, Malaysia, Syria, and Mauritania. 

Also speaking were the following non-governmental organizations: Conselho Indigenista Missionário CIMI Intervention, Institute for Human Rights, Sikh Human Rights Group, Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII, Action Canada for Population and Development Intervention, and International Human Rights Association of American Minorities. 

Speaking in the second meeting, were Burundi, Cabo Verde on behalf of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, South Africa, Belarus, Indonesia on behalf of the Association of South East Asian Nations, Côte d'Ivoire on behalf of the African Group, Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Viet Nam, Maldives, India, Ethiopia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Venezuela, Nepal, Niger, Botswana, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Iraq, Gambia, Malawi, and Tunisia.

Also speaking were Centre Europe - Tiers Monde, Make Mothers Matter, International Federation for the Protection of the Rights of Ethnic, Religious, Linguistic and Other Minorities, Centre du Commerce International pour le Développement, Promotion du Développement Economique et Social – PDES, and Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety.

The Council will next meet at 12 p.m. to continue its high-level segment.

Opening Statements Day One

AMINA J. MOHAMMED, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, said that more than 35 years ago, the General Assembly had adopted the landmark Declaration on the Right to Development, a ground-breaking achievement.  Today, the right to development remained a bold intention, yet to be realised by billions of people, still pending formal recognition; the time had come to make it a reality.  The Declaration recognised development as a human right, entailing comprehensive social, cultural and political processes.  This perspective informed the broad consensus reached on the 2015 agreement on the Sustainable Development Goals.  The importance of a comprehensive understanding of development had become even more clear with COVID-19.  The pandemic was a clear demonstration that failure to deliver on one dimension had cascading effects over other aspects of people’s wellbeing.

The Declaration also underscored the centrality of people as agents and ultimate beneficiaries of development.  Sustainable development could only be achieved with the meaningful participation of everyone.  The time had come to recognise the right to development as a human right – on a par with other human rights and fundamental freedoms.  There needed to be a radical shift to make aspirations for a more inclusive, prosperous and sustainable future a reality.  Ms. Mohammed said she and the Secretary-General encouraged all Member States to actively engage in this important process, as they embarked on a stocktake of the 2030 agenda in September.  People were hurting, the planet was burning; the world could not wait. 

VOLKER TÜRK, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said this year was studded with landmark celebrations that marked key steps on the path towards human dignity, including the General Assembly’s adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development.  It broke new ground by defining development as a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, aimed at the constant improvement of the well-being of all individuals and peoples.  It called for every member of society to participate fully and freely in decisions.  It demanded fair distribution of economic resources within and among countries at every level of development.  Genuine development benefited everyone, across society, by advancing equity and justice; it was rooted in equality of opportunity, full enjoyment of human rights, and a fair share of resources for all.

The world was halfway through the 2030 Agenda’s 15-year framework, and the Sustainable Development Goals had been knocked badly off track, not least due to the pandemic of COVID-19.  Inequalities were escalating to perilous proportions, while climate change and biodiversity loss were far outpacing corrective efforts.  Significant human rights gains – most obviously in terms of gender equality and the rights of women and girls – were suffering severe pushback.  The invasion of Ukraine and other rising geopolitical tensions had sharply undercut prospects for international cooperation.  Inescapable interdependence needed to be acknowledged and everyone needed to cooperate in shaping responses that would mean the fruits of human progress and development benefitted all.  In this regard, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September was a key milestone to turbocharge the right to development and ensure the Sustainable Development Goals were met.

JEYHUN BAYRAMOV, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said the Declaration on the Right to Development established development as a human right and described it as a process of exercising individual and collective economic, social, cultural and political rights through both participating in and contributing to development and also enjoying its benefits.  Despite being unanimously recognised as a separate human right in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action by all States, as well as being referred to in many United Nations resolutions and outcome documents of major international events as an inalienable human right, there was highly divisive international discourse and attempts to misinterpret the concept of the right to development, including for taking advantage of the structural inequalities that emerged on global economic markets.

The weakening role of multilateral institutions, adverse impacts of climate change, erosion of the rule of law at the international level, slow post-pandemic recovery, and failure to reform global economic governance required all to engage in good faith into an open dialogue over persistent imbalances and inequalities existing in international order that developing and least developed countries found more and more difficult to cope with alone.  The United Nations and its development-related agencies as well as international financial institutions should mainstream the right to development into their policies and operational activities and multilateral trading frameworks.  The identification of obstacles to operationalisation and implementation of the right to development could trigger serious debates on the reforms on the international system of governance and the establishment of a favourable international environment for development.

Mr. Bayramov said the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights had a special responsibility for mainstreaming the right to development into the broader United Nations system, in particular at the level of its country offices, and mobilising international support for revitalising and realising the right to development.

ACHIM STEINER, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, said the right to development was paralleled in the human development approach, pioneered by the United Nations Development Programme.  Both approaches recognised that gross domestic product growth was not an end in itself.  Rather, the wellbeing of people depended on enabling everyone to live to their full potential, which meant peoples’ active, free, and meaningful participation in development.  In doing so, reducing inequalities that threatened fundamental human rights became a goal, not just an outcome.  Yet, for the first time ever, the latest Human Development Index, which measured a nation’s health, education, and standard of living, had declined globally for two years in a row in the wake of interlinked crises.  In this time of uncertainty, how could the right to development be driven forward?

First, there needed to be a transformation in the mindset towards the rights of future generations and the role of national human rights institutions was pivotal in this.  Alongside partners, the United Nations Development Programme was boosting the ability of institutions to address the human rights implications of climate change.  Unlocking new sources of finance would also be key to ensuring the right to development, a key aim of the Secretary-General’s new Sustainable Development Goals Stimulus Plan.  The plan called for the G20 to agree on a $500 billion annual stimulus for sustainable development to meet the 2030 Agenda, as well as new debt relief measures.  The Universal Periodic Review process was also vital to drive forward this right.  The United Nations Development Programme was committed to advancing the right to development by dismantling obstacles to development, from gender inequality to racial discrimination.

REBECA GRYNSPAN, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said the right to development was not just a theoretical concept, a recognition of a universal human truth; it was, above all, a call to action.  It was a reminder that development was not only an end in itself, but also a means to an end.  The end was the realisation of the full potential of every person within every nation.  It was about creating an environment in which people could live with dignity and respect, free from poverty, hunger, disease, and oppression.  Too many people still lacked access to basic education, healthcare, clean water and sanitation - and economic opportunities.  Too many people still suffered from discrimination, marginalisation, and exclusion.  The current context of cascading crises had exposed inequalities.  It had shown that development could not be achieved without addressing its root causes.

Ms. Grynspan said more must be done to bring down development obstacles.  Persistent asymmetries in the international financial architecture and in the trade system, in addition to a widening digital gap, were among the challenges noted.  Action must be taken to enable an environment for institutions to take root.  Also, for the active, free and meaningful participation of all in development, in economic growth and job creation, leaving no one behind.  The right to development should not be regarded as a gift that could be bestowed by others - but a right that must be claimed, returned and exercised.

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development made it clear that people’s participation was fundamental to the right to development and for achieving the right to health for all.  To ensure that development realised rights for all, countries had the duty to co-operate with each other.  The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for global cooperation and solidarity to achieve both human rights and health for all.  Drastic inequities in access to vaccines and other life-saving tools between and within countries meant that while some were protected, many of those most in need went without. 

The World Health Organization worked to ensure that the benefits of science, innovation, data and digital tools could advance health rights for everyone, without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, income, age or geography, and improve global cooperation by supporting the development of a legally-binding pandemic accord. As the international community reached the mid-point of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, it needed to accelerate action to leave no one behind. Recognising development as a human right was key to meeting this commitment.

Discussion Day One

In the ensuing discussion, some speakers said, among other things, that 35 years ago, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the ground-breaking Declaration, pronouncing that development was a right and putting people at the centre of the development process.  The primary purpose of the right to development was to promote and protect the capacity of the individual to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from development.  Therefore, it was not only a fundamental right in itself, but was also necessary for the full realisation of all the other components of human rights.  The right to development further embodied the principles of equality, justice, non-discrimination, meaningful participation, and international cooperation. 

Many speakers remained committed to the realisation of the right to development and promoted a human rights-based approach to inclusive and sustainable development, in which individuals were the central actors, drivers, and beneficiaries of the development process.  The absence of development not only limited the enjoyment of rights, but completely undermined them.  Therefore, all efforts to achieve the right to development should be urgently supported. 

Some speakers said that global trends were not encouraging.  Many different challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and military aggressions, hindered the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. 

The global pandemic had had a strong negative impact on all countries, especially developing countries, which increased the difficulties for achieving the right to development.  It demonstrated the urgency for the effective realisation of the right to development, to bring the world back on track to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.  Speakers emphasised the need for recovery plans to be in line with the Sustainable Development Agenda, and to be based on practical guidelines in the implementation of the right to development.  The pandemic should compel the international community to move beyond rhetoric and focus on practical steps to ensure the full realisation of the Declaration on the Right to Development.

Some speakers said that the crises facing the world had already increased extreme poverty and had hit people and countries in vulnerable situations the hardest.  Global challenges such as poverty and inequality were among those unevenly distributed across all societies, irrespective of their gross domestic product.  It was time that the international community came together to address widening inequalities among countries. 

Some speakers said the obsolete and unjust international order still prevailed, which was an obstacle to the right to development.  Many countries of the Global South suffered from unilateral coercive measures which hampered their financial and social development.  These measures undermined the ability of these countries in capacity building and denied access to affordable financing.  Some speakers said unilateral coercive measures had a serious impact on the right to development and on achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Some speakers noted that it was an obligation of all States to create an enabling environment for the right to development.  Thirty-five years on from the Declaration on the Right to Development, achieving this goal was becoming increasingly urgent, yet more difficult.  There needed to be political will to achieve this goal.  Speakers called on the international community to exert more efforts to protect and promote human rights and to give the right to development its true dimension.  In this regard, the elaboration of a legally binding instrument on the right to development was a much-needed response to global challenges.  Speakers hoped that all stakeholders within the United Nations would take today’s meeting as an opportunity to bring greater visibility to the right to development.  Time was running out and it was vital to enhance all efforts to promote sustainable development in view of all global challenges.

Opening Statements Day Two

SAAD ALFARARGI, Special Rapporteur on the right to development, said this would be the last time he addressed the Council in his capacity as Special Rapporteur.  Multiple factors hampered the implementation of the right to development, including politicisation, a lack of engagement, and adverse global trends.  The COVID-19 pandemic had also added an additional layer of complexity to these challenges.  Unfortunately, many of these challenges had still not been resolved.  The event today provided an opportunity to think about moving forward.  Everyone had a responsibility to implement the commitments made towards the 2030 Agenda.  Mr. Alfaragi said his report highlighted that the right to development imposed duties on States and the international community, as well as the private sector.  International cooperation was at the centre of financing for development.  Domestically, enabling disadvantaged and marginalised groups to participate in decision-making processes was also essential. 

Climate change constituted one of the adverse global trends that could undo decades of development, impacting the enjoyment of the rights to health care, education, housing, culture and food.  To provide for a just transition and in accordance with the principles and provisions of the United Nations Climate Change Conference and its Paris Agreement, States that had contributed disproportionately to climate change must provide adequate funding to developing countries.  In 2023, the Conference of the Parties would finalise the first Global Stocktake to assess the progress towards achieving the Agreement’s long-term goals.  It was important that the Global Stocktake delivered a fair assessment of the current situation, and provided a road map to addressing the shortcomings.  The right to development for youth was also extremely important.  Mr. Alfarargi was heartened that many States had invested time in the negotiation process for a new legally binding instrument on the right to development and appealed to all to continue to engage, despite differences.

ZAMIR AKRAM, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the right to development, said the core of the Working Group’s mandate was to monitor and review progress made in the promotion and implementation of the right to development as elaborated in the Declaration on the Right to Development, at the national and international levels, providing recommendations thereon and further analysing obstacles to its full enjoyment.  The fourth period of the Working Group’s work, from 2016 to 2018, focused on the consideration of standards for the implementation of the right to development, intended as a road map or framework for action for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

During its fifth period, which started in 2019 and continued to date, the Working Group had been dealing with the elaboration of a legally binding instrument on the right to development.  The second revised text of the draft convention would be submitted to the twenty-fourth session of the Working Group, to be held from 15 to 19 May 2023, for intergovernmental negotiations.  Following this process, a final text would be submitted to the Council at the September session.  The process was informed by the rich amount of work undertaken in the past, including a report of the Advisory Committee on the importance of a legally binding instrument on the right to development, and numerous submissions and textual suggestions from a wide variety of stakeholders.  Every possible attempt had been made to base the language on existing international legal instruments, including human rights treaties and relevant declarations and resolutions.  It was regrettable that a number of States chose not to participate in the negotiation process so far, or only to a limited extent.  All should actively engage in the negotiations at the upcoming session. 

BONNY IBHAWOH, Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, said the Expert Mechanism began operations in 2020 to provide independent perspectives and expert advice, and to assist the Council in mainstreaming the right to development.  The five members had been engaging in dialogue with Member States and other stakeholders and had held discussions with United Nations bodies and human rights mechanisms, and conducted study visits on topics intertwined with the right to development.  The Expert Mechanism had been working on a Commentary on Article 1 of the Declaration on the Right to Development to clarify the provisions of the Declaration, and to suggest approaches to their implementation. 

The Commentary was adopted a few days ago.  It stated that as an individual right, the right to development entitled all persons on an equal basis to participate in, contribute to and enjoy development; and as a collective right, the right to development was a right of indigenous and other peoples.  The Commentary also noted the significance of the claims of individuals to the right to development in litigation.  The Expert Mechanism hoped the Commentary would be a useful tool for Member States and other stakeholders in their efforts to operationalise the right to development.  The 1986 Declaration on the Right to Development was outlined as a legally binding instrument that the full implementation of the right to development should contain, providing a holistic approach to human rights.  Mr. Ibhawoh concluded by extending an invitation to the upcoming seventh session of the Expert Mechanism in New York in April this year. 

LI YUEFEN, Senior Adviser on South-South Cooperation and Development Finance, South Centre, said 35 years after its adoption, the Declaration on the Right to Development had renewed relevance in a world which was currently going through an important structural transformation.  Undeniably, progress had been made, though uneven, with respect to the implementation of the right to development before 2018.  It had evolved from being a new concept to being well acknowledged and now being routinely included in United Nations resolutions, especially firmly embedded in the 2030 Agenda.  However, some recent adverse global events had negatively affected the realisation of the right to development.  The COVID-19 pandemic; the energy and climate crises; the more frequent climate change induced natural disaster; the increasing geopolitical tensions; the cost of living crisis; and rising nationalism, anti-multilateralism and the related trend to move away from international solidarity and cooperation could further weaken international governance and had hampered the enjoyment of the right to development.

Current crises had brought about structural changes for national and international economies.  The world was going through an important stage of economic transformation and transition to a sustainable and green economic development model.  This was good for the global ecosystem and peoples in the world.

In this regard, the right to development, and its emphasis on a participatory and accountable development process had been put aside.  It was thus central to the success of this transition to take the right to development into consideration.  As the thirty-fifth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development was being commemorated, the need to reinvigorate the implementation of the right must be emphasised.  More than ever, the international community needed to strengthen international cooperation and solidarity, and emphasise international responsibility for creating an enabling global environment and policy space.

Discussion Day Two

In the discussion, some speakers reiterated their commitment to the right to development.  The commemoration of the thirty-fifth anniversary of the 1986 United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development was an excellent opportunity to reiterate the collective commitment of the international community to the full realisation of the right to development, and to address challenges.  A number of speakers stood committed and ready to do their part and reaffirmed full support for all initiatives aimed at the full realisation of the right to development.  As the international community marked this milestone, it was a collective responsibility to make the promise of the Declaration a tangible reality.

Some speakers said that full implementation of the right to development had been lacking.  Challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts and poverty had impacted the right to development.  The pandemic had highlighted the major social and economic gaps in societies and raised issues regarding the right to health.  Countries which depended on a single economic sector were particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of lockdowns.  In the past three years, the COVID-19 crisis had rolled-back significant progress made towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  The pandemic had highlighted that all States needed to consider development as a global challenge, not a local challenge.  Some speakers also said that the right to development and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment were mutually interdependent.
  
A number of speakers called on the international community to intensify its efforts to reduce the economic inequality of developing countries by advancing the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights, in line with the 1986 Declaration and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action.  It was time to move past the divide between the developed and developing world.  Human rights and development were mutually reinforcing and two sides of the same coin.  Speakers called on the international community to recommit to the principles of the right to development and to take concrete actions to support the development of least developed States, including through financial resources and support for institutional development.

Some speakers maintained that no real progress had been made towards achieving the right to development.  The militarisation of society was not just a threat of democracy but an obstacle to the right to development.  Some speakers said the right to development still required demonstration; many people still had to fight for this right.  One speaker said the Council was being used as a political tool by Western countries to impede countries’ right to development.  The unjust social gaps caused by capitalist exploitation and colonial and neo-colonial domination still existed.

A number of speakers fully supported all initiatives to realise the right to development, and looked forward to the development of a legally binding instrument on the right to development.  In the face of the many obstacles that stood in the way of development, it was necessary to formulate international policies favourable to development and to establish enhanced international cooperation and solidarity, taking advantage of the potential offered by the Declaration on the Right to Development.  Speakers urged the international community to operationalise the right to development by taking collaborative and multilateral action to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for all.

Concluding Remarks Day Two

SAAD ALFARARGI, Special Rapporteur on the right to development, said he was delighted to hear the renewed commitment to the right to development - what he had heard today was a reminder that a number of countries still believed in it and looked forward to the full implementation of the right.  The right to development was a composite right, and it should be considered in that way.  A lot of work still had to be done, whether on the negotiating or research sides.  This was why the Working Group had been working for 35 years and had not yet concluded.  The supporters of the right should get together in consultation to exchange views, consolidate their positions, and have a real dialogue with those that did not believe in it.  They should not wait just for the meetings of the Council or of the Working Group.  Much work remained to be done.

ZAMIR AKRAM, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the right to development, said 35 years had passed and the right to development remained to be implemented.  There were many obstacles which had prevented the implementation of the right to development.  The way forward was provided by the draft convention on the right to development, which had been drafted by the Working Group.  Since the draft convention was based on existing agreed language and understandings, it had the best possible chance of success.  The Working Group would present the text to the Human Rights Council, and Mr. Akram recommended that the Council forward this text to the General Assembly to negotiate this legally binding instrument. 

BONNY IBHAWOH, Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, said he was pleased with the level of engagement on the right to development by States and civil society organizations.  The Expert Mechanism was committed to undertaking further studies to determine best practices and create frameworks for organizations and States to reinvigorate the right to development.  The international community should consider strategies for implementing the right to development in a way that left no one behind, and the next few years should ensure progress, keeping the right relevant.  The right to development provided a framework for addressing many of the challenges the world faced today.  The Expert Mechanism called for the operationalisation of the right to development into the international human rights framework.  The Expert Mechanism was committed to supporting States and civil society in developing strategies to operationalise the right to development.

LI YUEFEN, Senior Adviser on South-South Cooperation and Development Finance, South Centre, said it was enlightening to listen to the speakers from the floor, who had been unanimous in reiterating their commitment to the implementation of the right to development.  This was very promising.  Widening inequality was a major concern; it demonstrated that the right to development was far from being materialised.  There needed to be work done to remove systemic obstacles.  With the parallel crises being faced by the world, solidarity and cooperation were needed, but were lacking.  The international community needed to work towards this.  The work towards the legally binding instrument was encouraging and efforts in this direction should be continued. 

 

Link: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/news-media/meeting-summary/2023/03/morning-human-rights-council-holds-high-level-meeting

 

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