Developing countries call for greater efforts to implement the Right to Development
Below is a summary of statements delivered by some member states and observers of the Human Rights Council during the panel at the Council commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Right to Development on 15 June 2016.
By Adriano José Timossi
Several countries took the floor to express their support for the Declaration on the Right to Development and its importance particularly nowadays when the world faces a series of crises from the economic, social to climate, during the panel at the Human Rights Council commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Right to Development held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva on 15 June 2016.
The representative of Indonesia said that the right to development should be placed at the heart of development policies and programs in developing countries as well as to internalize it among marginalized segments of society in developed countries.
Speaking on the SDGs, the delegation also said that, as stated in its Goal No. 17, the SDGs can only materialize with commitment from each country at all levels to global partnership and cooperation and called for stronger cooperation and partnership between and within countries for the effective implementation of the right to development.
Cuba said that the operationalization of the Right to Development must focus all efforts in the accomplishment of the 2030 Agenda for Development. The Caribbean nations stressed that initiatives of cooperation implemented by ALBA countries in bilateral and regional basis are good practices that should be followed as a way of implementing such a right.
The delegation of Cuba also called upon developed countries to accomplish their commitments in terms of official development assistance and with sufficient and predictable additional financial resources. These countries should also increase support for capacity building and technology transfer, the delegation said.
Developed nations should not establish restrictions to trade from poor nations and should give solutions also to the billions of citizens living in conditions of poverty and underdevelopment and which also affects industrialized societies, the Cuban delegation said.
Bolivia said that exotic arguments and lack of human empathy abandoned the search for political consensus on the right to development, a grave contradiction which constitutes the situation of denial of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.
The Andean nations called states to give strong focus to the challenges of inequality and to recognize the existence of a different reality and levels of development and the respect for territorial sovereignty, national policies and priorities as well as a different focus and visions of future in harmony with Mother Earth.
Bolivia said that in order to revitalize the world alliance for sustainable development it is also possible to recognize the plurality of the economy constituted of forms of organization such as state, private and communities and social cooperatives.
Sierra Leone spoke on the role of the right to development in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and stated that in this regard, access to resources remains a predominant concern. The delegation also referred to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda which should provide options for financing the 2030 Agenda, and which could also be seen as means for ensuring that the right to development is attainable in all countries.
The representative of India said that thirty years have passed by since we adopted the UN Declaration on the Right to Development. The Vienna Declaration, the Millennium Declaration and Rio+20 Declaration as well as the UNGA resolution that established this Human Rights Council have all reaffirmed the Right to Development. Yet the global commitment to make this right a reality for everyone remains largely unfulfilled.
Fresh ideas and new mechanisms are urgently needed to address the challenges in the full implementation of the Right to Development. India said that attempts to bracket the Right to Development to a group of countries or regions should be stopped. As the principle UN body dealing with human rights, this Council should fully and categorically reaffirm the Right to Development as a distinct, universal, inalienable, and fundamental human right that is applicable to all people in all countries, the delegate said.
The Indian delegate also stated that the Right to Development should be firmly recognized as a primary enabling right that provides the normative basis for realization of all other rights. The Council and its mechanisms have much to do in promoting the Right to Development and mainstreaming it in the work of the wider UN system. Efforts to undermine the legitimacy of the Declaration or the Right itself should be actively discouraged.
Speaking on the Agenda 2030, India also said, as stated by many other developing countries, that for the SDGs to be successfully achieved there should be a focus on strengthening the Means of Implementation and creating an enabling and equitable global order that is informed by the Right to Development. The commitments made in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Paris Agreement, trade and other global agendas should be aligned with these efforts, the delegation said.
Achieving policy coherence would be critical in this context and the ‘Right to Development’ can provide the much-needed framework for fostering policy coherence among the various international instruments, the Indian delegation concluded.
Pakistan said that the Declaration on the Right to Development has inspired Agenda 2030 which mentions this right as “an instrument that informs Agenda 2030”. The Declaration provides the fundamentals that have helped in the elaboration of Agenda 2030.
The Right to Development provides a path to overcome many of our common challenges, including poverty, hunger and deprivation. It is also true for Pakistan where the Constitution guarantees equity of access to essential amenities and development needs within parameters of national re-sources. Pakistan’s development frame-work is people-centred and its long-term road map “Pakistan Vision 2025” puts people at the centre of the development paradigm, the delegation stressed.
The right of peoples to self-determination which is an integral part of the Declaration on the Right to Development remains relevant even today, especially for people under occupation. This right should be exercised freely and without coercion.
The commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Declaration is also a reaffirmation of one of the fundamental principles included in it, that is, the right to self-determination. It is through the realization of this right that most of us are living in free countries today. We are therefore obliged to offer moral and political support for the realization of this right by people under foreign occupation and alien domination, the delegation of Pakistan concluded.
Sri Lanka said that one of the prime accomplishments of the Declaration was recognizing the Right to Development as “an inalienable human right”. The Declaration emphasizes a holistic approach to fully realize all human rights – civil, political as well as social, economic and cultural rights alike which ensure fundamental freedoms for everyone. It provides an alternative vision for the development of policy and global partnership, to advance the three pillars of human rights, development, and peace and security.
The adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, which provides a comprehensive framework for development, being informed by the Declaration on the Right to Development, and the political commitments made in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development (AAAA) and the Paris Climate Agreement provide new hope to realize this vision.
Addressing challenges in the global level, the delegation stressed that international cooperation is indispensable for addressing obstacles to development that are beyond the national capacity of States to tackle, such as extreme poverty, adverse effects of climate change, financial crises and unequal trade relations.
Nigeria said that the Right to Development is a shared responsibility whose recognition must be assessed in the light of the growing inequality and poverty resulting from State policies and other exogenous factors such as climate change, natural disasters, violent extremism, social unrest and deprivation.
Nigeria agrees with those views that have placed the right to development at par with all other human rights. However, where asymmetries in international trade still remain between developed and developing countries, the right to development is greatly impaired particularly in developing and least developed countries. Besides, illicit financial assets stashed abroad, deprive States resources required to progressively realize the right to development.
“This is why we call on this Council to lend its voice in addressing the negative impact of the non-repatriation of illicit assets to their countries of origin,” the delegate said. Nigeria has placed the fight against corruption in front in the realization of the right to development.
Namibia said that the lack of development opportunities poses a serious threat to the well-being of the citizens of developing countries and contributes to instability and conflict. Without equal development opportunities we cannot adequately provide the housing, health, education and nutritional needs of our people, which put us at risk of suffering major setbacks when we are faced with natural disasters, outbreak of disease or conflict.
The delegation said that 30 years ago, the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Right to Development, saying, “Bearing in mind the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations relating to the achievement of international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian nature, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion”.
We are of the opinion that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 goals is a tool for the implementation of this creed. We are delighted that we now have the opportunity to use an initiative, which we have all agreed to, in moving forward to achieve inclusive, equitable and sustainable development for all, the delegation concluded.
The delegation of Algeria said that the right to development should be designed as an expression of justice and equity that merges the consecration of fundamental rights and solidarity. “It is an individual right and a collective right,” the delegate said, which requires the creation of permanent favourable conditions for each individual for the full development of their capacity as the society to constantly improve their wellbeing and quality of life that permits the full enjoyment of all human rights for all.
Algeria stated that in this regard, the international community has the duty to support actively or at least not to hinder the process of development of people and of the most disadvantaged peoples and individuals.
The dimension of sustainability which has been added to this right is of great importance in the way to ensure that development does not concern only the needs and the wellbeing of current generations but equally, of future generations. In this regard, the Agenda for Sustainable Development will contribute to implement this right.
Algeria added its voice to many previous speakers who have also regretted the fact the work of the Working Group on the Right to Development has been hampered by the political stalemate in the past years between the developed and developing countries. The Algerian delegation hopes that the thirtieth anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development is an opportunity for the international community to renew its engagement to the effective implementation of this right in the context of cooperation and international solidarity.
Malaysia said that thirty years ago, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development and collectively recognised that development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural, and political process. In the pursuit to overcome serious obstacles to development, and to promote development, we agreed that equal attention and urgent consideration should be given to the implementation, promotion and protection of all rights.
As Members of the United Nations, we rejected the selective enjoyment of certain rights at the expense of others, and confirmed that the right to development is an inalienable human right in itself, a prerogative of all nations and peoples, the Malaysian delegation said.
Malaysia continues to believe that in the realisation of the right of development, no man is an island. As much as one nation strives to progress towards development, it would not be able to reap the full potential of its efforts if the international financial, economic, law, and human rights systems and practices are taking those efforts for granted.
The triumph of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development would need a revolutionary approach to alter international systems that pervasively hamper the creation of international conditions favourable to the realization of the right to development. The delegation ended by calling upon Member States to uphold their primary responsibilities to cooperate with and facilitate each other to promote and realize the right to development. We need to take concrete steps to implement fair global development strategies based on sovereign equality, interdependence, mutual interest, and cooperation, the delegate of Malaysia concluded.
The delegation of Suriname said that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing. It is therefore indispensable that all three pillars of the United Nations be addressed in a holistic manner in order to achieve meaningful progress in all areas and in all fields. “Bearing in mind the recent global commitments to sustainable development we are more focused on the implementation of the right to development, an issue of crucial importance to our region,” the delegate said.
While the existence of the right to development is met with skepticism by some or even rejected, we nevertheless have a solid reaffirmation of the right to development in the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of the World Conference on Human Rights, and reiterated in subsequent outcome documents of major United Nations Summits and Conferences and most recently in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we undoubtedly have a strong political foundation to build on with regard to the implementation of the right to development, now that this right is an integral part of the Agenda and its delivery. For Suriname and other developing countries it is indisputable: the right to development is a human right which is universal and indivisible, the delegate concluded.
In a joint statement, Associazione Comunita Papa Giovanni XXIII, a civil society group working actively on the Right to the Development said that there are still great obstacles in the realization of the right to development due mainly to the long-standing politicization in the debate on this right. People, especially those in situations of extreme poverty, continue to exceedingly and unnecessarily suffer for the lack of will by States to implement this right.
“We want to encourage the States to end the polarization that has characterized last year’s negotiations and to work effectively and speedily towards the adoption of meaningful criteria and operational sub-criteria for the implementation of the right to development,” the delegate said.
“We hope that this Panel will be a cornerstone to get over this politicization. A clear sign of this politicization is the delay of the work of the Open-Ended Working Group on the Right to Development, which recently announced the continuation of the reading of the criteria and operational sub-criteria for another two years. We can do nothing else than share with you our big disappointment. “
The Declaration on the Right to Development says in the preamble “development is a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process, which aims at the constant improvement of the well-being of the entire population”. In a context of multiple crises, the implementation of the right to development is more needed than ever.
The delegation of the International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations (ISMUN) said that the Right to Development is indeed fundamental in meeting the challenges of our time where development is affirmed in all its dimensions, as an inalienable human right, addressing not only symptoms but underlying structural causes of poverty, inequality, injustice and discrimination.
Addressing the great survival issue of humanity, for example that of climate change, must not mean the minimum adaptation to the worst for the poorest, but must include the realisation of the Right to Development for all. The lack of global popular awareness of the Declaration on the Right to Development and its slow pace of implementation, even that of obstruction, in the UN system is a matter that needs to be urgently addressed. “We believe that the time has come for the Human Rights Council to propose and the General Assembly to decide to formally include the Declaration on the Right to Development in the ”International Bill of Human Rights”, the collective name given by the United Nations to the Universal Declaration and the two Covenants. It is the necessary action for the Declaration to receive the prominence it deserves at its 30th anniversary,” said ISMUN.
Adriano José Timossi is Senior Programme Officer of the Global Governance for Development Programme (GGDP) of the South Centre.
