View previous stories
	Right to Development: Political will urgently needed to address rising inequalities by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights   Development is a human right for All   Everyone is “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,” the groundbreaking UN Declaration on the Right to Development proclaimed in 1986 that development is a right that belongs to everyone.   Like all human rights, the right to development belongs to everyone, individually and collectively, with no discrimination and with their participation. The Declaration recognizes the right to self-determination and to full sovereignty over natural wealth and resources.   The pursuit of economic growth is not an end in itself. The right to development puts people at the centre of the development process, which aims to improve “the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in development and in the fair distribution” of the resulting benefits.   The year 2011 marked the Declaration’s 25th anniversary. Yet many children, women and men – the very subjects of development – still live in dire need of the fulfilment of their entitlement to a life of dignity, freedom and equal opportunity. This directly affects the realization of a wide range of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights.   Widening poverty gaps, food shortages, climate change, economic crises, armed conflicts, rising unemployment, popular unrest, and other pressing challenges confront our world today. The right to development, which embodies the human rights principles of equality, non-discrimination, participation, transparency and accountability as well as international cooperation, can guide our responses to a series of contemporary issues and challenges.   The right to development is not about charity, but enablement and empowerment. The Declaration identifies obstacles to development, empowers individuals and peoples, calls for an enabling environment and good governance at both national and international levels, and enhances accountability of duty bearers - governments, donors and recipients, international organizations, transnational corporations, and civil society.   High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has called on governments and all concerned to seize the opportunity to move beyond political debate and focus on practical steps to implement the Declaration.   “We must end discrimination in the distribution of the benefits of development. We must stop the 500,000 preventable deaths of women in childbirth every year. We must free the millions of children from hunger in a world of plenty. And we must ensure that people can benefit from their country’s natural resources and participate meaningfully in decision-making. These are the kind of issues addressed by the Declaration, which calls for equal opportunity and a just social order,” she said.   “States have the duty to cooperate with each other in ensuring development and eliminating obstacles to development,” says the Declaration. The United Nations Human Rights office services the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development. The Office seeks to raise awareness, enhance understanding and promote dialogue on the right to development.   Nov 2013   The Chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development has warned about the dramatic increase of inequalities within and between countries during the unprecedented current global economic and financial crisis.   The surge in inequalities has brought “countless victims, violating their human rights, and threatening the ecosystem upon which life depends,” said Tamara Kunanayakam, who currently chairs the Working Group charged by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the promotion and implementation of the right to development.   “We are lacking neither in the means nor in the resources to confront these historical challenges through international cooperation and solidarity. Problems of a global character can only be resolved through collective action,” Ms. Kunanayakam told the UN General Assembly during the presentation of the Working Group’s latest report.   “The question is: Is there the political will to do so?”   If any progress is to be made in the realization of the right to development, then social justice and equality, as well as national and international justice, must be given the prominence they deserve in today’s development discourse.   Ms. Kunanayakam urged Governments worldwide to implement the Declaration on the Right to Development, calling it “an instrument that provides a framework for building a human society based on justice, equality, non-discrimination and solidarity.”   The Working Group was established in 1998 by the then Commission on Human Rights to monitor and review progress made in the promotion and implementation of the right to development in the world.   Read the full report: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session24/Documents/A-HRC-24-37_en.pdf   * Further resources:   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/WGRightToDevelopment.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/DevelopmentIndex.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/Humanrightsatthecentreofdevelopment.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/RealizingaVisionforTransformativeDevelopment.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/PromotingHRbasedfinancialregulationmacroeconomicpolicies.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/Pages/NewsFeatureStoriesPromotingahumanrights.aspx http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Development/DeclarationRightDevelopment_en.pdf http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/RightDevelopmentInteractive_EN.pdf (579 pages) Visit the related web page
	Marking the 65th anniversary of landmark treaty on preventing genocide by Adama Dieng UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide   December 2013   Top United Nations officials joined international experts in New York to mark the 65th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide – referred to as a living symbol of the pledge of ‘never again.’   “The Genocide Convention has at its heart the commitment to protect vulnerable populations from mass violence. We have made significant advances since it was adopted but we have also seen some significant failures,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said, as he addressed the UN Headquarters event on behalf of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.   “We must be vigilant, courageous and persistent,” he stated. “We live in a troubled world, but it is within the power of all of us to make a difference. We must not be passive bystanders. We must always stand up for human rights, the rule of law and a life of dignity for all.”   Adopted on 9 December 1948 during the first session of the UN General Assembly, the Convention is largely an outcome of the world’s response to the crimes committed by the Nazis against Jews and other minority groups during the Second World War.   Drafted by three giants of the human rights field – Raphael Lemkin, Vespasian Pella and Henry Donnedieu de Vabres – it defines genocide as any act committed with the intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.   Today, more than 140 countries have become parties to the Convention, which declares genocide a crime under international law. Those who commit, conspire to commit, or incite others to commit genocide would be found guilty of the crime.   “Genocide does not happen overnight,” Mr. Eliasson added. “There are almost always many warning signs, usually over a period of years. Very often these are violations of human rights against one particular group or entity within a population.   “That means genocide is enabled when we remain silent or are unwilling to act. But – and this is crucial – it also means we can prevent it.”   Adama Dieng, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, noted that while the Convention makes it clear that the prime duty of the international community is to prevent, too often it has failed in this duty, with devastating consequences for innocent civilians.   “Today we have to move beyond early warning to early action. We have to strengthen the capacity of our institutions to respond in a timely and effective way to potential conflicts and to the threat of grave and massive human rights violations. Even the best system of early warning will be less helpful unless States are able and willing to take action when the warning is received.”   He said the ongoing carnage in Syria and unfolding tragedy in the Central African Republic are “stark reminders of our limitations and our inability to undertake robust, timely action to protect populations from atrocity crimes.   “Yet, any inaction is unacceptable, especially for those who endure the suffering resulting from these conflicts. We need to do more and we can do more.”   Mr. Dieng added that whenever civilians are deliberately targeted because they belong to a particular community or ethnic group, it is evident that the international community is confronting potential or indeed actual genocide.   “We can no longer afford to be blind to this grim dynamic, nor should we imagine that appeals to morality, without credible threat of action, will have much effect on people who have adopted a deliberate strategy of killing and forcible expulsion.   “Anyone who embarks on genocide commits a crime against humanity. It is therefore important that humanity must respond by taking action in its own defence. It is our collective obligation to stand firm and provide a shield to the defenseless.”   http://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/ Visit the related web page
	View more stories