A/HRC/4/8 page 6 15. The emergence of solidarity rights or third-generation rights is closely connected with the perception in developing countries of unequal development and unfair distribution of the benefits of globalization. 16. The idea of international solidarity can be said to have a legal basis in a number of existing international instruments. These include: the Charter of the United Nations, Article 1, paragraphs 2 and 3 and Article 55, sub-paragraph (b); the United Nations Millennium Declaration; the Millennium Development Goals (as reviewed in their report of 2006); the Declaration on the Right to Development; the preamble to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993 (Vienna Declaration); the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, article 17; the preamble to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Declaration on Cultural Diversity; and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, chapter IV. II. AREAS OF FOCUS 17. In his first report, the independent expert identified three major areas of focus to develop in the course of his mandate, namely: international cooperation; the global response to natural disasters, diseases and agricultural pests; and third-generation rights. A. International cooperation 18. International cooperation is of essential importance to the realization of the right to development and in contributing to equality in development. Full realization of the right to development encompasses issues such as: drinking water; housing; the international financial and trading system; access to affordable essential drugs; and transfer of technology. 19. Effective international cooperation is considered of significant importance in promoting the rapid development of developing countries and in providing these countries with appropriate means to facilitate and foster their comprehensive development. The Monterrey Consensus of 2002 implied a new partnership between developed and developing countries, if internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, are to be achieved. 20. Other international agreements and instruments which emphasize international cooperation include: the Declaration on the Right to Development, article 1, paragraph 1, article 2, paragraph 1 and article 3, paragraph 2; the United Nations Millennium Declaration; the Vienna Declaration Part I, paragraph 10; Millennium Development Goal 8; the Charter of the United Nations, Articles 1, paragraph 3, 55 and 56; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, articles 22 and 28; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, article 2, paragraph 1, article 11, paragraph 1, articles 22 and 23; the Convention on the Rights of the Child, articles 4, 24, paragraph 4, and 28, paragraph 3. 21. International cooperation is of essential importance in achieving sustained growth, to ensure that people in all developing countries can benefit from globalization and to fight the backlash against globalization, caused by unequal distribution of the benefits. The spirit of