UN Emphasizes Value Of The Right To Development- UN Human Rights Council Meeting

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Council conducted a high-level meeting to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, emphasizing what a groundbreaking achievement it was.

Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, stated that "The time had come to recognize the right to development as a human right — on a par with other human rights and fundamental freedoms,"

According to the Xinhua news agency, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Right to Development in December 1986.

Mohammed emphasized that "Today, the right to development remains a bold intention, yet to be realized by billions of people, still pending formal recognition; the time has come to make it a reality."

She emphasized that the Declaration highlighted the significance of people as the agents and ultimate beneficiaries of development and that only through the meaningful engagement of everyone could sustainable development be achieved.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker T?rk, stated during the gathering that the globe has reached halfway of the 2030 Agenda's 15-year timeframe. Yet, he said, the Sustainable Development Goals had been seriously derailed.

"In this regard, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September will be a key milestone to turbocharge the right to development and ensure that the goals are met," he said,

Jeyhun Bayramov, the foreign minister of Azerbaijan, stated that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had a specific obligation to include the right to development into the larger UN system and to mobilize international support for its realization.

According to Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, the human development approach paralleled the right to development. He emphasized that finding additional financial resources will be crucial.

The right to development "is about creating an environment in which people could live with dignity and respect, free from poverty, hunger, disease, and oppression,"  stated Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

The World Health Organization's Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that the Declaration made it plain that people's engagement is fundamental to realizing the right to development and the right to health for all and that nations have a responsibility to work together.

According to Li Yuefen, senior adviser at the South Centre, the Declaration has new relevance more than 35 years after it was adopted in light of the significant transformation taking place in the world at the time.