Right to development |

Inequalities within countries and between so-called developed and developing countries continue to grow. According to the Global Inequality Report 2022 : “The richest 10% of the world’s population earn 52% of global income, while the poorest half earn only 8%. And an individual in the top 10% of income earns an average of 87,200 euros a year, while those in the bottom 50% earn 2,800 euros. Inequalities in wealth are even more pronounced than in income. The poorest half of the world’s population has virtually no wealth, owning just 2% of the total. Conversely, the richest 10% own 76% of it “.¹

In fact, the catastrophic spread of these inequalities and consequent poverty on a global scale makes it imperative to implement and promote the right to development.

The Declaration on the Right to Development (DRD) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1986. It results from efforts of the Non Aligned Movement to establish a fairer and more equitable New International Economic Order. The DRD opposes the dominant ideology in which economic growth is the primary objective of development.

On the contrary, the DRD asserts that the human person – individually and above all, collectively – is at the heart of all activity not only economic but also social, political and cultural. In this sense, it must be the central subject and not merely the object, of a development process that is based on people’s active, free and meaningful participation.

The objective of the Right to Development is to achieve self-determination and sovereignty of peoples regarding their choice of development model, in a spirit of equality and mutual respect. The Right to Development also implies that the benefits of development be distributed equitably. The DRD postulates that all States, individually and collectively, adopt as a priority, the realization of all human rights (civil, political, economic, social and cultural). After tough negotiations over the wording of the text, a number of powerful Northern states tried to scrap it, to soften it and even to misrepresent its content. Constantly attacked by these states, the DRD has never been implemented. It directly opposes current political policies, in particular those of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and NATO. The policies of these institutions run counter to the aspirations of peoples of the South to autonomy and self-reliant development.

Nevertheless, thanks to the perseverance of many countries of the Non Aligned Movement (which today includes more than 120 states) and China, a process to develop a draft Convention on the Right to Development has been initiated recently at the United Nations. The aim is to make the Right to Development “operational”. In October 2023, the UN Human Rights Council on the right to development adopted the latest version of the draft Covenant (the term finally chosen instead of Convention). This text should shortly be ratified by the UN General Assembly. CETIM made an active contribution to the debates on this issue.

Indeed, for more than two decades, our association has been working within the UN to ensure that the right to development is not forgotten. We are vigilant to ensure that the content of the future Covenant on this right is not distorted. We are also making sure that its implementation is no longer systematically hindered but, on the contrary, given a real boost.

Food crisis and restrictions on the right to protest in Argentina denounced at the UN

PRESS RELEASE Geneva – Buenos Aires, 2 October 2024 – As part of the 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council, CETIM and the Centre for Legal and Social Studies (CELS) denounced the grave human rights situation in Argentina during the debate on urgent situations requiring the Council’s attention. The two organisations warned about […]

The Confederation of Sahel States: a panafrican renaissance?

Amzat Boukari-Yabara, guest speaker at the conference organised by CETIM, shares his vision of the Alliance of Sahel States. ‘I would like to begin my speech with a bit of history, which is a bit long but necessary to understand that the Alliance of Sahel States is not just about a pan-African renaissance, but rather […]

Importance of the right to development

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 57th session (9 September 2024 – 11 October 2024) CETIM reiterates its support to the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development. Indeed, this right concerns Southern and Northern countries where the situation is troublesome. We are witnessing the dislocation of social cohesion, the increase of unemployement, racism, insecurity and precariousness, […]

The UN Summit of the Future and the Right to Development

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 57th session (9 September 2024 – 11 October 2024) The UN Summit for the Future will be held in New York in September 2024 with the aim of “strengthening cooperation” and “closing the gaps in global governance”. The declared aim of the summit is to “save” the Sustainable Development Goals, which are […]

Towards an inclusive economy: rethinking growth to combat poverty

At the 56th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, on Tuesday 2 July 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty, Olivier De Schutter, presented his annual report on the subject. In this document, he presents his reflections aimed at deconstructing the deep roots of poverty and denouncing the dominant economic model which, […]

Right to development

Food crisis and restrictions on the right to protest in Argentina denounced at the UN

The Confederation of Sahel States: a panafrican renaissance?

Importance of the right to development

The UN Summit of the Future and the Right to Development

Towards an inclusive economy: rethinking growth to combat poverty

Lendemains solidaires – digital magazine

Calendar