General Statement by India at the 23rd Session of the Working Group on the Right to Development, delivered by Mr. S.Senthil Kumar, First Secretary on Monday 16 May 2022
Mr. Chair,
My delegation would like to join other delegations in congratulating you on your election as the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development (RTD) and assure you of our full support. We thank the Chair and members of the drafting group for the revised draft of the legally binding instrument on the Right to Development.
- 2.We would like to thank also the SR on the Right Development and the Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development for presenting updates and views on matters concerning their mandates.
Mr. Chair,
- 3.India reiterates its strong support for full and effective implementation of the Right to Development. Right to Development, as a distinct, universal, inalienable, and fundamental human right, is available to every human being in all countries and is fundamental to realisation of the goal of sustainable development.
- 4.It is imperative to address the need for operationalisation of the Right to Development, in the interest of achieving equitable and sustainable development. In this context, we emphasize the indivisibility of human rights – civil and political, as well as the economic, social and cultural rights and the importance of international cooperation for full realization of the RTD. The application of principles of democracy, transparency, accountability, non-discrimination, equity and participatory governance in implementation of RTD by the States, is essential to serve the best interests of the people.
- 5.It is our firm belief that implementation of RTD is essential for realising the Agenda 2030. For the SDGs to be successfully achieved, we should focus on strengthening the means of implementation and creating an enabling and equitable global order that is conducive to the realisation of Right to Development.
Mr. Chair,
- 6.India attaches a high priority to inclusive and sustainable development, which has also informed and inspired our developmental cooperation with other countries, which is based on their developmental priorities. Our global developmental cooperation encompasses grant-in-aid, lines of credit, capacity building, training and technical assistance. At multilateral level, we have established the India-UN Development Fund to strengthen our developmental cooperation with the developing countries. Our efforts at national level, including in the areas such as health, education, housing, poverty reduction, digital empowerment, gender equality, climate action, etc., are taken with a view to fulfil our obligations to implement the RTD of our people.
Mr. Chair,
- 7.We fully support the elaboration of a draft legally binding instrument on the Right to Development. The Working Group should continue to work through collaborative process, involving all relevant stakeholders for building consensus of the draft text. We look forward to constructive discussions of the revised draft instrument, this week.
Thank You Chair.
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