«Il n‘y a pas un monde développé et un monde sous-développé, mais un seul monde mal développé»
We are providing a summary of the oral and written statements provided by CETIM during the 51st session of the Human Rights Council (September-October 2022).
Human rights violations in Rural Areas in Madagascar
The human rights situation in Madagascar remains very worrying: from corruption, looting of public property and natural ressources, arbitrary detention, trafficking in persons, extrajudicial executions, violations of peasant rights and appropriation of lands, the fundamental rights of Malagasy citizens are constantly flouted. In this statement to the Human Rights Council, CETIM urged the Malagasy government to put a stop to these violations and to implement a fair and just land policy that benefits the family peasantry.
Furthermore, on the side lines of this session of the Human Rights Council, CETIM and its Malagasy partners have referred to certain UN human rights protection mechanisms, in order to request the abolition of a new land law that breaches the human rights of rural populations, serving the interests of the agri-food sector at the expense of the smallholder peasantry. Meanwhile, this law was effectively abolished due to pressure from the peasants and civil society organizations.
Read the written declaration submitted to the Human Rights Council here
The “Boat of Death” transporting toxic wastes
CETIM and its partners have drawn the attention of the Human Rights Council to the dismantling of the NAe São Paulo vessel, which transported toxic wastes, that travelled from Brazil to the Aliağa shipyard in Turkey. The dismantling of vessels in Izmir-Aliağa is an environmental threat due to the asbestos and toxic waste that they contain. It also involves dangerous work in the shipyards, which violates the human rights of the workers undertaking the work. Thanks to the mobilisation of organisations, trade unions and social movements in Turkey and Brazil, the Turkish government was forced to take a step back, by blocking the vessel’s entry into the port of Izmir. In its statement at the plenary of the Human Rights Council, CETIM called on the UN Special Rapporteur on this issue to closely follow this case and other similar cases in order to ensure that workers’ rights to health, to work, and to a safe environment are upheld for all workers in the sector.
Read the statement in English here
Drafting a convention on the right to development
In relation to the report from the Intergovernmental Working Group responsible for negotiating a draft Convention on the right to development, CETIM recalled that the future Convention should, as a priority, contribute to the establishment of a fair and democratic international order, as well as fostering effective international cooperation with the goal of improving social well-being for all people and the equal division of wealth, as well as the full enjoyment of all human rights. The negotiations on the Convention are progressing in huge leaps. This is good news, because once it is adopted, this instrument will be a legal and political tool that will benefit all peoples, communities and social movements that are fighting for social and climate justice.
Monetary issues and the right to development
Monetary issues are closely related to the right to development. In fact, state’s control over its currency and financial mechanisms, on behalf of the population, has a crucial impact on national development programmes and policies. This also affects the right of the people to decide their future. And consequently, it also has an impact on the enjoyment of all human rights. CETIM presented a written statement and delivered a speech within the framework of this session of the Human Rights Council, in which it discussed the link between money and the right to development in more detail.
Read the written statement here
On the same topic, and article entitled “Pour une monnaie au service des peuples” (For money that benefits the people) by Rémy Herrera, an economist at CNRS, and a regular contributor to CETIM, has been published on the website of the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation. Read the article here
