Thank You, Madame President.

The Associazione Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII joins with Caritas Internationalis, New Humanity, Association Points-Coeur,, AVSI, BICE, International Association of Charities, ICMC, OIDEL, Dominicans for Justice and Peace (Order of Preachers), IIMA, VIDES in affirming that:

The Declaration on the Right to Development is based on the following principles: unity of origin and a shared destiny of the human family; equality among all persons and communities based on human dignity; the universal destination of the goods of the earth; the notion of integral development; and the centrality of the human person and solidarity.

In our opinion, the document of the High Level Task Force of the Working Group on criteria and operational sub-criteria does not entirely reflect the peculiarity, the richness, and the vision of the Right to Development.

The concept of an enabling international and national environment should be spelt out in greater detail and the national and international responsibilities should be better balanced.

Even if it remains a primary responsibility of a State to guarantee the realization of the Right to Development, the international community must support the development process by removing the international structural economic, financial and political obstacles and by acting accordingly to MDG 8 on global partnership for development.

The principle of solidarity can be seen as a cross-cutting criterion for the creation of an enabling environment to facilitate fulfilment of the right to development and the principle of subsidiarity as the dividing line between national and international responsibilities.

The criteria and operational sub-criteria are lacking appropriate human rights language.

The declaration of the Right to Development presents a broader definition of development and not just an economic and social dimension. The political, economic, cultural, ethical and spiritual dimensions of development should also be reflected among the criteria and operational sub-criteria, as well as the right to self determination of peoples included in the preamble of the Declaration.

The time has come for Member States of different coalitions to go from rhetoric to action bearing in mind that the life, well-being and respect for the human rights of billions of people around the world, depend on the implementation of the right to development and the establishment of an international social order founded on justice, development and peace.

Thank You.

Joint ST: Right to Development. From rhetoric to action. (141.01 KB)