Right to development
"The Right to Development is an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized."
Article 1, UN Declaration on the Right to Development, 1986
Controversies
The right to development was confirmed as inalienable human right at the World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, in 1993. Despite this, the right to development has remained controversial, particularly within the politically charged environment of the Geneva-based UN Human Rights bodies.
Governments of the South tended to argue that it implied that wealthier nations have an obligation to provide development assistance to poorer countries, an interpretation strongly resisted by the North. Rights and Humanity has sought to clarify this right and to prompt consensus between governments.
Independent Expert
In 1998, the Commission established an Open-Ended Working Group on the Right to Development and appointed Dr Arjun K Sengupta, as an Independent Expert to undertake a study on this right. A distinguished development economist, Dr Sengupta was new to the field of human rights. He requested the assistance of Rights and Humanity in preparing his reports in 1999 and 2000 and we contributed our legal expertise and practical experience.
Promoting Inter-Governmental Consensus
In August 2000, our President undertook consultations with the main government delegations involved in the Open-Ended Working Group. Most of the delegates were lawyers or political scientists with little knowledge about development.
At the suggestion of the South African Mission in Geneva, the Franciscans International hosted a lunchtime meeting entitled “The Right to Development: An Emerging Consensus – A Conversation on the Right to Development with Julia Häusermann”. It was held at the UN’s Palais des Nations, Geneva, on 15 August 2000 with the aim of preparing the ground for consensus and was attended by representatives of governments and NGOs.
Based on our research, Rights and Humanity prepared the background paper entitled “An Emerging Consensus on the Right to Development” for a UN Seminar on The Right to Development. The Chair of the Open-Ended Working Group was circulated our paper to the delegates at the next session of the Working Group in 2000. We were invited to address the Working Group on a number of issues including the role of women in development (with a special emphasis on the vulnerability of women in the context of HIV/AIDS).
At the Working Group’s March 2002 session we presented a paper on the establishment of permanent follow-up mechanisms for the implementation of the right to development.
In March the following year, our President was invited to give a plenary presentation on the Right to Development at a Wilton Park Conference entitled Human Rights and the Alleviation of Poverty.