[TLDR (too long didn’t read): This Reader is to, in a time-saving way, quickly refresh your knowledge about the contents of the Human Right to Development. For a quick overview, just read the bolded text].
[I apologize for making this Reader a bit boring though short. But this is important information for you to have AND to use].
1. The principles can be summarized as follows:
- The right to development is an inalienable self-standing human right. Development is not merely a privilege enjoyed by human beings and peoples, nor are they mere subjects of charity;
- Rights holders are guaranteed three entitlements: to participate-in, contribute-to and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development;
- The right to development also implies the full realization of the right of peoples to self-determination;
- Operationalizing the right to development entails respecting, protecting and fulfilling all other human rights – civil, political, economic, social and cultural. This signifies that given the very nature of development as a human right, it cannot be realized when there are violations of other human rights;
- The right to development requires a focus not only on outcomes that are to be realized from a development plan or agenda (the “what” question), but also on the process by which those outcomes are achieved (the “how” question). Both the processes and outcomes of development must be consistent with and based on all other human rights;
- Human beings are individually (that is, all human persons) and collectively (that is, all peoples) the rights holders of the right to development. Every State is entitled, as an agent of all persons and peoples subject to its jurisdiction, to demand respect for the right to development from other States and international organizations;
- The Declaration entails duties for all States to respect, protect and fulfil the right to development at the following three levels:
- States acting collectively in global and regional partnerships;
- States acting individually as they adopt and implement policies that affect persons not strictly within their jurisdiction;
- States acting individually as they formulate national development policies and programs affecting persons within their jurisdiction.
- (h) The Declaration obliges States, individually and collectively, to eliminate existing obstacles to the realization of the right to development, refrain from adopting policies that undermine its realization and positively create conditions favorable for its realization;
- The Declaration reaffirms the duty of international cooperation for States and obliges them to carry out that duty to realize the right to development for all.
2. Despite reaffirmation of the right to development and reassertion of its importance in numerous resolutions, declarations and agendas, operationalization has been entirely lacking, especially at the international level. There is an urgent need to move beyond rhetoric and strive for greater acceptance, operationalization and realization of the right to development across all three levels of obligations of States. States must pay full attention to their collective obligations to realize the right to development in global and regional partnerships and to their individual obligations not to impair or nullify the realization of the right of those not strictly within their jurisdiction. The Expert Mechanism strongly cautions against interpreting the obligations of States to realize the right to development as directed only towards those within their own jurisdictions.
3. The right to development is vital for realizing Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and should be central to its implementation. In particular, the Sustainable Development Goals can be realized only through a credible, effective and universal commitment to the means of implementation based on the normative framework of the right to development, especially the duty of international cooperation.
4. The deceleration relating to many targets of the 2030 Agenda even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic is attributable to the failure of States to discharge their duty to cooperate in creating the enabling environment for realizing the Goals. Operationalizing the right to development for mobilizing the means of implementation is indispensable to ensure a course correction.
5. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed existing fault lines in global solidarity and international cooperation and has accelerated the derailment of the 2030 Agenda. There has never been a more urgent need for operationalizing the right to development to mobilize the means of implementation through fulfilment by States of their duty to cooperate.
Claudio Schuftan, Ho Chi Minh City
Your comments are welcome at schuftan@gmail.com
All Readers are available at www.claudioschuftan.com
Postscript/not Marginal