Statement by India under Agenda Item 3 : ID with SR on Right to Development at the 45th Session of the Human Rights Council (14 September – 06 October 2020) delivered by Mr. Pawankumar Badhe, First Secretary,

Permanent Mission of India (Geneva, 16 September 2020)

Madam President,

At the outset, India would like to thank the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development for his detailed report. The report of the SR covers the important linkage between Financing for Development and the Right to Development as the fulfilment of this right requires that sufficient funds are available with the governments.

2. We appreciate and support the point made by the Special Rapporteur in his report that fundamental elements of the right to development need to be underpinned by an international framework for financing for development. We strongly believe that effective taxation is an inextricable element of both Financing for development as well as the Right to Development. The report of the SR has highlighted the need for effective taxation policies at the national level. However, India believes that there is a need for effective taxation policies not only at the national level but effective cooperation at the global level as well on this issue. Tax revenue remains the most important element of domestic resource mobilization. As is widely recognized in a world of cross-border trade, investment and finance, there are limits to what can be done by domestic policy alone; necessitating strengthened international cooperation in tax matters. The long standing issue of upgrading the UN Committee of Experts on international cooperation on tax matters into an intergovernmental body needs to taken seriously.

3. Our vision following the Addis Agenda must be to go beyond merely ‘financing for development’ and aim at ‘making development happen’. Our enhanced ambition on development finance must be coupled with a genuine effort at creating a global system conducive to development itself. The success of the implementation of SDGs hinges on the mobilization of adequate resources, fact recognized in SDG17.

4. India attaches importance to its engagement with developing countries and is forthcoming in sharing its expertise and development experience. Our approach to development-aid is one based on solidarity and is voluntary in nature. India’s approach has always been sensitive to the needs and requirements of our development partners and has never resulted in any indebtedness or disruption of their economies. In this spirit; we have established the India-UN Development Fund to take our South-South development cooperation engagement even further. However, we believe Triangular and South-South Cooperation can only supplement the international obligations to Development Assistance.

5. India remains committed to the implementation of the Right to Development and has earlier contributed USD 25000 exclusively to support the activities of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development.

Thank You.

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