| Geneva:
61st Human Rights Commission (CHR61)
Update: March 24th
In recent
sessions, CHR61 delegates have been
looking at the ‘right to development.’
The UN Declaration on the Right to
Development was adopted in 1986, and
since then there has not always been
agreement over its legal definition
and scope. That document states: “The
right to development is an inalienable
human right by virtue of which every
human person and all peoples are entitled
to …… enjoy economic,
social, cultural and political development
in which all human rights and fundamental
freedoms can be fully realized.”
(Art. 1,1)
Speaking on behalf of the African
Group of Nations, Ethiopian representative
Lulit Zewdie described the concept
as a bridge linking politics and economics
with the language of human rights:
development is a fundamental right,
not simply an economic goal. He highlighted
key challenges such as: dealing effectively
with the unsustainable debt burden
of many countries; the need for a
timely conclusion of the Doha round
of trade talks to resolve the issue
of market access for many less-developed
countries, especially in the area
of agriculture. Removing such barriers
to equitable trade is a vital part
of the pursuit of the UN Millennium
Development Goals.
World Bank Representative Joseph
Ingram affirmed that the principles
highlighted by UN working groups on
this issue are the same as those behind
the Bank’s approach to development,
including a participatory and consultative
process engaging all stakeholders,
especially the poor. Civil society
observers have expressed concern recently
over the nomination of Paul Wolfowitz
as the Bank’s new president
as possibly heralding a shift towards
a narrower ideological approach.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Observer
of the Holy See, highlighted the role
of faith-based organisations as effective
instruments in delivering the Right
to Development because “they
focus directly on the human person
and on an understanding of sustainable
development that keeps a balanced
relationship….”
Debate in this area is currently
focused around the pursuit of the
UN Millennium Development Goals
by 2015, with Anglican and other bodies
making this a focus of advocacy and
awareness work. See also Episcopalians
for Global Reconciliation, and
the
Make Poverty History campaign
linking major Christian NGOs such
as Christian Aid, Tear Fund and others
in a campaign to make the Right to
Development a reality.
Revd Michael French, Secretary to
Geneva Representation, m.french@anglican.ch
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