Permanent Mission of India, Geneva 

Human Rights Council 

18^th Session of the Working Group on the Right to Development 

India’s Statement made by Shri Alok Ranjan Jha, Counsellor, (Political)

(03 April 2017)

Mr. Chair, 

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, despite a mixed treatment at the hands of UN human rights mechanisms, remains supremely important for an overwhelming majority of the global population. It also continues to be highly misunderstood. We would like to reiterate that right to development is not a request for charity but a well-founded desire for an international order that does not hamper the process of development. 

Mr. Chair, 

3. India has often expressed its concern that when it comes to allocation of adequate time and resources to right to development, our collective endeavor at the various UN fora leaves much to be desired. Hence, the appointment of the new Special Rapporteur on the right to development is a heartening development and we sincerely hope that the SR would receive all the necessary support from the OHCHR for fulfilling his mandate. India has decided to contribute an addition sum of US$ 25,000 exclusively to support the efforts of SR on right to development. 
4. We do agree that the process of development needs to be nationally owned and driven by national needs and priorities. However, what it needs to be complemented by is equitable economic relations and a favorable economic environment at the international level. 
5. The historical injustices that led to today’s mammoth resource gap amongst nations continue to haunt us. The structures of global governance that were established by a select group continue to be blatantly undemocratic. The same remains true of global financial institutions. This needs to change if we harbor any hope of an equitable global order. Given the nature of our common concerns where problems defy borders and no one nation can claim all solutions, it is in our collective interest to work for an equitable order. 
6. We commend the efforts of the Chair-Rapporteur in drafting standards of implementation of the right to development and are sure that they would provide an adequate platform for further deliberations towards our desired objective. We need to have a realistic approach towards the issue of right to development, however, we must be mindful of the progress so far and should ensure that there is no loss of momentum or any regression. 
7. The importance of the right to development in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development cannot be overstated. We need to reinvigorate the process of mainstreaming of the right to development in the policies and operational activities of the UN and its various agencies, funds and programmes. This will not be possible without a strong political will and sustained commitment of the international community to make the right to development a functioning reality. 
8. Our delegation looks forward to constructive discussions in the coming days taking into account the standards proposed by the Chair-Rapporteur. 

                     I thank you. 

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