OHCHR and the right to development

About the right to development

The goal of development is to improve the wellbeing of every member of society. People are not the how of development - not tools that can be exploited to produce greater wealth for limited elites. They are the why. True development generates greater social justice, not deeper exploitation; and it reduces the towering inequalities which threaten fundamental human rights, in particular of those who are marginalised and poor.

Read more about why the right to development is a human rights issue

OHCHR’s work on the right to development

Over thirty years ago, the Declaration on the Right to Development broke new ground in the universal struggle for greater human dignity, freedom, equality and justice.

It called for every member of society to be empowered to participate fully and freely in vital decisions. It demanded equal opportunities, and the equitable distribution of economic resources - including for people who are traditionally disempowered and excluded from development.

The United Nations has played a key role throughout the emergence and development of the right to development, both before and after the adoption of the Declaration. It has done this through supporting political dialogue, a series of task forces, working groups and expert mechanisms, advocacy, research and analysis, civil society engagement and partnership.

Read more about OHCHR’s work on the right to development

Key documents

The Declaration on the Right to Development
Published in 1986, the declaration outlines how everyone, without distinction, is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be fully realised.

Frequently Asked Questions, Fact sheet No.37 (2016) 

Realising the Right to Development e-Book
A compilation of essays to commemorate 25 years of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development