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.

Actions against US undermining the UN multilateral system

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 60th session 08 September – 08 October 2025 [Excerpt of the declaration] Most recently, the refusal to issue visas to representatives of the State of Palestine, preventing them from participating in the General Assembly in New York, constitutes a flagrant breach of international law and of the US’ responsibilities as the host […]

Comments on the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 60th session 8 September – 8 October 2025 [Excerpt from the statement] ‘Development cooperation’, as promoted, remains at the mercy of donors, transnational corporations and financial markets, whereas it should be based on solidarity. The conditions imposed by the IMF and the World Bank, which ignore the right to development, destroy people’s […]

Industrial food systems: how can they be transformed to ensure respect for the right to food?

In his report submitted to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council (24 February – 4 April 2025)1, Mr. Michael Fakhri, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, suggested ways to transform the industrial food systems that have become harmful. In his report, the Special Rapporteur highlights the effects of sovereign debt […]

Cuba: towards a world where health is not a commodity

Foto@EmbaCubaPeru HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 59th session June 16 – July 11, 2025 Cuba offers a healthcare model in which the patient remains at the center of the concerns of the country’s authorities, while those of so-called developed countries are dismantling public healthcare structures in order to offer them to private companies. In its written declaration […]

Peruvian community denounces Glencore at the UN for human rights violations

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 59th session 16 June – 08 July 2025 [Excerpt from the statement] In this oral statement, the CETIM denounces the mining company Antamina, owned by the Anglo-Swiss multinational Glencore, for violations of the right to water in Peru. Glencore has depleted the water sources in the district of San Marcos, leaving the […]

Right to development

Actions against US undermining the UN multilateral system

Comments on the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development

Cuba: towards a world where health is not a commodity

Peruvian community denounces Glencore at the UN for human rights violations

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