Permanent Mission of India, Geneva

Human Rights Council

17th Session of the Working Group on the Right to Development

India’s Statement
(25 April 2016)

Mr. Chair,

1. Let me begin by joining others in congratulating you on your re-election as the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Development.

2. Right to Development has, unfortunately, remained a much-neglected aspect of the global quest for promotion and protection of human rights. Hence, we fully concur with other delegations, especially from the developing world, that we should use the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development and the recent adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to inject fresh vigor into an idea which appears to be falling off the global radar.

Mr. Chair,

3. As pointed out in your report, the challenge of guaranteeing human rights becomes nearly impossible to tackle in the face of unmet human needs. There seems to be a tacit acknowledgement of this fact in the plethora of internationally agreed declarations, resolutions, decisions and norms on the issue of right to development, however, when it comes to allocation of adequate time and resources to this issue, our collective endeavor at the various UN fora leaves much to be desired. 

4. The deliberations in all multilateral fora as well decades of experience of the ground realities have put one thing beyond the pale of doubt: any lasting progress towards fulfilling the right to development require equitable economic relations and a favorable economic environment at the international level, apart from the national level policies.

5. The global development divide of today can trace its origins in an array of historical injustices that have somehow never completely disappeared from the equation. They are evident today in the persisting undemocratic systems of international governance where effective participation of developing countries in international decision-making is paved with all kinds of obstacles. In this regard, our repeated calls for a conducive international environment as well attempts towards greater acceptance and operationalization of the right to development at the international level have only yielded disappointment and resistance.

6. We thank the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group for the draft standards of implementation of the right to development and hope that they would provide adequate platform for further deliberations and consequent refining of the ideas that have been rightly presented as the stepping-stones towards the final destination. While it is prudent to have a practical and realistic approach towards the issue of right to development, we need to be certain that there is not frittering away of the hard-won gains so far.  

7. Let me also reiterate the centrality of the right to development in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular the SDG 17 dealing with the means of implementation. This would also require mainstreaming of the right to development in the policies and operational activities of the UN and its various agencies, funds and programmes. Above all we will need strong political will and genuine commitment of the international community to make the right to development a working reality.

8. My delegation would look forward to constructive discussions in the coming days taking into account the standards proposed by the Chair-Rapportuer as a good starting point.

I thank you.

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